Beethoven appears to be in Baden, reading yesterday’s newspapers from Vienna in a coffee house. An amusingly titled cookbook catches his eye, and he makes note of it and the fact it’s available at Grund’s book shop on Stephansplatz. The book is Was kochen wir heute? Was Morgen? Vollständigtes Kochbuch …
Today’s entry is by guest editor Birthe Kibsgaard. Today’s Wiener Theater Zeitung includes another announcement about the upcoming Schuppanizigh Quartet concerts. “Schuppanzigh’s quartets have always been favored with an excellent reception and were in recent years recognized with distinction by friends and patrons of the art of music. Inspired by …
Beethoven is in Baden with Nephew Karl today. Ludwig works on a shopping/errand list: +Soap powder.+Washing soap.+In the Josephstadt Overture, from [Beethoven here seems to lose his train of thought and draws a horizontal line and light crosshatching afterwards. See attached detail from Conversation Book 77, 5v. But the Overture …
Conversation Book 77 begins being used probably today. This book is comprised of 23 leaves, with all pages containing writing. Like the previous book, Anton Schindler misdated it to summer or autumn of 1825. Thayer corrects this to note that the contents in part relate to the wedding celebration that …
Today’s Vienna Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (Nr.81) includes at 321 a flattering announcement that the Schuppanzigh Quartet’s new subscription series of six concerts will be every Sunday afternoon at 4:30, beginning October 17. Subscriptions are available at Steiner & Co. Art and Music for 10 florins W.W. In order to maintain …
Beethoven writes today from Baden to his former pupil, Carl Czerny. “My dear Czerny! Thank you endlessly for the love you have shown me. Unfortunately, my brother forgot to ask you for the 4-hand piano arrangement of the Overture [Consecration of the House, op.124.] With this in mind, I hope …
Beethoven writes to his friend Tobias Haslinger a followup to his panicked letter of last night. “Our Benjamin arrived here this morning, which is why I had 17 and half a cannon fired. Previous events without being his fault et sine mea culpa [and without being my fault] have made …
Johann Andreas Stumpff most likely goes back to Vienna today and bids farewell to Beethoven. His account of their parting: “Beethoven was the last to accompany me to the carriage that was now to separate me from him on this side of the grave! After a few silent minutes on …
Beethoven and Nephew Karl are still at the apartment in the Ungargasse in Vienna. Karl goes shopping with housekeeper Barbara Holzmann. They come back with three baskets of food, one large and two small. They have noodle soup, meat with potatoes, and a roast. While they are out, Karl also …
Beethoven, wishing to gratify his visitor Johann Andreas Stumpff, to whom he has clearly taken a liking, considers how to get a piano in sufficient working order so that he can play for Stumpff as requested. In the early morning, Beethoven writes a short note to Stumpff, who is still …
Johann Andreas Stumpff probably makes his second visit to Beethoven in Baden today, having been invited to mid-day dinner three days ago. He fills Beethoven in somewhat about his background. Stumpff says he was born in Saxony, but went to London 32 years ago to establish himself in business there. …
Brother Johann presumably departs at 5 a.m. as he planned yesterday, to visit Nussdorf to properly document his substantial annual payments for his estate. Today, or perhaps early tomorrow morning, Nephew Karl works with Ludwig to plan the mid-day dinner for Johann Andreas Stumpff. The list of possibilities, with explanations …
Nephew Karl is with Uncle Ludwig at his apartment in Baden, and Brother Johann stops by to visit. Johann asks whether Housekeeper Holzmann will be getting wine tomorrow morning. He thinks the rabbit they have on hand will still be good for two more days, until Saturday October 2, so …
Beethoven’s friend Tobias Haslinger and visitor from England Johann Andreas Stumpff (1769-1836) make the long (three to four hours) hike from Vienna to Baden bei Wien. Stumpff also bears a letter of introduction from piano maker Johann Andreas Streicher. The weather is foggy and cloudy early on, clearing up to …
Nephew Karl is with his Uncle Ludwig in Baden. He appears to add some entries out of order later in Conversation Book 76, 24v-26r. Karl jokes that tomorrow is the Nameday of the patron of all landlords: Michael. [Michaelmas, September 29, is the traditional beginning of new leases in the …
Probably sometime about now, Beethoven writes an undated letter from Baden to his former pupil Carl Czerny. “At this moment I find out that you are in a situation that I really never suspected. If you would trust me and just show me how things can perhaps be better for …
Brother Johann comes to visit Ludwig and Nephew Karl in Baden today. They consider going to the theater in Baden, but their free tickets are not valid because it is a benefit performance. [They make no further reference to the performance, so they may have opted not to attend.] There …
Piano maker and friend of Beethoven Andreas Streicher writes today to music publisher C.F. Peters in Leipzig. After getting various other business and payments due out of the way, Streicher mentions that he was very happy to forward the letters from himself and Beethoven to Peters on behalf of the …
This morning Beethoven is in Baden, probably having spent a sleepless night worrying, and frantic that Karl still has not returned from Vienna. He and housekeeper Barbara Holzmann take an early morning carriage into Vienna, and head straight to the apartment in the Ungargasse. When they arrive, they find Karl …
Beethoven writes a letter to his friend Vincenz Hauschka (1766-1840), one of the founders of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna. [Hauschka played the mandolin and the cello in several different orchestras over the years. Although by now no longer a professional musician, he was a fervent supporter of the …