Tobias! Musical Greeting WoO 205g (1824)
This musical greeting, in the key of E major, is found in Beethoven's undated letter to his friend Tobias Haslinger, Brandenburg Letter 1887; Anderson Letter 1312. The lyrics, of Beethoven's own invention, are "Tobias! Paternostergäßler etc. Tobias! Paternostergäßlerischer, Bierhäußlerischer musikalischer Philister!" (Tobias! Our Father Alley etc. Tobias! Our-Father-Alley-Dweller, beerhouse-dwelling musical Philistine!") This greeting is a parody on the liturgical practice in the Roman Catholic church of a priest reciting a text on a single note, moving up a second on the penultimate note and then back again. The inspiration for this parody is of course the address of Steiner's shop: Paternoster Gäßchen (Our Father Alley).
The letter continues, "Note what Karl says, think of yourself as a fire extinguishing station, only instead of water, think money. Prestissimo, the receipt to Prague. If it doesn't come soon, I will have to act as an outpost. Farewell, the decree as the Great Seal Keeper will be delivered to you shortly. B-----n."
This letter probably dates from around the end of September. The reference to the receipt going to Prague in all likelihood relates to Beethoven's annuity payment, which will be due the first of October from Prince Kinsky, whose treasurer was in Prague. The obscure injoke about Haslinger being the keeper of the Great Seal also appears in a letter of October 7, 1824, making late September of 1824 highly probable for the letter to have been written.
Brandenburg Letter 1887; Anderson Letter 1312. As of the writing of Brandenburg's edition, this letter was in a private collection in Switzerland. Sound file created with Dorico Pro, using Vienna Symphonic Library VST.
WoO: 205