Beethoven makes a note that vinegar is available at 986 Annagasse. He probably spends the morning proofreading the subscription score of the Missa Solemnis that was finished by copyist Ferdinand Wolanek late last night. Nephew Karl comes by the apartment this afternoon. Many of the entries for today are unclear; …
The menu for dinner today has some options: Vegetable soup, or herbal soup; almond horseradish or capers; sweet blue kraut with smoked chops; lamb or sheep brains. In the evening, young chicken and sheep brains. Copyist Ferdinand Wolanek comes back to see Beethoven this morning, though Karl mostly writes on …
Copyist Ferdinand Wolanek is back at Beethoven’s apartment today. He brings news that St. Michael’s Church and several houses in Heiligenstadt have burned down. [This occurred yesterday, December 17.] Uncle Ludwig asks what happened. They were struck by lightning. [A lightning and thunderstorm occurred about 8:15 p.m. on December 17, …
Beethoven follows up on Brother Johann’s letter approving of the sale of various works he owns to the publisher B. Schott’s Sons in Mainz. Ludwig writes today to Schott: “I inform you that it will probably take another 8 days before I can hand in the works. Archduke R. left …
Happy Beethoven’s Birthday! The composer turns 54 today, but so far as can be seen from the conversation books, he does nothing to celebrate the occasion. Gone are the convivial fish dinners he hosted with friends just a few years ago, possibly another indication of his increasingly profound deafness and …
Today marks the 26th anniversary of the founding of this website, The Unheard Beethoven. The history of this website is a long one: in the mid 1990s, Mark (from Wisconsin USA) and Willem (from the Netherlands) met on mIRC #beethoven chat channel on DALnet, and talked about Beethoven’s works, and …
Beethoven makes a couple of notes for today’s shopping:+Ordinary pottery plates in the old district of Wieden. [To replace the broken plates that the housekeeper mentioned yesterday. “Ordinary pottery plates” suggests Beethoven expected the servants to continue breaking them.]+Rubber bands. [For the scores of the Missa Solemnis that are being …
Nephew Karl is at the apartment. At mid-day dinner, Karl thinks the meat with the sauce tastes like medicine. The housekeeper says there are too few plates. [The plates appear to have been broken by the housekeeper on a regular basis, since Karl will later obliquely refer to taking the …
Beethoven makes a note that they need to get butter. He also writes a memorandum that Brother Johann should write to Loydl [Heinrich Albert Probst’s agents, though Beethoven mistakenly writes “Sodel”] saying that he is forwarding a letter for Probst to them. Ludwig then begins a draft letter to Loydl …
Beethoven writes a letter today to music publisher C.F. Peters in Leipzig. He notes that Johann Andreas Streicher has already written to Peters [in September] about the sales of the Missa Solemnis for subscription by the Leipzig singing society. Nothing of that sort can be done with the Mass now, …
Nephew Karl is at Ludwig’s apartment today. Someone, perhaps Streicher, seems to have offered to find the Beethoven’s a housekeeper. Karl is opposed. “I don’t want to press my opinion about this on you, because you know him yourself sufficiently. He would need a commission in any case.” It would …
Leaf 22v of Conversation Book 78 is heavily crossed out. The phrase “new library” and “half” can just barely be made out, as seen here. Beethoven may have seen a book of this title, perhaps in half leather, at a bookshop. Copyist Ferdinand Wolanek comes to Beethoven’s apartment, presumably at …
Beethoven makes a shopping list this morning: +Ink needed.+Candles.+Blotting sand. Beethoven once again makes a column of 42 five times, rather than multiplying 42 times 5. Copyist Ferdinand Wolanek comes to Beethoven with part of a subscription copy of the Missa Solemnis for him to proofread, and to collect more …
Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, so Nephew Karl has no classes at the University today. He lets his uncle know that it hailed earlier. Karl may suggest his Uncle join him in going to the Burgtheater this evening to see Shakespeare’s King Lear at 6:30 p.m. If …
Copying work continues for the engraver’s copy of the Ninth Symphony and the Missa Solemnis, as well as the other smaller works that Beethoven has sold to the Schott firm. Rather than spending most of his time finishing the Quartet op.127, he instead has to spend hours proofreading and dealing …
Today is St. Nicholas’s day. Beethoven writes in his conversation book “+Christus Natus est,” referring to various phrases used on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day in the liturgy. Beethoven may have been considering composition of a Christmas Mass. He also writes:+Canons. [Beethoven is planning to send some canons to Schott …
Ludwig writes his letter to B. Schott’s Son’s in Mainz. “This week the works [the Missa Solemnis and Ninth Symphony and String Quartet op.127] will definitely be delivered to Friess [sic] & Co. [They will not in fact be delivered to Fries for over another month.] By the way, don’t …
Ludwig makes a shopping and errand list: +Pencil.+Blotting paper. [These first two entries are likely related to the proofreading work on the Ninth Symphony and Missa Solemnis for the publisher.]+Today concerning cream. [There is discussion of cream being spoiled later on in the conversation book.]+Nails.Southern France, thither! Ah! Nephew Karl …
Jacob Mayer & Co., Booksellers, advertises in today’s Wiener Zeitung (Nr.278) at 1182 that the subscription period for the Complete Works of Friedrich Schiller, in 36 volumes, will close on December 7. Beethoven has made a note several times in the conversation books that he needs to subscribe to this …
In the early morning, Beethoven works on the quartet in E-flat, op.127. Later in the day, Beethoven continues his proofreading work on the scores and parts for the Ninth Symphony and Missa Solemnis for the B. Schott’s Sons publishing firm, which has been asking for these manuscripts for months. Much …