Beethoven's music, hidden for centuries, heard again
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Beethoven writes a letter, rather informally, to someone he knows well, probably today. “You see what is happening here, so if you would ask there whether they would expect us today at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, as I cannot appear without an escort, and you yourself are informed of …
Given the conversation book comments later today, there is an undated note from Beethoven to unpaid assistant Karl Holz that may date from early this morning. Beethoven writes to Holz inviting him to mid-day dinner. “For Herr v. Holz. Due to a special coincidence, I ask you, when you get …
Most likely either yesterday or today, Beethoven has an unidentified visitor from Leipzig. Beethoven asks if he is a musician. The visitor once intended to be educated in music, but circumstances prohibited it. He offers to be of use. “If your honor perhaps has any orders to be issued in …
Beethoven makes a note in the conversation book, and unusually, dates it with today’s date: This comment suggests that despite the popular impression, even at this late date he still had some residual hearing that allowed him to use an ear trumpet to hear a little bit. Conversation Book 118, …
Beethoven starts a shopping list: Former unpaid assistant Anton Schindler comes to call. Schindler always liked creating rifts between Beethoven and his family members, and he has plenty to say about Nephew Karl: “Some gentlemen from the Polytechnic Institute have assured me that they have warned him several times that …
Unpaid assistant Karl Holz takes Beethoven’s receipt for the first installment payment, 40 ducats, for the quartet op.131 to Franck & Co., and collects the gold ducats. He reports to Beethoven, who wants the funds in a more convenient form, Viennese florins. Holz tells him he will have the gold …
Unpaid assistant Karl Holz visits Beethoven for dinner today; he has an appetite. Beethoven inquires into Karl’s condition at the hospital, and whether he is in contact with his mother. Holz tells him that she sent for chocolate and at another time wine for him. [Although this comment makes it …
Beethoven (or more likely, unpaid assistant Karl Holz acting on his behalf) delivers the score for the newest quartet, op.131 in C-sharp minor, to the business of Franck Co., who are acting as agents for B. Schott’s Sons publishers in Mainz. The funds in payment for the quartet, 80 ducats, …
Unpaid assistant Karl Holz comes to visit Beethoven, around this afternoon. He reports that violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh is pleased that Beethoven has accepted his invitation to dinner. He has also invited the cloth merchant Johann Wolfmayer, who is an enthusiastic supporter of Beethoven. Wolfmayer will be very happy to be …
After working on the quartet op.135 and finishing the proofreading on the latest version of the op.130 quartet, Beethoven does some financial computations. Unpaid assistant Karl Holz picks up the score of op.130 and delivers it to publisher Mathias Artaria. Later in the day, Holz comes back to see Beethoven, …
