Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber's Note

Bold text is indicated by ~tildes~, and italics by _underscores_.

THE LIFE OF LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
VOLUME II

After Mähler's Portrait of 1804

From the copy in possession of Mrs. Jabez Fox]

The Life of

Ludwig van Beethoven

~By~ Alexander Wheelock Thayer

Edited, revised and amended from the original
English manuscript and the German editions
of Hermann Deiters and Hugo Riemann, concluded,
and all the documents newly translated

By

Henry Edward Krehbiel

Volume II

Published by

The Beethoven Association

New York

~SECOND PRINTING~

Copyright, 1921.
By Henry Edward Krehbiel

From the press of G. Schirmer, Inc., New York

Printed in the U. S. A.

Contents of Volume II

PAGE

CHAPTER I. The Year 1803--Cherubini’s Operas in Vienna
and Rivalry between Schikaneder and the Imperial
Theatres--Beethoven’s Engagement at the Theater-an-der-Wien
--“Christus am Ölberg” again--Bridgetower
and the “Kreutzer” Sonata--Career of the
Violinist--Negotiations with Thomson for the Scottish
Songs--New Friends--Willibrord Mähler’s Portrait of
Beethoven--Compositions of the Year--A Pianoforte
from Erard 1

CHAPTER II. The Year 1804--Schikaneder Sells His
Theatre and is then Dismissed from the Management--
Beethoven’s Contract Ended and Renewed by
Baron Braun--The “Sinfonia Eroica”--Prince Louis
Ferdinand of Prussia--Quarrel between Beethoven
and von Breuning--The “Waldstein” Sonata--Sonnleithner,
Treitschke and Gaveaux--Paër and His Opera
“Leonora”--“Fidelio” Begun--Beethoven’s Growing
Popularity--Publications of the Year 22

CHAPTER III. The Year 1805--Schuppanzigh’s First Quartet
Concerts--First Public Performance of the
“Eroica”--Pleyel--The Opera “Leonore,” or “Fidelio”;
Jahn’s Study of the Sketchbook--The Singers and the
Production--Vienna Abandoned by the Aristocracy as
French Advance--Röckel’s Story of the Revision of the
Opera--Compositions and Publications of the Year 41

CHAPTER IV. The Year 1806--Repetitions of “Fidelio”:
A Revision of the Book by von Breuning--Changes
in the Opera--The “Leonore” Overtures--A Second
Failure--Beethoven Withdraws the Opera from the
Theatre--Marriage of Karl Kaspar van Beethoven--A
Journey to Silesia--Beethoven Leaves Prince Lichnowsky’s
Country-seat in Anger--George Thomson and
His Scottish Songs--Compositions and Publications of
the Year--The “Appassionata” Sonata and Rasoumowsky
Quartets--Reception of the Quartets in Russia and
England--The Concerto for Violin 57

CHAPTER V. Beethoven’s Friends and Patrons in the
First Lustrum of the Nineteenth Century--Archduke
Rudolph, an Imperial Pupil--Count Andreas Rasoumowsky--
Countess Erdödy--Baroness Ertmann--Marie
Bigot--Therese Malfatti--Nanette Streicher--Doctor
Zizius--Anecdotes 78

CHAPTER VI. Princes and Counts as Theatrical Directors:
Beethoven Appeals for an Appointment--Vain
Expectations--Subscription Concerts at Prince Lobkowitz’s--
The Symphony in B-flat--Overture to “Coriolan”--Contract
with Clementi--Errors in the Dates of Important Letters--
The Mass in C--A Falling-out with Hummel--The “Leonore”
Overtures again--Performances of Beethoven’s Works at the
“Liebhaber” Concerts--The Year 1807 98

CHAPTER VII. The Year 1808--Johann van Beethoven
Collects a Debt and Buys an Apothecary Shop in
Linz--Wilhelm Rust--Plans for New Operas--Sketches
for “Macbeth”--Imitative Music and the “Pastoral”
Symphony--Count Oppersdorff and the Fourth Symphony--A
Call to Cassel--Organization of Rasoumowsky’s
Quartet--Appreciation of Beethoven in Vienna:
Disagreement with Orchestral Musicians--Mishaps at
the Performance of the Choral Fantasia 114

CHAPTER VIII. Jerome Bonaparte’s Invitation--A New
Plan to Keep Beethoven in Vienna--The Annuity Contract--
Ries’s Disappointment--Farewell to Archduke
Rudolph in a Sonata--The Siege and Capitulation of
Vienna--Seyfried’s “Studies”--Reissig’s Songs--An
Abandoned Concert--Commission for Music to “Egmont”--
Increased Cost of Living in Vienna--Dilatory
Debtors--Products of 1809 135

CHAPTER IX. The Years 1807-09: a Retrospect--Beethoven’s
Intellectual Development and Attainments: Growth after
Emancipation from Domestic Cares--His Natural Disposition--
Eager in Self-Instruction--Interest in Oriental Studies--His
Religious Beliefs--Attitude towards the Church 163

CHAPTER X. The Year 1810--Disappointing Decrease in
Productivity--The Music for “Egmont”--Money from
Clementi, and a Marriage Project--A New Infatuation
Prompts Attention to Dress--Therese Malfatti--Beethoven’s
Relations with Bettina von Arnim--Her
Correspondence with Goethe--A Question of Authenticity
Discussed--Beethoven’s Letter to Bettina--An
Active Year with the Publishers 170

CHAPTER XI. The Year 1811--Bettina von Arnim--The
Letters between Beethoven and Goethe--The Great
Trio in B-flat--Music for a New Theatre in Pesth:
“The Ruins of Athens” and “King Stephen”--Compositions
and Publications of the Year 196

CHAPTER XII. The Year 1812--Reduction of Income from
the Annuity--The Austrian “Finanzpatent”--Legal
Obligation of the Signers to the Agreement--First
Performance of the Pianoforte Concerto in E-flat--A
Second Visit to Teplitz--Beethoven and Goethe--Amalie
Sebald--Beethoven in Linz--He Drives His
Brother Johann into a Detested Marriage--Rode and
the Sonata Op. 96--Spohr--The Seventh and Eighth
Symphonies--Mälzel and His Metronome--A Canon
and the Allegretto of the Eighth Symphony 211

CHAPTER XIII. The Year 1813--Beethoven’s Journal--Illness
of Karl Kaspar van Beethoven--He Requests
the Appointment of His Brother as Guardian of His
Son--Death of Prince Kinsky--Obligations under the
Annuity Agreement--Beethoven’s Earnings--Mälzel
and “Wellington’s Victory”--Battle Pieces and Their
Popularity--Postponement of the Projected Visit to
London--The Seventh Symphony--Spohr on Beethoven’s
Conducting--Concerts, Compositions and Publications
of the Year 239

CHAPTER XIV. The Year 1814--Success of “Wellington’s
Victory”--Umlauf Rescues a Performance--Revival
and Revision of “Fidelio”--Changes Made in the
Opera--Success Attained--The Eighth Symphony--Beethoven
Plays in the Great Trio in B-flat--Anton
Schindler Appears on the Scene--The Quarrel with
Mälzel--Legal Controversy and Compromise--Moscheles
and the Pianoforte Score of “Fidelio”--The Vienna Congress--
Tribute from a Scottish Poet--Weissenbach--Tomaschek--
Meyerbeer--Rasoumowsky’s Palace Destroyed by Fire 261

CHAPTER XV. The Year 1815--New Opera Projects Considered--
“Romulus and Remus”--Settlements with the Heirs of Prince
Kinsky--Unjust Aspersions on the Conduct of Kinsky and
Lobkowitz--“The Mount of Olives” in England--Negotiations with
English Publishers--Diabelli--Charles Neate--Death of Karl
Kaspar van Beethoven--His Wishes with regard to the
Guardianship of His Son--Growth of Beethoven’s Intimacy
with Schindler--Compositions and Publications of the Year 304

CHAPTER XVI. The Year 1816--A Commission from the Gesellschaft
der Musikfreunde--Guardianship of Nephew
Karl--Giannatasio del Rio--Beethoven’s Music in
London--The Philharmonic Society--Three Overtures
Composed, Bought and Discarded--Birchall and
Neate--The Erdödys--Fanny Giannatasio--“An die
ferne Geliebte”--Major-General Kyd--Accusations
against Neate--Letters to Sir George Smart--Anselm
Hüttenbrenner--The Year’s Productions 329

CHAPTER XVII. The Year 1817--Beethoven and the
Public Journals of Vienna--Fanny Giannatasio’s Journal--
Extracts from Beethoven’s “Tagebuch”--The
London Philharmonic Society again--Propositions Submitted
by Ries--Nephew Karl and His Mother--Beethoven’s
Pedagogical Suggestions to Czerny--Cipriani
Potter--Marschner--Marie Pachler-Koschak--Another
Mysterious Passion--Beethoven and Mälzel’s Metronome--An
Unproductive Year 358

CHAPTER XVIII. The Year 1818--Gift of a Pianoforte
from John Broadwood--The Composer Takes Personal
Charge of His Nephew--His Unfitness as Foster-father
and Guardian--Abandonment of His Projected Visit
to London--The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde’s
Oratorio--The Nephew and a Mother’s Legal Struggle
for Possession of Her Son--The Case Reviewed--The
Predicate “van” and Beethoven’s Nobility--Archduke
Rudolph Becomes Archbishop of Olmütz--Work on the
Mass in D, Ninth Symphony and Grand Trio in B-flat 390