Chapter XVIII (2)

Let the rest of the year’s history be devoted to Beethoven’s creative work. Considering the revival of interest and desire on the part of the composer, the net result, measured by finished products, was not as large as might have been expected. Two explanations for this circumstances may be offered: the first lies in his domestic miseries and the frame of mind in which they kept him for long stretches at a time--that is obvious; the second may be read in his compositions. He was growing more and more prone to reflection, to moody speculation; his mental processes, if not slower than before, were more protracted, and also more profound, and they were occupied with works of tremendous magnitude. The year produced sketches and partial developments of the Sonata in B-flat, the Symphony in D minor and the great Mass in D. The Sonata, so two sketchbooks carefully analyzed by Nottebohm show, was begun in 1817, and occupied much of the composer’s time during the summer of 1818, notes showing that he worked upon it in his walks about Mödling and in the Brühl valley. Notes of an announcement of a sale of carriages and of a house for rent, taken from a Vienna newspaper (probably in some inn), show that his thoughts were on the London visit and another of his frequent changes of residence. In April the Sonata was so far advanced that he could write to Archduke Rudolph that on his name-day (April 17) he had written out the first two movements in a fair copy, but this does not necessarily mean that the pieces had received their definitive shape. Among the sketches for the last movement there is an outline for a pianoforte piece in B-flat which, according to an inscription upon the autograph, was composed on the afternoon of August 14.[193] Plainly he was already at work on the finale before the end of 1818, and there is no reason for questioning Schindler’s correctness when he says that the Sonata was finished late in the fall when he took up the “Missa Solemnis.” Czerny played it in Beethoven’s presence in the spring of 1819, and it was in London ready for the engraver in April of that year.

Nottebohm, believing that the letter in which Beethoven informed the Archduke that he had written out the first two movements on his name-day could not refer to April 17, 1818, placed both incident and letter in the year following.[194] But, as has been said, it does not at all follow from Beethoven’s remark that the two movements were in a finished state;[195] the reference may have gone only to the first elaboration of the sketches. The “latest happening” to the Archduke was, probably, his elevation to the archbishopric of Olmütz, which occurred on June 4, 1819; but this was merely the formal execution of a purpose which had long been known in anticipation. Nottebohm’s contention for the name-day of 1819, is untenable for the reason that on April 17 of that year the Sonata had been so long in London that, as Ries says, it was already engraved when he received a note dated April 16, 1819, giving metronomic indications for all the movements and prefixing the ~Adagio~ with its present first measure.[196] This note must have been preceded by the one erroneously dated April 30; erroneously, because it promises the metronome marks; and this letter again by a still earlier one, mentioning the Sonata as ready for publication. This letter, which Ries does not even mention, is as follows:[197]

Dear Ries:

I am just recovering from a severe attack and am going into the
country--I wish you would try to dispose of the following 2 works,
a grand solo sonata for pianoforte and a pianoforte sonata which
I have myself arranged for 2 violins, 2 violas, 1 violoncello,
to a publisher in London. It ought to be easy for you to get 50
ducats in gold for the two works, the publisher would only have
to announce at what time he intended to publish the two works and
I could publish them here at the same time, which would yield me
more than if I published them here only. I might also publish a new
Trio for pianoforte, violin and violoncello, if you were to find a
publisher for it.[198] I have never done anything unlawful and you
can take up this matter in London without injury to your honor or
mine. The publisher on receiving the works is to inform me when he
intends to publish them and then they shall appear here. Pardon me
if I am giving you trouble; my condition is such that I am obliged
to turn everywhere to make a pitiful livelihood--Potter says that
Chaphell in Bond Street is one of the best publishers; I leave
everything to you only begging you to answer as soon as possible so
that the works may not lie idle on my hands. I beg of Neate not to
make known the many works of mine which he carried with him until I
myself come to London which I hope surely to do next winter--I must
unless I wish to become a beggar here. Say all things beautiful to
the Phil. Society--I shall soon write you about various things and
beg you again to answer soon. As ever your true friend

Beethoven.

Many lovely greetings to your lovely wife.

N. B. If you can get more, all the better. It ought to be
possible!!!

[Sidenote: BEETHOVEN DEFENDS SOME OVERTURES]

The letters printed in the “Notizen” ought to be read in connection with this; we give the first and refer the reader to Ries, or the collections, for the others:

Vienna, 30 April (March). 1819.

My dear Ries:

It is only now that I can answer your last of December 18th. Your
sympathy does me good. At present it is impossible for me to come
to London owing to a net of circumstances in which I am involved;
but God will help me surely to get to London next winter when I
shall also bring the new symphonies with me. I am expecting soon
to get the text for a new oratorio which I am writing for the
Musical Society here and which may serve us also in London. Do
everything for me that you can; for I need it. Commissions from
the Philharmonic Society would have been very welcome; the reports
which Neate sent me about the near failure of the three overtures
were vexing to me; each one of them not only pleased here each in
its way but those in E-flat and C major made a great impression.
The fate of these compositions with the p. S. is incomprehensible
to me. You will have before now received the arranged quintet and
the sonata. See to it that both works especially the quintet, are
engraved at once. More leisure may be taken with the sonata but I
should like to have it published inside of two months, or three
at the latest. Your earlier letter referred to I did not receive;
wherefore I had no hesitation in selling both works here--but that
is only for Germany. Moreover it will be three months also before
the sonata will appear here; but make haste with the Quintet. So
soon as the draft for the money is received here I will send a
writing for the publisher as proprietor of these works in England,
Scotland, Ireland, France, etc.

You shall receive the tempos for the sonata according to Mälzel’s
metronome by the next post. De Smidt, Courier of Prince Esterhazy,
has taken the Quintet and Sonata with him. At the next opportunity
you will also receive my portrait, since I hear that you really
want it.

Farewell, keep me in your affections.

Your friend,

Beethoven.

Say all beautiful things to your beautiful wife for me!!!!!

The Sonata was sold to Artaria in Vienna for 100 ducats. The publisher sent the proofs to Beethoven on July 24, and announced it as “marking a new period in Beethoven’s pianoforte works” in the “Wiener Zeitung” of September 15, 1819. It appeared under the title: “Grosse Sonate für das Hammerklavier Seiner Kais. Königl. Hoheit und Eminenz, dem Durchlauchtigsten Hochwürdigsten Herrn Erzherzog Rudolph von Österreich Cardinal und Erzbischoff von Olmütz, etc., etc., etc., in tiefster Ehrfurcht gewidmet von Ludwig van Beethoven, Op. 106.” Soon after its publication (on October 1st), Beethoven in a jocose letter asked for six copies of the Sonata and six of the Variations on Scottish Songs. Beethoven informed Ries of the publication in a letter printed in the “Notizen” and wanted to send him a copy to aid him in correcting the English edition, which was not ready. The Sonata Op. 106 was, therefore, the chief product of the year 1818. Beethoven told Czerny that it was to be his greatest; and so it is, not only in its dimensions but also in its contents. “The Sonata was composed under distressful circumstances,” said Beethoven in a letter to Ries (April 19, 1819), “for it is hard to write almost for the sake of bread alone, and to this pass I have come.”

Simultaneously with the Sonata, Beethoven was at work on the Ninth Symphony during a large portion of the year, but these labors were suspended when his mind became engrossed with the great Mass which was to be a tribute to his pupil, Archduke Rudolph, about to be invested with eminent ecclesiastical dignities. Not alone the Ninth Symphony, a Tenth also was before his fancy, but with neither of them had Schiller’s “Ode to Joy” been brought into association, though the employment of the human voice in one or the other was already under consideration. Schindler records that he saw a beginning made on the score of the Mass in D “late in the fall of 1818”; how far he had proceeded in the work by the end of the year cannot be determined from the sketches which have been discovered up to the present time. It is safe to assume, however, that the ~Kyrie~ was fully sketched and fixed in outline, and, as he worked pretty continuously on the ~Credo~ throughout 1819, it seems likely that the ~Gloria~ had also been begun in the year immediately preceding. Notes in the ~Tagebuch~ and sketchbooks which, to judge by their context, were written during the summer sojourn in Mödling show the trend of Beethoven’s thoughts on religious subjects and may be naturally associated with the Mass. Thus (in the ~Tagebuch~):

In order to write true church music ... look through all the
monastic church chorals and also the strophes in the most correct
translations and perfect prosody in all Christian-Catholic psalms
and hymns generally.

Sacrifice again all the pettinesses of social life to your art. O
God above all things! For it is an eternal providence which directs
omnisciently the good and evil fortunes of human men.

Short is the life of man, and whoso bears
A cruel heart, devising cruel things,
On him men call down evil from the gods
While living, and pursue him, when he dies.
With cruel scoffs. But whoso is of generous heart
And harbors generous aims, his guests proclaim
His praises far and wide to all mankind,
And numberless are they who call him good.

--~Homer.~

Tranquilly will I submit myself to all vicissitudes and place my
sole confidence in Thy unalterable goodness, O God! My soul shall
rejoice in Thy immutable servant. Be my rock, my light, forever my
trust!

Among the sketches for the Sonata in B-flat are memoranda of vocal pieces which came into his mind during his wanderings in the environs of Mödling. Goethe’s “Haidenröslein,” to which his mind several times turned, occupied him again. His spiritual exaltation finds expression in fragments which he notes as “written while walking in the evening between and on the mountains,” among them this:

[Sidenote: GREAT WORKS AND POTBOILERS]

The remark made in the letter to Hauschka that he was compelled to do a lot of scribbling (or “smearing,” as he expressed it) for the sake of money in order to procure leisure for great works may be explained by the fact that he was engaged upon the arrangement of folksongs for Thomson, which were published in Thomson’s Vol. VI, as well, possibly, as those contained in the subsequent octavo edition of 1822-24. The pianoforte piece in B-flat, published by Schlesinger in Berlin under the title “Dernière pensée musicale,” of which mention has already been made, was no doubt a potboiler. With the folksongs must be associated the Variations for Pianoforte alone, or Pianoforte and Flute (or Violin), which he wrote in this and the following year and which were published as Op. 105 and 107. The suggestion had come from Birchall; but Beethoven’s demands for an honorarium was thought too large by the English publisher, and though Beethoven modified them, nothing came of the project at the time. On February 21, 1818, Beethoven offered Thomson twelve “overtures” (in the sense of introductions, or preludes, no doubt) for 140 ducats, and twelve Themes and Variations for 100 ducats, both lots for 224 ducats. The Themes and Variations were accepted and published by Thomson. Beethoven composed sixteen Themes and Variations on folksong material in all; six of them were published by Artaria in Vienna (Op. 105) and the other ten by Simrock in Bonn (Op. 107).

Little is to be added to what has been said about the works published in 1818. Thomson’s Vol. V, the settings for which had been made earlier, was published on June 1, Thomson’s announcement in the preface reading: “On the first of June, 1818, was published by George Thomson, Nr. 3, Royal Exchange, Edinburgh, and by T. Preston, 97 Strand, London, the fifth Volume of Select Scottish Melodies with Symphonies and Accompaniments to each Melody for the Pianoforte, Violin and Violoncello, composed by Haydn and Beethoven.” Four of the settings are by Haydn; the rest by Beethoven. The song “Resignation” was published on March 31, as supplement of the Vienna “Modezeitung.”

END OF VOLUME II

FOOTNOTES:

[185] Beethoven does not seem always to have maintained so reverential a feeling for the instrument as is indicated by the above statement. In Thayer’s note-book the American editor of this biography found this anecdote: “Once Beethoven told Stein that some strings in his Broadwood Pf. were wanting, and caught up the bootjack and struck the keys with it to show.”

[186] We have contented ourselves with mere references to Beethoven’s letters to Madame Streicher in this period. They are mostly brief notes monotonously asking help in domestic affairs, and, though frequently interesting because of their exhibition of characteristic traits and moods, too insignificant to justify the cumbering of these pages with their literal contents. Those who wish to do so can read them in any of the German collections of Beethoven’s letters or in the English translation by Shedlock. But Kalischer’s notes and dates and sometimes Mr. Shedlock’s translation ought to be critically scrutinized. The letter referred to above, however, deserves to be given in full.

“Best Madame von Streicher!

“It was not possible to reply to your last letter sooner. I would
have written to you a few days ago when the servants were sent
away, but hesitated in my determination until I learned that it was
Frau D. in particular who hindered Karl to make full confession.
“~He ought to spare his mother~,” she told him; and Peppi
coöperated with her; naturally they did not want to be discovered;
they worked together shamefully and permitted themselves to be
used by Frau v. Beethoven; both received coffee and sugar from
her, Peppi ~money~ and the ~old one~ probably also; for there can
be no doubt that she was ~herself at the house of Karl’s mother~;
she said to Karl that ~if I drove her away~ from my ~service she
would go straight to his mother~. This happened at a time when I
had reproved her for her conduct with which I had frequent occasion
to be dissatisfied; Peppi who often played the eavesdropper when I
spoke with Karl appears to have tried to tell the truth, but the
old one ~accused her of stupidity and scolded her stoutly~--and so
she remained silent and tried to throw me off the trail. The story
of this abominable deception may have lasted about six weeks--they
would not have got off so easy with a less magnanimous man. Peppi
borrowed 9 or 10 florins for stuff for shirts and I afterwards made
her a present of the money and instead of 60 she got 70 florins;
she might have denied herself these wretched bribes. In the case
of the old woman, who was always the worse, hate may have played
a part as she always thought herself neglected (although she got
more than she deserved) for the ~scornful smile on her face~ one
day when Karl embraced me, made me ~suspect treachery~ and how
shameless and deceitful such an old woman could be. Just imagine,
2 days before I came here K. went to his mother one afternoon
without my knowledge and both the old woman and P. knew it. But
now listen to the triumph of a hoary-headed traitress; on the way
hither with K. and her, I spoke with K. about the matter in the
carriage, although I did not know all, and when I expressed the
fear that we should not be safe in Mödling, she exclaimed “I should
only rely upon her.” O the infamy of it! This was only the 2nd time
in the case of a person of such venerable age that ~such a thing~
happened to me. A few days before I sent both away I had told
them in writing that under no circumstances were they to accept
anything for Karl from his mother. Instead of repenting, Peppi
tried secretly to take revenge on Karl, after he had confessed all
which they knew from the fact that in writing, I had said that
~all had been~ discovered--I expected that they would both beg
my pardon after this, instead of which they played me one wicked
trick after the other. As no betterment was to be expected in such
obstinate sinners and I had every moment to fear another piece of
treachery, I decided to sacrifice my body, my comfort to better
self, my poor, misguided Karl and out of the house they went as a
~warning example~ to all those who may come after. I might have
made their certificates of character a little less favorable; I
set down the time of service of each at full six months although
it was not true. I never practise ~vengeance~; in cases where I
~oppose~ myself to other people, I never do more ~against~ them
than is necessary to protect myself against them or to prevent them
from doing further harm. On account of Peppi’s honesty in general I
am sorry to have lost her for which reason I made her certificate
more favorable than that of the old woman, and she appears to have
been led astray by the old woman but that P.’s conscience was not
at ease she showed by saying to Karl that ~“she did not dare go
back to her parents,” and, in fact I believe she is still here~--I
had suspected treachery for a long time until one evening before
my departure I received an anonymous letter the contents of which
filled me with dread; but they were only suspicions. Karl, whom I
took to task at once in the evening confessed but not all. As I
often treat him harshly and not without cause, he was too greatly
afraid to admit everything at once. In the midst of the struggle
we reached here. As I often questioned him, the servants noticed
it and the old woman in particular tried to persuade him not to
admit the truth. But when I gave Karl my sacred assurance that
all would be forgiven if he would but confess the truth, while
lying would plunge him into a deeper abyss than that in which he
already was, everything came to the light of day--add to this the
other data which I gave you before concerning the servants and you
will have the shameful story of the two traitresses clearly before
you. K. did wrong, but--mother--mother--even a bad one remains a
mother. To this extent he is to be excused, particularly by me
who know his intriguing, passionate mother ~too well~. The priest
here knows already that I know about him for K. had already told
me. It is likely that he was not fully informed and that he will
be careful; but to guard against K.’s being mistreated by him,
since he appears to be rather a rude man, the matter may rest for
the nonce. But as K.’s virtue was put to the test for there is no
virtue without temptation, I purposely pass the matter by until
it happens again (which I do not expect) in which case I will so
bethwack his reverence with such spiritual cudgels, amulets with my
sole guardianship and consequent privileges that the whole parish
will shake. My heart has been terribly shaken up by this affair and
I can scarcely recover myself. Now to my housekeeping; it needs
your help; how necessary it is to us you already know; do not be
frightened away, such a thing might happen anywhere, but if it has
once happened and one is in a position to hold it up to one’s new
servants, it is not likely that it will occur again. You know what
we need--perhaps the French woman, and whatever can be found in the
way of a chambermaid, good cooking remains the principal thing,
even in the matter of economy, for the present we have a person
who cooks for us, but badly. I cannot write you more to-day, you
will perceive that in ~this matter~ I could not act differently;
it had gone too far. I do not yet invite you to visit me here for
everything is still in confusion; nevertheless ~it will not be
necessary to send me to a lunatic asylum~. I can say that I already
suffered from this thing fearfully while I was yet in Vienna,
though I kept silent. Farewell; do not make anything of this known
as some one might think prejudicially of K.; only I who know all
the driving wheels here can testify for him that he was terribly
misled. I beg of you soon to write us something comforting,
touching the art of cooking, washing and sewing.

“I am very ill and in need of a stomach restorative.

“Mödling, June 18 (10?), 1818.”

[187] It was this priest, evidently, against whom Beethoven threatened to launch the thunderbolts of his wrath so as to shake the earth in a certain event, as he told Madame Streicher.

[188] In the letter to Ries.

[189] Evidently Joseph Valentine, a violoncello player, father of Jacob Dont, the violinist, chiefly famous as a teacher of his instrument in Vienna.

[190] Mr. Thayer made or procured transcripts of the records of the tribunals in which the struggle for the possession of Karl van Beethoven were made. Students whose curiosity is not satisfied by these pages are referred to Appendix III of Vol. IV of the German edition of this biography.

[191] In one of the Conversation Books used by Beethoven in 1820, there occurs this remark in Beethoven’s handwriting: “... when it learned that my brother was not of the nobility. It is singular, so far as I know, that there is a hiatus here which ought to be filled, for my nature shows that I do not belong among these ~plebs~”; and, in February, 1820, when Peters had observed his dissatisfaction: “The common citizen should be excluded from higher men, and I have gotten ~amongst them~.” “In three weeks,” Peters wrote, he would have nothing to do with citizens and magistracy. He would yet be asked for assistance and receive the most favorable report concerning his appeal. Not long afterward the Appellate Court brought in its decision in his favor in the guardianship matter.

[192] Hotschevar’s accusation was evidently rankling in his breast.

[193] It is the short piece in B-flat published as a supplement to the Berlin “Allgem. Musik. Zeit.” on December 8, 1824, under the title “Dernière pensée musicale.” Beethoven’s autograph inscription runs: “Auf Aufforderung geschrieben Nachmittags am 14. August 1818, von Beethoven.” “Letzter musikalischer Gedanke.”

[194] Beethoven had written: “To the two pieces which I wrote down on the name-day of Y. R. H., two others have been added, the last of which is a large Fugato, so that the whole constitutes a grand sonata which will soon be published and long ago ~in my heart~ was designed for you; ~the latest happening to Y. R. H., is not in the least responsible for this~.”

[195] Nor even, as Thayer opined, that they had been delivered in manuscript to the Archduke on that day.

[196] “Notizen,” p. 149.

[197] This letter was first printed in Vol. IV of the German edition of Thayer’s biography--not, as Mr. Shedlock says, in his translation of Kalischer’s collection. Vol. IV appeared in 1907; Mr. Shedlock’s translation in 1909. Dr. Deiters found a transcript of the letter among the posthumous papers of Mr. Thayer, who had it from Mr. J. Marshall, of London. Its pages had been separated by some vandal who probably wanted to sell two autographs instead of one. Mr. Marshall bought the sheets at two different autograph sales and, recognizing their relationship, united them. The letter appears afterwards to have come into the hands of Mr. A. F. Hill, who loaned it to Mr. Shedlock.

[198] Beethoven had sketched a promising Trio in F minor, in 1816, along with the song-cycle and the Sonata in A major, and this, probably, was in his mind.

* * * * *

Transcriber's Note

Page headers in the original text have been moved above the paragraph to which they relate.

Italics are represented by ~swung dashes~. Superscript text is indicated by carat signs, e.g. 3^{tio}.

"804" in the phrase "804 im August" was overlined on each occurence.

On p. 390, "V. B." was printed in a box.

All instances of "i.e." have been regularised to "i. e.".

The following printing errors have been corrected:

p. 5 "he “doubled" changed to "he doubled"

p. 6 "performance." changed to "performance.”"

p. 26 "that that this" changed to "that this"

p. 30 "difficult one. Beethoven violently" changed to "difficult one, Beethoven violently"

p. 35 "and the begining" changed to "and the beginning"

p. 54 the paragraph beginning "Many years after" was indented

p. 76 "you were!”" changed to "you were!””"

p. 103 "prefer ~me~?" changed to "prefer ~me~?”"

p. 123 "in the “house" changed to "in the house"

p. 153 "much easier.”" changed to "much easier.’”"

p. 161 "“Weinmonath”" changed to "“Weinmonath"

p. 171 "diastrous" changed to "disastrous"

p. 174 "From Zmeskall’s lodgings" changed to "From Beethoven’s lodgings"

p. 215 "out of place" changed to "out of place."

p. 219 "acquaintaince" changed to "acquaintance"

p. 226 "romatic" changed to "romantic"

p. 227 "you good.”" changed to "you good.””"

p. 231 "similiar" changed to "similar"

p. 262 "Zukünft" changed to "Zukunft"

p. 266 "Gründer" changed to "Gründer”"

p. 290 "inprovised" changed to "improvised"

p. 296 "This seems" changed to "“This seems"

p. 296 "etc.," changed to "etc."

p. 302 "III “Fidelio”" changed to "III. “Fidelio”"

p. 313 "in C major" changed to "in C major."

p. 325 "Farwell" changed to "Farewell"

p. 327 "passively" changed to "passively."

p. 342 "out attention" changed to "our attention"

p. 366 "disatisfaction" changed to "dissatisfaction"

p. 381 (note) "Zurich" changed to "Zürich"

p. 383 "wereoften" changed to "were often"

p. 389 "was compossed" changed to "was composed"

p. 398 "setted" changed to "settled"

p. 412 "two movenents" changed to "two movements"

The following possible errors have not been changed:

p. vii "Disappointing Decrease" and p. 170 "Decrease"

p. 3 "at both: and in this wise:"

p. 6 and p. 267 "Tremate, empj, tremate"

p. 151 (note) "Neverthless"

p. 273 "“urged its completion" has no closing quotation mark

p. 291 "you up came"

p. 341 "how how right"

p. 353 "xThe present"

p. 415 "was thought"

The text uses the following inconsistently:

Carl and Karl

contrabass and contra-bass

Kozeluch and Koželuch

Les Ruines de Babylon and Les ruines de Babilone

nameday and name-day

P.P. and P. P.

pianoforte and piano-forte

In addition, there are many inconsistencies in spelling and punctuation in quotations, which have not been changed.

Grätz and Gratz are different names.