Chapter VII (2)

Cherubini has now received the title of Baron from the government
as well as the order of the Legion of Honor. It is a proof
of the recognition of his talent, for he did not seek it.
Napoleon, who appreciated him highly, once found fault with one
of his compositions and Cherubini retorted: “Your Majesty knows
no more about it than I about a battle.” Napoleon’s conduct
was contemptible. Because of the words that I have quoted he
took away all of Cherubini’s offices and he had nothing to
live on. Nevertheless, he did an infinite amount of good for
popular culture. If Napoleon, instead of becoming an insatiable
world-conqueror, had remained First Consul, he would have been one
of the greatest men that ever existed.

Schlesinger had his way about hearing the new Quartet (in A minor, Op. 132), for it was rehearsed at his rooms on Wednesday, September 7, preparatory to the performance, which was to take place at the tavern “Zum wilden Mann” at noon on September 9. Beethoven wanted the players to come to him at Baden for the final rehearsal, but that was found to be impracticable. On the day after the meeting at Schlesinger’s, however, Holz went out to Beethoven to tell him all about it. He reported that Wolfmayr “at the _Adagio_ wept like a child?” and that “Tobias scratched himself behind the ears when he heard the Quartet; he certainly regrets that the Jew Steiner did not take it.”

We have an account of the performance at the “Wilden Mann” from the English visitor whom Beethoven received at this time. This was Sir George Smart, who, in the summer of 1825, made a tour of Germany in company with Charles Kemble. He was with Mr. Kemble when that gentleman made the agreement with Weber for “Oberon,” but his “principal reason for the journey,” as he himself put it, “was to ascertain from Beethoven himself the exact times of the movements of his characteristic--and some of his other--Sinfonias.”[137] Sir George recorded the incidents of his meetings with Beethoven in his journal, from which the following excerpts are taken:

[Sidenote: SIR GEORGE SMART’S JOURNAL]

On the 7th of September, at nine in the morning, I called on
Mayseder, who received me most politely.... We conversed about
Beethoven’s Choral Symphony; our opinion agrees about it. When
it was performed here Umlauf conducted it and Kletrinsky and
Schuppanzigh were the leaders. All the basses played in the
recitative, but they had the story that it was written for
Dragonetti only.

Friday, September 9th.--We then went to Mecchetti’s music shop,
they, too, are publishers, and bought three pieces for Birchall....
Mr. Holz, an amateur in some public office and a good violin
player, came in and said Beethoven had come from Baden this morning
and would be at his nephew’s--Karl Beethoven, a young man aged
twenty--No. 72 Alleegasse.... At twelve I took Ries[138] to the
hotel Wildemann,[139] the lodgings of Mr. Schlesinger, the music
seller of Paris, as I understood from Mr. Holz that Beethoven
would be there, and there I found him. He received me in the most
flattering manner. There was a numerous assembly of professors
to hear Beethoven’s second[140] new manuscript quartette, bought
by Mr. Schlesinger. This quartette is three-quarters of an hour
long. They played it twice. The four performers were Schuppanzigh,
Holz, Weiss, and Lincke. It is most chromatic and there is a
slow movement entitled “Praise for the recovery of an invalid.”
Beethoven intended to allude to himself I suppose for he was very
ill during the early part of this year. He directed the performers,
and took off his coat, the room being warm and crowded. A staccato
passage not being expressed to the satisfaction of his eye, for
alas, he could not hear, he seized Holz’s violin and played the
passage a quarter of a tone too flat. I looked over the score
during the performance. All paid him the greatest attention.
About fourteen were present, those I knew were Boehm (violin),
Marx (’cello), Carl Czerny, also Beethoven’s nephew, who is like
Count St. Antonio, so is Boehm, the violin player. The partner of
Steiner, the music seller, was also there. I fixed to go to Baden
on Sunday and left at twenty-five minutes past two.

Saturday, September 10th. I called for the music at Artaria’s for
Birchall, for which I paid, and on our return found a visiting-card
from Earl Stanhope and also from Schlesinger of Paris with a
message that Beethoven would be at his hotel to-morrow at twelve,
therefore of course I gave up going to Baden to visit Beethoven,
which he had arranged for me to do.... In the morning Mr.
Kirchoffer called to say he should invite me to his house. It was
he who, through Ries, had the arrangement of procuring the Choral
Symphony for our Philharmonic Society.

Sunday, September 11th.... From hence I went alone to
Schlesinger’s, at the “Wildemann,” where was a larger party than
the previous one. Among them was L’Abbé Stadler, a fine old man
and a good composer of the old school, to whom I was introduced.
There was also present a pupil of Moscheles, a Mademoiselle Eskeles
and a Mademoiselle Cimia [Cibbini?], whom I understood to be a
professional player. When I entered Messrs. C. Czerny, Schuppanzigh
and Lincke had just begun the Trio, Op. 70, of Beethoven, after
which the same performers played Beethoven’s Trio, Op. 79--both
printed by Steiner. Then followed Beethoven’s quartette, the same
that I had heard on September the 9th and it was played by the
same performers. Beethoven was seated near the pianoforte beating
time during the performance of these pieces. This ended, most of
the company departed, but Schlesinger invited me to stop and dine
with the following company of ten: Beethoven, his nephew, Holz,
Weiss, C. Czerny, who sat at the bottom of the table, Lincke, Jean
Sedlatzek--a flute player who is coming to England next year, and
has letters to the Duke of Devonshire, Count St. Antonio, etc.--he
has been to Italy--Schlesinger, Schuppanzigh, who sat at the top,
and myself. Beethoven calls Schuppanzigh Sir John Falstaff, not a
bad name considering the figure of this excellent violin player.

We had a most pleasant dinner, healths were given in the English
style. Beethoven was delightfully gay but hurt that, in the letter
Moscheles gave me, his name should be mixed up with the other
professors. However he soon got over it. He was much pleased and
rather surprised at seeing in the oratorio bill I gave him that the
“Mount of Olives” and his “Battle Symphony” were both performed the
same evening. He believes--I do not--that the high notes Handel
wrote for trumpets were played formerly by one particular man. I
gave him the oratorio book and bill. He invited me by his nephew to
Baden next Friday. After dinner he was coaxed to play extempore,
observing in French to me, “Upon what subject shall I play?”
Meanwhile he was touching the instrument thus

to which I answered, “Upon that.” On which theme he played for
about twenty minutes in a most extraordinary manner, sometimes
very fortissimo, but full of genius.[141] When he arose at the
conclusion of his playing he appeared greatly agitated. No one
could be more agreeable than he was--plenty of jokes. We all wrote
to him by turns, but he can hear a little if you halloo quite close
to his left ear. He was very severe in his observations about the
Prince Regent never having noticed his present of the score of
his “Battle Symphony.” His nephew regretted that his uncle had no
one to explain to him the profitable engagement offered by the
Philharmonic Society last year.

Smart accepted Beethoven’s invitation to visit him at Baden on September 16, and at this meeting accomplished the specific purpose of his visit to Vienna by getting Beethoven to give him the tempo of various movements from his symphonies, by playing portions of them on the pianoforte.[142]

[Sidenote: BEETHOVEN’S INTEREST IN ENGLISH MATTERS]

Though he had been warned not to write in Beethoven’s book, Sir George did not, or was not always able to, obey the injunction. A considerable portion of the conversation at the meeting is preserved in a Conversation Book which covers three dates, September 16, 19, and 24. From this book some excerpts are made here, since they bear on the subject which filled so large a place in the plans of Beethoven for several years, and were in his mind up to the time of his death--the English tour. Other matters bearing on points of history which have been or may be mentioned, are included. The nephew has translated for Beethoven the announcement of the Ninth Symphony as it appeared on the programme of the Philharmonic’s concert of March 21, viz.: “New Grand Characteristic Sinfonia, MS. with vocal finale, the principal parts to be sung by Madame Caradori, Miss Goodall, Mr. Vaughn and Mr. Phillips; composed expressly for this Society.” No doubt Beethoven gave expression, as he frequently had done, to his admiration for the English people and possibly also for their national hymn, for Karl translates the stanza:

Long may he reign!
May he defend our laws,
And ever give us cause
To sing with heart and voice:
God save the king!

The one-sided conversation proceeds:

_Smart._--You understand English writing?--_Extremement
bien._----Winter _me dit que on l’intention de donner Fidelio a
music_.

_Karl._--He would like to know the tempi of the finale of the last
symphony. Haven’t you it here?--

How long you worked on the symphony?--How long does it last?--1
hour and 3 minutes--3/4 hour--We are now going to take a walk.

According to Smart’s journal, Beethoven now ordered dinner “with his funny old cook,” told his nephew to look after the wine, and the party of five took a walk in the course of which Schuppanzigh told Smart that it was while sketching in the open air that Beethoven caught his deafness. “He was writing in a garden and was so absorbed that he was not sensible of a pouring rain, till his music paper was so wet that he could no longer write.” The story is inconsequential unless Schuppanzigh had it from Beethoven who, as we have seen in an earlier volume (Vol. I, p. 263 _et seq._), gave an entirely different account of the origin of his deafness to Neate. Holz talks to Beethoven now about Schlesinger, telling him that it was the publisher’s purpose to print the quartets in succession, which would postpone the appearance of the thirteenth for two years, and advises Beethoven hereafter to make immediate publication a condition of purchase. He suggests that if he were to threaten not to compose the quintets under the circumstances it might help.

_Smart.--Elle est morte.--Kalkbrenner est à Paris.--Broadwood,
Stodart, Tomkinson, Clementi and Co.--Les meilleurs Pièces à vendre
à Londres sont les Duettos pour le Piano Forte.--Mais je dis pour
nous de composer à présent.--Cramer, Moscheles, Neate, Potter....
J’ai voyagé par le Rhine et par la Donau.--Je suis Protestant; le
premier chose est d’être honnête homme.... Esterhazy.--Le nom de
Capitaine, ou comme tous les autres.--On faites de badinage contre
moi en Allemagne--contre lui--moi je suis Garçon._

_Karl._--He asked why you had not come before now; he said the 300
pounds of the Philhar. Society were not be to looked upon as the
principal thing. For that you needed only to appear 2 or 3 times in
the orchestra and make money with your own concerts.--He said that
in a short time you could make at least 1000 pounds and carry it
away with you.--10,000 florins, Vienna money.--If you would only
go. The 1,000 pounds would be easily earned and more.--You can do
better business with the publishers there than here.--And you’ll
find 1,000 friends, Smarth [_sic_] says, who will do everything
to help you.--The sea fish.--In the Thames.... We’ll wait till
the year is over before going to England.... You’ll not leave
London so quickly if we are once there.--Others are living there
too, like Cramer, etc.--In two years at least 50,000 florins net.
Concerts.--I am convinced that if you were to want to go away from
here they would do everything to keep you here.

We shall let Smart conclude the story of the meeting:

On our return [from the walk] we had dinner at two o’clock. It
was a most curious one and so plentiful that dishes came in as we
came out, for, unfortunately, we were rather in a hurry to get to
the stage coach by four, it being the only one going to Vienna
that evening. I overheard Beethoven say, “We will try how much the
Englishman can drink.” _He_ had the worst of the trial. I gave
him my diamond pin as a remembrance of the high gratification I
received by the honour of his invitation and kind reception and he
wrote me the following droll canon as fast as his pen could write
in about two minutes of time as I stood at the door ready to depart.

“Written on the 16th of September, 1825, in Baden, when my dear
talented musical artist and friend Smart (from England) visited me
here.

Ludwig van Beethoven.”

[Sidenote: A VISITOR FROM AMERICA]

Smart left Vienna on his return journey to London on September 20. Three months later Beethoven received a visit from one who must have raised more curious questionings in his mind than did the brilliant young Englishman. With Smart he had corresponded years before. Smart had produced his oratorio and his “Wellington’s Victory” in England and conducted the first performance in London of his Ninth Symphony; there were direct bonds of sympathy between them. The other visitor brought a message of appreciation from across the wide Atlantic. It was Theodore Molt, evidently a German or a man of German birth, who, a music teacher in Quebec, was making a European tour and gained the privilege of telling Beethoven to his face how greatly he admired him, then asked the favor of a souvenir which he could carry back on a journey of “3,000 hours” as a precious keepsake. For him, on December 16, Beethoven wrote the canon, “Freu dich des Lebens” (Ges. Aus. Series XXV, 285, 5).[143]

To this period belongs an anecdote which is almost a parallel of one related by Zelter to Goethe. It was told[144] by Mittag, a bassoon player who had taken part in a performance of the Septet at a concert on December 11. Going home one evening, Mittag stepped into a tavern known as “Zum Dachs” to drink a glass of beer. Smoking was not allowed in the place and there were few guests. In a corner, however, sat Beethoven in the attitude of one lost in thought. After Mittag had watched him a few minutes he jumped up and called to the waiter: “My bill!” “Already paid!” shrieked the waiter in his ear. Mittag, thinking that Beethoven ought not to be left alone, followed him without betraying himself and saw him enter his house safely.

On November 29, 1825, Beethoven was one of fifteen men elected to honorary membership in the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde by the directors (Cherubini, Spontini, Spohr, Catel and Weigl being among them); the election was confirmed by the society on January 26, 1826, but the diploma was not issued until October 26, and thus reached Beethoven’s hands only a few months before his death. On November 25, Beethoven wrote to Schott and Sons promising to send them the metronome marks for the Mass in D soon, telling them to print the list of subscribers before the dedication, asking delay in the matter of the dedication of the Ninth Symphony, and requesting that the publication of both works be postponed three months. He gives the title of the mass as follows:

_MISSA
Composita et
Serenissimo ac Eminentissimo Domino Domino
Rudolpho Joanni Cæsareo Principi et Archiduci Austriæ S. R. E.
Tit. S. Petri in monte aureo Cardinali Archiepiscopo Olomucensi
profundissima cum veneratione dicata_ [sic]
_a
Ludovico van Beethoven_

On the same day he wrote to Peters in Leipsic to the effect that his recent letters had not been definite and certain. He wanted a specific statement that the amount which he (Beethoven) had received as an advance was 360 florins. If Peters was willing to take a quartet for that sum he would send him one as soon as possible; if not, and he preferred to have the money, he would return it to him. “If you had done this at once you might have had two quartets; but you can not ask me to be loser. If I wanted to draw the strings tighter I could ask a larger price. I will send nothing for examination.” This, then, was Beethoven’s ultimatum: Peters must pay 360 florins for the Quartet or receive back the money advanced three years before. Peters asked for the money and it was paid over to Steiner and Co., on his order on December 7.

[Sidenote: INTIMACY WITH THE BREUNINGS RENEWED]

In the renting season of St. Michael (September 29 to October 12) Beethoven signed a lease for lodgings in the Schwarzspanierhaus, Alservorstadt Glacis 200. Into this, which was the last lodging occupied by Beethoven, he moved presumably on October 15. The house, which is fully described and pictured in Gerhard von Breuning’s book “Aus dem Schwarzspanierhause,” derived its name from the fact that it had been built by the Benedictines of Spain. In it Beethoven occupied four rooms on the second floor, besides a kitchen and servant’s quarters. One of the most important results of Beethoven’s removal to these quarters was a reëstablishment of the intimate relations which had existed for so many years with the friend of his youth Stephan von Breuning, a Councillor in the War Department of the Austrian Government, who lived hard by. Though there had been no open rupture between him and Beethoven an estrangement had existed from the time when von Breuning had advised against Beethoven’s assumption of the guardianship over his nephew. They had met occasionally _ad interim_, but it was not until they became neighbors that the intimate friendship which had existed in earlier years was restored. A beginning in this direction was made when, on a visit to Vienna in August, Beethoven met the Breuning family in the street. It was necessary that changes be made in the lodgings and while waiting for them Beethoven became a frequent visitor at the Breunings, dining with them frequently and sometimes sending them a mess of fish, of which he was very fond. Madame von Breuning meanwhile looked after the fitting out of his kitchen and saw to the engagement of his servants. Concerning the relations which existed between Beethoven and her father’s family, Marie, a daughter of Stephan von Breuning, wrote many years after:[145]

My mother once met Beethoven when on her way to the Kaiserbad
on the Danube; he accompanied her for the rather long distance
from the Rothes Haus, where she lived. She spent about an hour in
the bath-house (the bath being a warm one) and on coming out was
surprised to find Beethoven waiting to accompany her home. She
often said that he was always gallant towards women and had paid
court to her for a while.

She related, too, that his animated gestures, his loud voice and
his indifference towards others surprised the people in the street,
and that she was often ashamed because they stopped and took him
for a madman. His laugh was particularly loud and ringing.

My mother often and repeatedly deplored the fact that she had never
heard him play--but my father, in his unbounded tenderness, always
replied when she expressed a desire to hear him: “He doesn’t like
to do it, and I do not want to ask him because it might pain him
not to hear himself.”

Beethoven repeatedly invited my mother to coffee, or, as the
Viennese say, _zur Jause_; but my mother almost always declined, as
his domestic arrangements did not appear altogether appetizing.

My mother often said to my father that Beethoven’s habit of
expectorating in the room, his neglected clothing and his
extravagant behavior were not particularly attractive. My father
always replied: “And yet he has a great deal of success, especially
with women.”

Beethoven often told my mother that he longed greatly for domestic
happiness and much regretted that he had never married.

Beethoven was fond of Stephan von Breuning’s son Gerhard, whom, because of his attachment to his father, he dubbed _Hosen-knopf_ (Trousers-button) and because of his lightness of foot _Ariel_. He once had the boy play for him, criticized the position of his hands and sent him Clementi’s Method as preferable to Czerny’s which the lad was using.

There can be no doubt that the renewed association with von Breuning frequently turned his thoughts to his old home and his boyhood friends in the Rhine country, and his delight must have been keen when in this year, he received letters from Wegeler, whom he had not seen since he left Vienna twenty-eight years before, and his wife, who had been Eleonore von Breuning. They were tender letters, full of information about their family, each other, friends and relations--real home letters telling of births, marriages, careers and deaths. One would think that they ought to have been answered at once, but Beethoven did not find time or occasion to write a reply until the next year, despite this obvious challenge in Dr. von Wegeler’s letter:

Why did you not avenge the honor of your mother when, in the
Encyclopædia, and in France, you were set down as a love-child? The
Englishman who tried to defend you gave the filth a cuff, as we say
in Bonn, and let your mother carry you in her womb 30 years, since
the King of Prussia, your alleged father, died already in 1740--an
assertion which was altogether wrong since Frederick II ascended
the throne in 1740 and did not die till 1786. Only your inborn
dread of having anything but music of yours published is, probably,
the cause of this culpable indolence. If you wish it I will set the
world right in this matter.

[Sidenote: THE LAST STRING QUARTETS]

The great contributions which Beethoven made to music in the year 1825, were the Quartets in A minor, Op. 132 and in B-flat major, Op. 130, which were composed in the order here mentioned; but the second, being published before its companion, received the earlier opus number. The A minor Quartet was the second of the three which Beethoven composed on invitation of Prince Galitzin, the first being that in E-flat, Op. 127, the third that in B-flat. It was taken up immediately on the completion of the E-flat Quartet. In March Beethoven had written to Neate that the first of the three quartets which he thought of bringing with him to London was written, that he was at work on the second and that it and the third would be finished “soon.” On the same day he wrote to Schott and Sons: “The violin quartets are in hand; the second is nearly finished.” The sketches of the A minor (as established by Nottebohm) date back to 1824. The work was originally to have the customary four movements; labor on it was interrupted by the illness of April and then the plan was changed to include the “Song of Thanksgiving in the Lydian mode,” the short march before the last movement, and the minuet. The work was finished by August at the latest. The passage in eighth-notes in the second part of the first movement is practically a quotation from one of the German dances written for the Ridotto balls fully thirty years before, with the bar-lines shifted so that the change of harmony occurs on the up-beats of the measures. In a Conversation Book used in May or June, 1825, Beethoven wrote _Dankeshimne eines Kranken an Gott bei seiner Genesung. Gefühl neuer Kraft und wiedererwachtes Gefühl_ (“Hymn of Thanksgiving to God of an Invalid on his Convalescence. Feeling of new strength and reawakened feeling”). In the original score this was changed to the reading: “Sacred Song of Thanksgiving of a Convalescent to the Divinity, in the Lydian Mode. N. B. This piece has always B instead of B-flat.” As has already been mentioned in the history of the Ninth Symphony, the principal theme of the last movement was originally conceived for the finale of that work. The B-flat Quartet was begun early in the year, as the letters to Neate and Schott indicate. On August 29, Beethoven wrote to his nephew that it would be wholly finished in ten or twelve days. In November he himself writes in the Conversation Book: “Title for the Quartet,” and a strange hand adds: “_31ème Quatuor. Pour deux Violons, Viola et Violoncello composé aux désirs de S. A. Monseigneur le Prince Nicolas Galitzin et dédié au même_,” to which Beethoven adds: “par L. v. B.” The Quartet, though more than half-promised to Schlesinger, who got the A minor Quartet, was sold to Artaria, and in January, 1826, Holz writes, “The Quartet will be printed at once; thus the third Quartet will appear before the first two.” This was the case, which accounts for the incorrect numbering of them. It had its first public performance in March, 1826. The Fugue in B-flat, Op. 133, originally formed the finale of the work but was put aside after the first performance and the present finale, which was composed in Gneixendorf in 1826, was substituted.

After securing the A minor Quartet and an assurance that he should also have that in B-flat (he had offered to deposit 80 ducats with a Viennese banker against its completion and delivery and Beethoven had accepted his offer), Schlesinger said that he would purchase the first of the three Quartets from Schott and Sons so as to have all three for his Complete Edition. Karl, in reporting the fact to Beethoven, expressed his belief that the Schotts would sell for fear that if they did not Schlesinger would reprint the work in Paris without permission. The latter made a strenuous effort to get the autograph score of the A minor, but had perforce to content himself with a copy. Holz represented to Beethoven that the autograph would be an asset for Karl in the future, and Karl was of the same opinion; he supported Holz’s assertion with the argument that such _Capitalien_ grew more valuable with age and that he was sure Schlesinger would get 30 ducats for the manuscript. Beethoven expressed indifference as to which publisher got the works so long as he was promptly paid. In urging haste upon Holz, who had undertaken to look after the copying of the B-flat, he wrote:

It is immaterial which hellhound licks and gnaws my brains, since
it must needs be so, only see that the answer is not delayed
too long. The hellhound in L. can wait and meanwhile entertain
himself with Mephistopheles (the Editor of the Musik. L. Zeit.) in
Auerbach’s Cellar; he will soon be plucked by the ears by Belzebub
the chief of devils.

The Leipsic “hellhound” thus consigned to Belzebub was, of course, Peters. It was about this time that Karl told his uncle an anecdote to the effect that Cherubini, asked why he did not compose a quartet, replied: “If Beethoven had never written a quartet I would write quartets; as it is, I can not.” After the meetings at Schlesinger’s room in the inn “Zum wilden Mann” the Quartets in E-flat and A minor were played again at a concert in which Schuppanzigh was prevented from taking part, and Holz played the first violin. Beethoven grew merry at his expense and wrote a canon in the Conversation Book to the words: “Holz fiddles the quartets as if they were treading _Kraut_.”

[Sidenote: PRAISE FROM THE BEPRAISED]

Two trifles which kept company with the Quartets in this year were a Waltz in D and an Écossaise in E-flat for pianoforte, which were published in a collection of light music by C. F. Müller. There are several allusions to the oratorio commissioned by the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in the Conversation Books of 1825, in one of which Grillparzer is mentioned as a likely author for another book; but so far as is known no work was done on “The Victory of the Cross,” though Bernard shortened the book. Before the end of the year the principal theme of the Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131, is noted, accompanied by the words written by Beethoven: “Only the praise of one who has enjoyed praise can give pleasure”;--it is, no doubt, a relic of some of the composer’s classic readings.[146]

FOOTNOTES:

[121] The correspondence nowhere shows a modification of the stipulation that the Symphony was to be the exclusive property of the Society for 18 months. But Kirchhoffer, Ries’s representative, knew of the preparations for the Vienna performance.

[122] Dr. Deiters thinks Ries’s hesitation was due to fear of difficulties in the performance--a fear which was realized; it is more likely, however, as may be deduced from the context of the letter, that Ries felt that his London friends were not being treated fairly in the matter, Beethoven having entered upon an obligation with them to let them have exclusive possession of the Symphony for eighteen months after the time of delivery.

[123] Had he wholly forgotten the letter in which he offered Schlesinger the Mass in 1822 and said that it would grieve him very much if he could not give him “just this particular work”?

[124] The canons were those on Hoffmann and Schwenke.

[125] The remark is meaningless and was made only for the sake of a play on words--_Rache_ and _Rachen_. Beethoven professed friendship to Haslinger to the end, though he lampooned him in private.

[126] The mark is _Allegro con moto_ in the Complete Edition; _Allo. commodo_ in others. Joachim’s edition gives the _commodo_ in parenthesis.

[127] There are pitiful proofs in the Conversation Books that simple sums in addition were more than he could master and that on his deathbed he studied the mysteries of multiplication.

[128] Vol. II. p. 107 _et seq._

[129] Beethoven’s table habits were thus described by Holz to Jahn: “He was a stout eater of substantial food; he drank a great deal of wine at table, but could stand a great deal, and in merry company he sometimes became tipsy (_bekneipte er sich_). In the evening he drank beer or wine, generally the wine of Vöslau or red Hungarian. When he had drunk he never composed. After the meal he took a walk.”

[130] See the preface to his biography.

[131] The date is Schindler’s, but a palpable error; it may have been 1834.

[132] It was among Thayer’s papers.

[133] Notes of Jahn’s interviews with Holz were among Thayer’s papers.

[134] “Aus meinem Leben,” Berlin, 1861, Vol. II, p. 24 _et seq._

[135] It was probably the performance by Böhm.

[136] Antonia Cibbini, _née_ Koželuch, was among those who attended the performance of the Quartet. In the conversation which followed, Karl tells his uncle: “The Cibbini looked to me like a bacchante when the Quartet was played; it pleased her so greatly.”

[137] By the “Characteristic Symphony” Smart meant the Ninth, which he had directed at its first performance in London on March 21, 1825. Mr. Thayer visited Sir George in February, 1861, and received from him permission to make a transcript of all the entries in his journal touching the meetings with Beethoven, also supplementing them with oral information. The journal remained in manuscript for forty years after Sir George’s death and then was edited by H. Bertram Cox and C. L. E. Cox and published by Longmans, Green and Co. in 1907, under the title: “Leaves from the Journals of Sir George Smart.” The extracts here quoted are from the book, and show signs of having been revised after Thayer copied them.

[138] Not the composer, but a pianoforte maker of Vienna.

[139] The Thayer transcript has it correctly: “at the inn _Zum wilden Mann_.”

[140] In the Thayer transcript: “the second of the three MSS. quartettes bought by Schlesinger.”

[141] Dr. Deiters prints in a foot-note a different version of this story from Castelli’s memoirs. According to this it was Castelli who set the theme for Beethoven, he having, after long urging, said, “Very well, in the name of the three devils; but Castelli, who has no idea of pianoforte playing, must give me a theme.” Thereupon Castelli brushed his finger up and down three adjacent keys of the pianoforte and these notes Beethoven continually wove into the music which he improvised for an hour, by the clock. Smart names the ten men who composed Schlesinger’s party; Castelli’s is not among them, and Smart’s story, noted in his journal at the time, is unquestionably correct. Schlesinger may have given another dinner, or Castelli’s imagination been livelier than his memory.

[142] When Mr. Thayer visited Sir George Smart in London in 1861 he made the following notes of the conversation: Smart spoke, or rather wrote on Beethoven’s slate;--he had been warned not to write in Beethoven’s books--in French, a language which Beethoven (as he says) spoke fluently. He (Smart) was particularly desirous of understanding Beethoven’s intentions as to the performance of the Choral Sym. and spoke with him about the recitative for instruments in the last movement. Beethoven’s reply was:

“The recitative in strict time.”

Smart objected, that so played, it was not a recitative nor had words to recite. Beethoven replied, “he called it so;” and finally closed the discussion with “I _wish_ it to go in strict time”; which, from a composer, was of course decisive. The question of how the bass recitatives ought to be played had already been discussed when the rehearsals for the concert of 1824 were in progress, as may be seen in a Conversation Book of March: _Schindler_:--“How many contrabasses are to play the recitative?--All!--There would be no difficulty in strict time, but to give it in a singing style will make careful study necessary.--If old Krams were still alive we could let the matter go unconcernedly, for he directed 12 contrabasses who had to do what he wanted.--Good; then just as if words were under it?--If necessary I will write words under it so that they may learn to sing.”

[143] From Thayer’s note-book of 1857: “Circumstance related to me by the son of Mr. Molt. When Mr. Molt called upon Beethoven, December 16, 1825, (B.’s birthday) Beethoven showed him some verses he had just written complimentary to a young lady and fell into such enthusiasm talking about her that he passed entirely from his musical conversation. Verses poor enough, Mr. Molt said. Mr. Molt also described the meanness of the rooms in which B. lived.”

[144] To Thayer; from his note-book.

[145] In a memorandum for Thayer.

[146] _Laudari a viro laudate_--Nævius. _Lætus sum laudari me, inquit Hector, opinor apud Nævium, abs te, pater, a laudate viro_--Cicero _ad fam._ XV, 6; _Cum tragicus ille apud nos ait magnificum esse laudari a laudato viro, laude digno, ait._--Seneca, _Epist._ 102, 16.