Beethoven 1819

AGE 48 - 49 [1819]

Compiled by Gary D. Evans

Last Updated: March 25, 2019 7:47 PM

THE LATE PERIOD

VIENNA - 1819 (Age 48)

Beethoven was by now functionally deaf. Despite this, despite the ongoing intense, and painful litigation over his nephew Karl, and despite his many illnesses - his creativity and compositional invention soared.

Beethoven continued to create masterpiece after masterpiece during this period, despite bouts of crippling illness. His brother Johann helped with managing his business dealings and helped augment Beethoven's income through negotiation and finding older works that could be published.

1819 Portrait by Stieler

WORKS CREATED

op 109: Piano Sonata in E - early sketches	Early sketches of 2nd and 3rd movements (in same sketch books - sketches of the Benedictus and advanced sketch of the Credo) [L.Decade pg177]
op 120: 33 variations on Diabelli waltz theme	(begun in March - set aside in May while working on the Missa Solemnis)
op 123: Missa Solemnis in D	(begun early April; extensive comp. May-July) (main sketches of Gloria written in Nov, then began detailed work on the Credo) In conversation book: "Preludium of the Kyrie to be played loud by the organist and then decrescendo until before the Piano {before the] Kyrie" [L.Decade pg221]
op 125: 9th Symph. in d (further sketches)
WoO 105: "Hochzeitslied"	(Jan 14) (Wedding song for tenor solo & chorus w/ pianoforte acc. for wedding of Anna Giannatasio & Leopold Schmerling)
WoO 173: Puzzle canon"Hol' euch der Teufel"	(Summer - for Sigmund Anton Steiner)
WoO 174: "Glaube und hoffe"	(Sept) (for Moritz Schlesinger) (not strictly a canon)
WoO 176: 3 part canon "Gluck, Gluck zum neuen Jahr"	(for Countess Erdody)
WoO 179: "Alles gute"	(Dec) (for archduke Rudolph)
WoO 181: 3 canons: #1 "Gedenket heute," #2 "Gehabt euch," #3 "Tugend ist"
WoO 205e: "Erfullung, Erfullung"	(in letter#948 to archduke Rudolf set to music.)
Hess 125: Hochzeitslied WoO 105 in C for unison voices	January 14, 1819

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

DATE
Jan 11	Magistrate heard Karl's case. (B. forced to give up guardianship by March and find another guardian.) Karl was temporarily returned to Johanna while receiving school instruction from a home tutor & in an institution run by Johann Kudlich.
Jan 14	Beethoven wrote 'Hochzeitslied' WoO 105 for the upcoming marriage of Anna Giannatasio & Leopold Schmerling
Jan 17	B. conducted a charity concert - program included the 7th symphony, and Prometheus Overture.
Feb	Wrote to Antonie re: help getting Karl under Sailer's tutoring (a professor of moral and pastoral theology at the university there & Antonie's religious advisor at Landshut)
Feb 6	Another version of 'Hochzeitslied' WoO 105 completed for the upcoming marriage of Anna Giannatasio & Leopold Schmerling (see earlier version Jan 14th)
Feb 18	Publication announcement for Quintet op104
Mar 26	B. officially resigned guardianship and Councilor Matthias von Tuscher was appointed Karl's guardian
Mar	Antonio Diabelli, working for pub. Steiner, invited 50 Viennese composers to write 1 var. each on a waltz of his. B. immed set to work; wrote 33 vars op120 (pub.1823, earliest dated variation was by Czerny - May 7th)
Mar-Apr	Conversation book speaks of despair after having to resign guardianship of Karl
Apr-early	Missa Solemnis begun
Apr	Tuscher & B. proposed sending Karl out of country to Landshut in Bavaria to well known educ. Prof. Sailer; passport refused May 7th after Johanna argued against sending away. [Note: Josephine at same time considered sending her son, Carl, there as well which did not come to pass.]
Apr 16	Beethoven sent Ries an additional single bar to be inserted at the start of the Adagio Sostenuto (3rd movement) of the Hammerklavier Piano Sonata op106.
Apr 19	Letter to Ries: "Should the Sonata (Opus106) not be suitable for London, I could send another one; or you might also leave out the Largo and start straightaway with the fugue in the last section; or use the first section, then the Adagio and for the third movement the Scherzo and the Largo and A11o risoluto. - I leave all that to you; do as you think best. ...The Sonata was written under oppressive circumstances. It is hard to write almost for the sake of bread alone, and it has come to that." [Wegeler/Ries p 131]
Apr 24	Rudolph was made a cardinal
Apr 30	Wrote to Ries: "For the moment it is impossible to come to London, entangled as I am in various difficulties. But God will speed me to London next winter surely; then I will also bring the new symphonies." [Wegeler/Ries p129]
May	Giannatasio del Rio refused Karl admission to his institution. Karl was instead sent to one directed by Joseph Blochlinger.
May	Intensive work on the Missa Solemnis during which time work on the Diabelli variations temporarily postponed.
May 12	Moved to Modling, "Hafner Haus", 76 [Imp.of Contmp.p174] Herrengasse-now Hauptstrasse79 as in the Summer of 1818.
May12 and 27	9 sets of Folksong variations of op105 and op107 that Beethoven had sent to Thomson were entered at Stationers Hall.
Spring?	Maurice Schlesinger [ - ], music publisher who eventually published op109, 110, 111, 132, 135 1st met B. when he was at Steiner & Co. in their vault when Haslinger, their partner, mentioned that B. was entering and asked if he would like to meet him. An introduction was made and B. invited him to visit in Baden [see L.Decade pg 40] where he was going a few days later. When Schlesinger arrived, he stepped from the carriage and entered the tavern where B. had been and was just, "stalking out of the door, which he slammed to after him, in a rage." Schlesinger later went to B.'s lodging, expecting to be turned away given B's apparent mood. A card was given the housekeeper and she returned w/ an invitation to enter. "… There I found the great man sitting at his writing-desk. I at once wrote down how happy I was to make his acquaintance. This (what I had written) made a favorable impression. He at once gave fee rein to his feelings and told me he was the most wretched man in the world; he had but just returned from the tavern, where had asked for some veal which he felt like eating - and none had been available! All this he said in a very serious, gloomy way. I consoled him, we talked (I myself writing) about other things, and thus he kept me for nearly two hours; and though, afraid of boring or molesting him, I several times rose to go, on each occasion he prevented me from taking my departure. Leaving him, I hurried back to Vienna in my carriage; and at once asked my inn-keeper's son whether he had some roast veal ready. When he said he had, I made him put it in a dish, carefully cover it and, without a word of explanation, sent it back to Baden by the man, in the carriage I had kept, to be presented to Beethoven with my compliments. I was still lying in bed the following morning when Beethoven came to me, kissed and embraced me, and told me I was the most kind-hearted person he had ever met; never had anything given him such pleasure as the roast veal, coming at the very moment when he so greatly longed for it." [Beethoven: Impr. Of Contemp p113]
June 4	Archduke Rudolph appointed Archbishop of Olmutz (now Olomouc in Moravia) w/ date set for enthronement, Mar 9, 1820. The Missa Solemnis was to be performed for this event but was not ready in time.
????	Archduke Rudolph moved to new residence in the Baroque castle in Kremsier (now Kromeriz, Czechoslovakia belonging to the archbishops of Olmutz) where Rudolph continued to compose. Personal contact w/ B. now subsequently only on visits to Vienna or in Badan where they both frequently stayed during the summer months. [Nwsltr v7#3 p66]
Summer	Several long letters were sent to Bernard and Blochlinger regarding Karl.
June 15	Beethoven received 400 fl WW advance payment from the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde for an oratorio he had agreed to compose
June 22	Karl entered Blochlinger's institute upon B's suggestion and wishes - remained there for 4 years.)
July 5	Tuscher asked to resign as guardian. B unofficially assumed roll again. (The court subseq. ruled that he had no right to do so)
July 13	B. withdrew investments (since 1816) in Steiner then worth 4000 fl.CM & bought 8 bank shares as a legacy for Karl.
Aug 2	B. brother Johann purchased a large estate in Gneixendorf.
Sept 6	Publication announcement for Viennese edition of Folksong variations op105
Sept 15	Publication announcement for Viennese edition of 'Hammerklavier' Piano Sonata op106
Sept 17	Tuscher officially relieved of guardianship; it is transferred by Magistrate jointly to Leopold Nussbock, municipal officer (sequestrator), & to Johanna. (The court stated: "the boy has been subject to Beethoven's whims and has been tossed backwards and forwards from one educational institution to another." [Last Decade p27]
Oct 1	English edition of Hammerklavier was published by Regent's Harmonic Institution and entered at Stationers Hall
????	Ongoing letters between Brentano's via Stieler. Franz wanted B.'s portrait for Antonie - com'ed painting from Stieler.
Oct 13	B. tried to purchase a home w/o success.
Oct-end	Moved to , Fingerlingsches Haus (3rd fl) - 6 Schwibbogengasse, Josefstadt Glacis (now Auerspergstrasse3) until 5/1820 [L.Dec p40]
Oct 31	B. protested Karl's guardianship decision, but was rejected by Magistrat. (Rep. by Dr. Bach)
Nov 4	B again submitted protest of Karl's guardianship - protest again rejected
Nov	Gloria of Missa Solemnis sketched - nearly completed detail work and began work on the Credo.
Winter	Temporarily living at the Inn "zum Alten Blumenstock, Balgasse 986 (now #6) (According to conv. of March 1820 - living opposite the Auersperg Palace, in the same house where the coffee-house is on the Josephstadt glacis") [L.Dec p40]
Late	Oliva made conversation book entry: "Because you always talk about the woman, the husband will recognize as your child amongst his children the one who possesses musical talent" [Konversationshefte I, book 5,10 p149] (Note - ? refers to * Josephine: Minona was 6yo, Antonie's son Karl - 6yo but retarded with seizures - no apparent musical talent, Countess Erdody - child named Mimi - ?age)
Late	Rumors circ.: B.'s behavior was result of his secret love of Johanna. (B. heard the rumors; told friends nothing to it)
Dec	Archduke Rudolph's 40 variations on a theme of Beethoven were published.
Dec 20	B. again protested guardianship decision w/ help from a legally qualified friend, Johann Baptist Bach in the court of appeal. He asked that guardianship be transferred to B's friend, Karl Peters (Lobkowitz's children's tutor) [Kerman p67] The plea is again rejected.