Beethoven 1820

AGE 49 - 50 [1820]

Compiled by Gary D. Evans

Last Updated: March 25, 2019 7:53 PM

THE LAST DECADE

VIENNA - 1820 (Age 49)

THREE INSCRIPTIONS UNDER GLASS ON
HIS DESKTOP IN THESE LATER YEARS:

From Schiller's Die Sendung Moses, 'Moses' Mission,
a philosophical conte in an Egyptian setting [L. Dec p118]

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* I am that which is.

* I am everything that is, that was, and that will be.

No mortal man has lifted my veil.

* He is of himself alone, and it is to this aloneness

that all things owe their being.

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CHARACTERIZATIONS OF HIS LATE STYLE:

A highly concentrated exploration of counterpoint and polyphonic textures

Containing a serious interest in Bach and Handel [Anderson Letter #955]

Having a new awareness of church modes - utilizing baroque-style "theme types" w/ specific symbolic meanings

A return toward instrumental recitative

Preclassic richness of ornamentation for expressive purposes

Heightened preoccupation w/ monothematic development and variation procedures e.g. Use of trill w/ increased emotion

Use of simple material to contrast and reveal Aggr. dotted rhythmic polyphonic textures leading to irresistible motion & unbearable strain.

Per Kidderman - This style can be interpreted as an attempt to unify binary tension between: "personal suffering and celestial ... and

The aesthetic world enlarged to embrace the anaesthetic - the world beyond"

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.

Stieler - 1819-1820 (Oil)

WORKS CREATED

Op 107: Folksong variations - ?1818 (see by dates)	Completed and sent to the publisher (Simrock) Apr22
Op 108: Folksong arrangements - ?1817 (see by dates)	Completed and sent to publisher Late Sept.
Op 109: Piano Sonata #30 in E	1st of 3 sonatas commissioned May 31 by Schlesinger (Berlin) for 90 Ducats. Sketches were completed at approximately the same time as sketches for #7-11 of Bagatelles late Sept/Oct. Opening theme in Conversation book of April 1-14 [L. Decade pg177] Dedicated to 19yo Maximiliane Brentano. Dec. 6, 1821 letter to her: "A dedication!!!! well, this is not one of those dedications that are used and abused by thousands of people. It is the spirit which unites the noble and finer people of this earth and which time can never destroy. It is this spirit which now speaks to you and which calls you to mind and makes me see you still as a child, and likewise your beloved parents -- your most excellent and gifted mother, your father inbred with so many truly good and noble qualities and ever mindful of the welfare of his children... The memory of a noble family can never fade in my heart. May you sometimes think of me with a feeling of kindness. My most heartfelt wishes. May heaven bless your life and the lives of all of you for ever." [L. Decade pg 186] Completed by Aut. with first movement finished early April, 2nd and 3rd movements completed in June and July respectively. Prob. intended as single piece for Friedrich Stark's piano method) (After this, B. ret. to the Missa) (1st mvmt rich in parenth. Structures that enclose musical passages within contrasting sections. Opening vivace interrupted after 8 bars as it reaches threshold of a cadence in the dominant of E. Cadence not granted; evaded in ensuing fantasy-like adagio passage w/ elaborate arpeggiations, contrasting w/ vivace material. When music finally arrives on dominant cadence. It is timed to coincide w/ resumption on the vivace music in same register as before. Thus, entire adagio section positioned at moment of interrupted cadence. The resulting parenth. structure gives effect of time suspension in the contrasting section, or the enclosure of one time within another. [L. Dec p41]
Op119 11 Bagatelle in g, c, D, A, c, G, C, C, a, A, Bb
Op 110: Piano Sonata #31 in Ab	(2nd of 3 sonatas commissioned by Schlesinger for 90 Ducats May 31) (Begun Aut. upon return from Modling)
Op 111: Piano Sonata #32 in c (begun)	(3rd of 3 sonatas commissioned by Schlesinger for 90 Ducats May 31) [2 movements: 1st "c" (fate) ending however in "C". 2nd beginning & ending in "C". (Theme 2nd mvmnt: suggests great longings; despairing abandonment w/ gradual lifting of the spirit in the variations) ] (Caused Missa to be set aside again) (Most of work done in 1821)
Op 123: Missa Solemnis in d	(March Sketches of the Benedictus, Credo, and Agnus Dei) Nearly completed by October and published next year 1821
WoO 130 Song, "Gendenke mein"	? authorship
WoO 150: Song "Abendlied unterm gestirnten Himmel"	(completed Mar 4 - one of last songs) Based on Heinrich Goebel's: 'Wenn die Sonne nieder Sinket'
WoO 175: Canon "Sankt Petrus warein Fels"
WoO 177: "Bester Magistrat"
WoO 178: "Signor Abate"
WoO 180: 2 part canon "Hoffman, sei ja kein Hofmann"	(March)
WoO 181: Three canons: "Gedenket heute", "Gehabt euch"; "Tugend ist"
Hess 133: "Das liebe katzchen"	(pub Mar)
Hess 134: "Der knabe auf dem Berge	(pub Mar)
Hess 256: "Sankt Petrus ist ein Fels," Musical Joke for three voices in A
Hess 299: 2-part canon, "ester Magistrat"
Hess300: "Liebe mich, werter Weissenbach"	(for Aloys Weissenbach) (Jan)
Hess 301: Wahner...es ist kein wahn"	(Jan) (For Friedrich Wahner)

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

DATE
	* Relationship w/ Karl, now age 13-14, was relatively harmonious w/ many happy weekends spent together during these years (thru 1823 at age 17-18).
Jan 7	B. petitioned Imp. & Royal Court of Appeal of Lower Austria to review the guardianship decision (using his ties to the Archduke to push his case).
Feb 10	Beethoven sent 4 works to publisher (Simrock) in Bonn - op107 variations, op108 folksongs, op120 Diabelli variations, op123 Missa Solemnis. (Simrock received only op 107.) ??? See Apr 22 ???
Feb 18	B. drafted 48 page memorandum in prep. to its submission to the court. It included info. about Johanna, the Magistrat (Herr Piuk, Father Frohlich, Karl, Karl's school reports, B's activities in Karl's behalf and Karl's property. The case was presented by Dr. Bach. (Beethoven protested against the idea of Karl testifying against Johanna, although his attorney felt it would help.) [Man of His Word pg 176]
Mar 4	Song, 'Abendlied' WoO 150 completed
Mar 9	Archduke Rudolf enthroned as Cardinal Archbishop of Olmutz. (Mass - Missa Solemnis was not, as yet, ready with Beethoven still sketching the details of the Credo.)
Apr 20	Court of Appeal ruled in B.'s favor. B. & Karl Peters appointed as co-guardians w/ Johanna excluded. [L. Dec p41]
Apr	Letter to pub. Adolf Martin Schlesinger mentioning new project: "I shall be willing to hand over to you new sonatas - but only @ 40 ducats apiece, a sort of undertaking to consist of three sonatas for 120 ducats." [L. Dec p40 ref#2] (Note: Ducat = 4.5 Gulden) [op 109,110,111]
Apr	Johanna appealed to Emperor via one of the Archdukes (rejected in July). [Last Dec. p28]
Apr 22	Folksong variations op107 sent to Simrock for publication ??? See Feb 10 ???
May-Sept	Moved from apt in building that housed the coffee-house (see 1819) to Modling. [Note: Modling ~3 hours journey from Vienna. [per Ira Brilliant Center Exhibit 1997]) In Modling took different apt, "Christhof" [Ira Brilliant Center Exhibit 1997] than previous year (the noise he made last year caused the landlord to refused him) [L. Dec pg 40 and pg 177]
May	Johanna pregnant by her finance councilor.
May 31	Beethoven agreed to compose 3 piano sonatas (op109, 110, 111) for Schlesinger for 90 Ducat (and postponed further work on the Missa Solemnis).
July	The Emperor rejected Johanna's appeal ending 4 ½ year legal battle - B. retaining guardianship. [L. Decade pg 177]
Summer	Karl again ran away for a few days to his mother's home and was returned to B's.
Summer	First attack of jaundice [L. Decade pg 177]
Aug 10-13	B. wrote: "During the four evil days, Aug 10, 11, 12 and 13, I ate in Lerchenfeld" (a suburb outside the city limits) [Impr. Of Cont. p174]
Aug 29	B. ill for few days ~ Aug 29th
Sum-Oct26	During his summer vacation from school, (Blochlinger Institute) Karl stayed w/ B. at Modling: Christof, Aschenaugasse 6 at Zu den Zwei Wachsstocken (today Josefstadter StraBe 57). This was Beethoven's favorite house [B.Newsletter V12#1 pg 33]
Sept	German edition of op107 variations published by Simrock
Sept-late	Folksong arrangements op108 sent to Schlesinger in Berlin
Autumn	Work on the Missa Solemnis continued and Piano Sonata op109 completed - sent to publisher (Schlesinger).
Oct 26	B. moved from Modling house "Christhof" on this Thursday ->to where? . [B. Newsletter V12 #1 pg.33]
Nov	Johanna gave birth to daughter named: Ludovica.
Winter	B. ill again [ ? symptoms ? ]
Dec	Oliva who had assisted as secretary for several yrs left Vienna for St. Petersburg.
Dec 20	B. wrote to Carlo Boldrini (Arteria employee) re: delivering sum of money to a sick person in the Adlergasse "across the street from Count Deym's house" 2x that month took advances of 150 Gulden from Arteria - same time Josephine had sent letter to her family in Hungary for financial help but mother and brother evidently did not help. By January, she would have been without further resources. (She died March 31,1821)
Winter	Either at Ungargasse 391 or GroBes Haus der Augustiner (both today: LandstraBer HauptstraBe 60)