The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume IIThayer, Alexander Wheelock
History
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume II
Thayer, Alexander Wheelock
Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827
See to the delivery of this letter to Brunswick at once to-day, so
that it may arrive as soon as possible and correctly. Pardon me the
burdens which I place upon you. I have just been asked again to
send works to Gratz in the Steirmark for a concert to be given for
the benefit of the Ursulines and their educational convent. Last
year such a concert yielded generous receipts. With this academy
and that which I gave in Karlsbad for the benefit of the sufferers
from the fire in Baden three academies have been given in one year
for, by and through me--to me everywhere a deaf ear is turned
[literally: “for me everybody wears his ears on his feet”].
Thereupon he wrote again to Varena:
Vienna, April 8, 1813.
My dear V!
I received with much pleasure your letter but again with much
displeasure the 100 florins sent by the poor cloister ladies;
meanwhile they are deposited with me to be applied to the payment
of the expenses for copying. Whatever remains will be returned to
the noble cloister women together with a view of the accounts.
For such occasions I never accept anything--I thought that the
third person to whom you referred was perhaps the ex-King of
Holland and--yes, from him who probably took from the Hollanders in
a less righteous way I would have had no hesitation in accepting
something in my present condition; now, however, I beg kindly that
nothing more be said on the subject. Write me your opinion as to
whether if I came to Gratz I could give a concert; for it is not
likely that Vienna will long remain my place of residence; perhaps
it is already too late, but your opinion on the subject will always
be welcome.
The works will be copied and as soon as possible you shall have
them--do whatever you please with the oratorio; wherever it can do
any good my purposes will best be subserved.
All things beautiful to our Ursulines, whom I am glad to be able to
serve again.
Numbers 8 and 9 of Köchel’s “Drei-und-achtzig Original-Briefe” by
Beethoven to Archduke Rudolph and his chamberlain, pray the Archduke to
intercede for him with the Rector of the University for permission to
give two concerts in the hall of the University. The result is shown in
a note to Zmeskall dated April 19:
The hall of the University, my dear Z., is--refused, I received
this information day before yesterday, but being ill yesterday
I could not come to you to talk it over, nor to-day. There will
remain nothing probably except the Kärnthnerthortheater or that
An-der-Wien, and I fancy only one A (cademy). If that will not go
we must resort to the Augarten, there of course we must give 2 A.
Think the matter over a bit, my dear, and give me your opinion.
It may be that the symphonies will be rehearsed to-morrow at the
Archduke’s, if I can go out, of which I shall let you know.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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