The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume IIIThayer, Alexander Wheelock
History
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume III
Thayer, Alexander Wheelock
Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827
[78] Beethoven had a number of nicknames for Schindler besides
_Papageno_ with its various qualifications. One of these was
_Lumpenkerl_; another _Hauptlumpenkerl_--Ragamuffin and Chief
Ragamuffin. In this instance Schindler is a “Samothracian ragamuffin”
and Schindler in a gloss tells us that the allusion was to the ancient
ceremonies of Samothrace, Schindler being thus designated as one
initiated into the mysteries of Beethoven’s affairs and purposes. The
injunction of silence was understood, of course. Count Brunswick, Count
Lichnowsky and Zmeskall were also initiates. Wocher, to whom Beethoven
sends his compliments, was Prince Esterhazy’s courier. Beethoven’s
second thoughts seem frequently to have been bestowed on the trombones.
We have already seen how often this was the case in the alterations in
the Mass in D. An interesting illustration was found by the present
editor among Thayer’s papers. The biographer owned a sheet of four
pages containing, in Beethoven’s handwriting, the trombone parts of
the Trio in the Scherzo of the Ninth Symphony with instructions to the
copyist where they were to be introduced. As the trombones do not take
part in the first and third movements nor in the Scherzo outside of the
Trio, but are highly important in the choral Finale, it would seem as
if Beethoven had thought of the beautiful effect which they produce in
the Trio after he had decided that they were necessary in the Finale.
[79] In Hetzendorf, while the negotiations with the courts are pending,
Count Moritz Lichnowsky writes in a Conversation Book: “Can you not
sell the Mass to publishers next year, so that it may become publicly
useful?”
[80] “The Philharmonic Society of London,” by George Hogarth, London,
1862, page 31.
[81] _Sic._ Beethoven of course means the Embassy. The Overture was no
doubt that to “The Consecration of the House,” Op. 124.
[82] Bauer was in Beethoven’s company a short time before he went to
England, and the incident of the sending of the score of “Wellington’s
Victory, or the Battle of Vittoria” came up for conversation between
them. We read in a Conversation Book, in Bauer’s hand: “I am of the
opinion that the King had it performed, but perhaps nobody reminded him
that on that account he ought to answer. I will carry a letter to the
King and direct it in a channel which will insure its delivery, since I
cannot hand it over in person.” The story of King George’s action, or
want of action, has been told in earlier pages of this work. From the
opening phrase of the address to the King it is fair to surmise that it
was to follow an invitation to subscribe for the Mass in D, and from
the letter to Ries that Beethoven subsequently decided to strike the
King of England from his list.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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