Section 11 of the Life of Ludwig von Beethoven, Volume 1, by Alexander Wheelock Thayer, translated by Henry Edward Crebel. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter 9. Gleanings of Musical Fact and Anecdote. Haydn in Bond. A Rhine Journey. Abe Sturkel. Beethoven extemporizes social and artistic life in Bond. Eleanor von Bruning. The Circle of Friends. Beethoven leaves Bond forever. The Journey to Vienna. As a pendant to the preceding sketches of Bond's musical history, a variety of notices belonging to the last three years of Beethoven's life in his native place are here brought together in chronological order. Most of them relate to him personally, and some of them, through errors of date, have been looked upon hitherto as adding proofs of the precocity of his genius. Professor Dr. Wurzer communicated to the girl Niska Zeitung of August 30, 1838, the following pleasant anecdote. In the summer of the year 1790 or 1791, I was one day on business in Goadsburg, Ertbrunen. After dinner, Beethoven and another young man came up. I related to him at the church at Marion Forest, a cloister in the woods behind Goadsburg, had been repaired and renovated, and that this was also true of the organ, which was either wholly new or at least greatly improved. The company begged him to give them the pleasure of letting them hear him play on the instrument. His great good nature led him to grant our wish. The church was locked, but the prior was very obliging and had it unlocked for us. He now began to play variations on themes given him by the party in a manner that moved us profoundly. But what was much more significant for laboring folk who were cleaning out the debris left by the work of repair were so greatly affected by the music that they put down their implements and listened with obvious pleasure. Sit a terra levis, Joseph Haydn's visit to Bonn. The greatest musical event of the year 1790 in Bonn occurred just at its close, the visit of Joseph Haydn on his way to London with Johann Peter Salomon, whose name so often occurs in the preliminary chapters of this work, of this visit, Diez has recorded Haydn's own account. In the capital, Bonn, he was surprised in more ways than one. He reached the city on Saturday, Christmas, December 25 and set apart the next day for rest. On Sunday, Salomon accompanied Haydn to the court chapel to listen to Mass. Scares they have the two entered the church and found suitable seats when High Mass began. The first chords announced the product of Haydn's muse. Our Haydn looked upon it as an accidental occurrence, which had happened only to flatter him. Nevertheless, it was decidedly agreeable to him to listen to his own composition. Toward the close of the Mass, a person approached and asked him to appear to the oratory where he was expected. Haydn obeyed and was not a little surprised when he found that the elector, Maximilian, had had him summoned, took him at once by the hand and presented him to the virtuosi with the words, Here I make you acquainted with the Haydn whom you all review so highly. The elector gave both parties time to become acquainted with each other and to give Haydn a convincing proof of his respect, invited him to dinner. This unexpected invitation put Haydn into an embarrassing position for he, and Salomon had ordered a modest little dinner in their lodgings and it was too late to make a change. Haydn was therefore feigned to take refuge and excuses, which the elector accepted as genuine and sufficient. Haydn took his leave and returned to his lodgings where he was made aware in a special manner of the good will of the elector, at whose secret command the little dinner had been metamorphosed into a banquet for twelve persons to which the most capable musicians had been invited. Was the young musician one of these most capable musicians? Sunday evening, March 6, came the performance of Beethoven's music to the Ritter Ballet before noticed, but without his name being known. Osler's Musa Liska, correspondents of July 13, 1791, contains a list of the cabinet, chapel and court musicians of the elector of Cologne. Names designated by an asterisk were solo players who may justly be ranked with Virtuosi, two asterisk-indicated composers, four names only, those of Josef Reicha, Bernard and the two Romburgs have the two stars, Beethoven has none. Herr Ludwig van Beethoven plays Piano Forte Concertes. Herr Neef plays accompaniments at court and in the theater and at concerts. Concertante violas are played by Virtuoso violinists. That is all except that we learned that the elector is losing interest in the instrument on which Beethoven played in the orchestra. His Electoral Highness of Cologne seldom plays the viola nowadays, but finds amusement at the Piano Forte with operas, etc., etc. At Murgentheim, the capital of the Trutonic Order, a grand meeting of commanders and knights took place in the autumn of 1791. The Grand Master Maximilian Francis presiding and the sessions continuing from September 18 to October 20, as appears from the records of Vienna. The electors stayed there seems to have been protracted to a period of at least three months. During his visit there of equal length two years before time probably dragged heavily. So this time ample provision was made for theatrical and musical amusement. Among the visiting theatrical troops was one called the Haus Lerkska Giselle Schacht, which played in summer at Nuremberg in winter in Münster and Eichstadt. The entrepreneur was Baron von Bello, the chapel master Weber, the elder, and among the personnel were Herr Weber, the younger and madam Weber. From Max Weber's biography, his father appears that these Weber's were the brother and sister-in-law of Carl Maria von Weber, then a child of some five years. The troops as the reporter of the theater calendar performs the choices pieces and the grandest operas. So the father Franz Anton von Weber's must have found himself at length in his own proper element and still more so a year later when he himself became the manager. This company for a time migrated to American time and resumed the title of Kerr, Fürst, Lerkes, Hoftheater, Beethoven, soon came there also. Did he went in after years? He met Carl Maria von Weber, remember him as a feeble child at Murgentheim, had his intercourse there with Fridolin von Weber, people of Bureus of Haydn, in the influence upon his determination soon after to become also that great master's pupil. An expedition up the Rhine. Simonetti, Max Millean's favorite and very fine tenor concert singer, and some 25 members of the electoral orchestra with Franz Ries as conductor. Riker was too ill, including Beethoven. The two Romburgs and the fine octet of wind instruments formed an equally ample provision for the strictly musical entertainments. Actors, singers, musicians, Simonetti and the women singers accepted most of them still young all in their best years and at the age for its full enjoyment made the journey in two large boats up the Rhine and Men. Before leaving Bonn, the company assembled an elected luxe king of the expedition who in distributing the high offices of his court conferred upon Bernard, Monberg and Ludwig von Beethoven the dignity of and placed them in his service as kitchen boys, Scallions. It was the pleasantest season of the year for such a journey, the summer heats being tempered by the coolness of the Rhine and the currents of air passing up and down the deep gorge of the river. Vegetation was at its best and brightest and the romantic beauty of its old towns and villages had not yet suffered either by the desolations of the wars soon to break upon them or by the resistors and romance destroying march of modern improvement. Koblenz and Mayans were still capitals of states on the huge fortress Rhine's fells was not yet a ruin. When Riesbeck passed down the Rhine ten years before his boat had a mast and sail a flat deck with a railing comfortable cabins with lenders and some furniture and in a general way in style was built like a Dutch yacht and boats like this no doubt the Jolli company made the slow and under the circumstances perhaps tedious journey against the current of the arrowy Rhine but a glorious time at a merry day had a bit wanted speed was no misfortune to them and in Beethoven's memory the little voyage lived bright and beautiful and was the him a fruitful source of loveliest divisions the bingo lock was then held to be a dangerous as it certainly was a difficult pass for boats ascending for here the river suddenly contracted to half its previous width plunged the mid long lines of rugged rocks into the gorge so leaving the boats to their conductors the party ascended to that neater vault and their king luke's raised Beethoven to a higher dignity in his court regular does not state what it was and confirmed his appointment by a diploma or letters patent dated on the heights above rudas shine to this important document was attached by a thread rather from a sail a huge seal of pitch pressed into the cover of a small box which gave to the instrument a right imposing look like the golden ball at frankford this diploma from the hand of his comic majesty was among the articles taken by the possessor to vienna where vegler sought still carefully preserved in 1796 Beethoven's meeting with Sturkel at a shop and burg on the man was the large summer palace of the electors of 9th and here at dweltabere Sturkel now a man of 40 years a musician from his infancy one of the first pianists of all germany and without a rival in this part of it except perhaps bogler of manheim his style both his composer pianist had been refined and cultivated to the utmost both in germany and idly and his playing was in the highest degree like graceful pleasing as reese described it to vegler somewhat ladylike reese and simlock took the young manberg and Beethoven to pay their respects to the master who complying with the general request set himself down to play Beethoven who up to this time says vegler had not heard a great or celebrated piano forte player knew nothing of the final nuances in the handling of the instrument his playing was rude and hard now he stood with attention all on a string by the side of Sturkel for this grace and delicacy if not power of execution which he now heard were a new revelation to him after Sturkel had finished the young bond concert player was invited to take his place at the instrument but he naturally hesitated to exhibit himself after such a display the shrewd abbey however brought him to it by a pretense of doubting his ability a year or two before chapel master vincenzo regini a colleague of Sturkel in the service of the elector of minds had published dodecki arieta one of which be any veni amore was a melody with five vocal variations to the same accompaniment Beethoven taking this melody as his theme had composed dedicated to the countess of hats veldt and published 24 variations for the piano forte upon it some of these were very difficult and Sturkel now expressed his doubts if their author could himself played them his honor thus touched Beethoven played not only these variations so far as he could remember them Sturkel could not find them but went on with a number of others no less difficult all to the great surprise of the listeners perfectly and in the ingratiating manner that has struck him in Sturkel's playing once in Murgentum the myriad monarch and his jolly subjects had other things to think of and seem to have made a noise in the world in more senses than one at all events Carl Ludwig Junker chaplain at Kirkburg the residents of Prince Ho and Loa heard of them and then went over to hear them Junker was a dilettante composer and the author of some half dozen small works on music musical almanacs published anonymously in the like all now forgotten saved by collectors as are his piano forte and charitodes but at that time he was a man of no small mark in the musical world of west in Germany he came over to Murgentum was treated with great attention by the electors musicians and showed his gratitude in that long letter to Bostler's correspondents November 23 1791 in which superlatives somewhat about but which is an exquisite piece of gossiping gives the liveliest picture that exists of a compel we have room for only a portion of it here I was also an eyewitness to the esteem and respect in which this chapel stands with the elector just as the HRSA was to begin Reese was sent for by the prince and upon his return bought a bag of gold gentlemen said he this being the electors name day he sends you a present of a thousand dollars and again I was eyewitness of this orchestra suppressing excellence there have been a burger couple meister of Ballinstein laid before it a symphony of his own composition which was by no means easy of execution especially for the wind instruments which had several solos concertante it went finally however at the first draw to the great surprise of the composer an hour after the dinner music the concert began it was open with a symphony of Mozart then followed a recitative and air sung by Simonetti next to Vila and cello concerto played by Herr Romberger Bernhard Romberg fourthly a symphony by Playa fifthly an air by Regini sung by Simonetti sixthly a double concerto for violin and Vila and cello played by the two Rombergs and the closing piece was a symphony of Winnett burger which had very many brilliant passages the opinion already expresses to the performance of this orchestra was confirmed it was not possible to attain a higher degree of exactness such perfection the pianos fortes ran for zandos such as swelling and gradual increase of tone and then such an almost imperceptible dying away from the most powerful to the lightest accents all this was formally to be heard only in manheim it would be difficult to find another orchestra in which the violins and basses are throughout in such excellent hands the members of the chapel almost without exception are in their best years glowing with health minute culture and fine personal appearance they form truly a fine sight when adds the splendid uniform in which the elector has clothed and read enrichly trimmed with gold I heard also one of the greatest of pianist and dear good Beethoven some compositions by whom appeared in the spires lumen liese in 1783 written in his eleventh year true he did not perform in public probably the instrument here was not to his mind it is one of the spaths making at bond he plays upon one by steiner but what was infinitely preferable to me I heard him extemporize in private yes I was even invited to propose a theme for him to vary the greatness of this amiable light hearted man as a virtuoso may in my opinion be safely estimated from his almost inexhaustible wealth of ideas the altogether characteristic style of expression in his playing and the great execution which he displays I know therefore no one thing which he lacks that conduces to the greatness of an artist I've heard Vogler upon the piano forte of his organ playing I say nothing not having heard him upon that instrument have often heard him heard him by the hour together never failed to wonder at his astonishing execution but Beethoven in addition to the execution has greater clearness and rate of idea and more expression in short he is more for the heart equally great therefore as an and adagio or allegro player even the members of this remarkable orchestra are without exception his admirers in all ears when he plays yet he is exceedingly modest and free from all pretension he however acknowledged to me that upon the journeys which the elector had enabled him to make he had seldom found in the playing of the most distinguished virtuosos that excellence which he supposed he had a right to expect his style of treating his instrument is so different from that usually adopted that it impresses one with the idea that by a path of his own discovery he has attained that height of excellence where on he now stands had I acceded to the pressing and treaties of my friend Beethoven to which hair vendor burger added his own and remained another day in burgant time I've no doubt he would have played to me ours and the day thus spent in the society these two great artists would have been transformed into a day of the highest bliss there's one passage in this exceedingly valuable and interesting letter which in the present state of knowledge of Beethoven's youth is utterly inexplicable it is this yet he is exceedingly modest and free from all pretension he however acknowledged to me that upon the journeys which the Elector had enabled him to make he is seldom found in the playing of the most distinguished virtuosos that excellence which he suppose he had a right to expect what were the journeys who can tell there is but one more to add to these musical reminiscences of that period another visit of Joseph Haydn who having changed the plan of his route returned in July via bond from London to Vienna the electoral orchestra gave him a breakfast at Godisburg and there Beethoven lay before him a cantata which received the particular attention of Haydn who encouraged its author to continue study it is not improbable that the arrangements were in part now made under which the young composer became a few months later the people of the veteran many a eulogy has been written upon Max Franz for his supposed protection of and favors granted to the young Beethoven it has however already been made clear that except the gracious reprimand at the time when the singer heller was made the subject of the boys joke all the facts and anecdotes upon which those eulogies are based along to a much later than the supposed period the appointment of Beethoven as chamber musician 1789 was no distinguishing mark of favor half a dozen other use of his age shared it with him is being made court pianist was a matter of course for whom had he as a rival had he been in any degree a favorite of the elector what need have there been of his receiving from valstine as begler states much pecuniary assistance bestowed in such a way as to spare his sensibilities it being generally looked upon as a small gratuity from the elector one general remark may be made here which has a bearing upon this point namely the Beethoven's dedications of important works throughout his life whereas a rule made to persons from whom he had received or from whom he had hopes of receiving pecuniary benefits indeed in one notable case where such a dedication produced him nothing he never forgot nor forgave the omission had he felt that next million wasn't any single instance really generous toward him why did he never dedicate any work to him why in all the correspondence private memoranda and recorded conversations which have been examined for this work has Beethoven never mentioned him either in terms of gratitude or in any manner whatever all idea that his relations to the elector were different from those of Bernhard Romberg Franz Ries or Anton Reica must be given up he was organist pianist member of the orchestra and for these services received his pay like others there is no proof of more no indication of less but with Ballstein the case was otherwise the young count eight years older than Beethoven coming direct from Vienna where his family connections gave him access to the salon of the very highest rank of the nobility was thoroughly acquainted with the noblest and best that the imperial capital could show in the art of music himself more than an ordinary dilettante he could judge of the youth's powers and became his friend we have seen that he used occasionally to go to the modest room in the Bengal Gossa that he even employed Beethoven to compose his Ritter Ballet music and we shall see that he foretold the future eminence of the composer and that the name Beethoven would stand next to those of Mozart and Haydn on the role of fame Ballstein's name too is in Beethoven's role of fame it stands in the list of those to whom important works are dedicated the dedication of the 24 variations on the veni amore to the countess Hatzfeld indicates if it does not prove that Beethoven's desserts were neither unknown nor unacknowledged at her house Barbara Koch Eleanor von Bruning at that time the favorite places of resort for the professors of the new university and for young men whose education and positional quarter in society were such as to make them welcome guests was the house on the marketplace now known as the Zaire Garten and there says Frau Karth Beethoven was in the habit of going a large portion of this house was led in lodgings and it is said that Eugène Beauharne with his wife and children at one time occupied the first floor its mistress was the widow Koch who spread also a table for a select company of borders her name too often appears in the Intellet Genesblatt a bond in advertisements of books of music of her three children a son and two daughters the beautiful Barbara the Babette Koch mentioned in that letter of Beethoven's was the Bella Bonn Begler's eulogy of her noticed in page 58 contains the names of several members of that circle whom doubtless the young composers so often met at the house she was a confidential friend of Ella Norr von Bruning a lady who of all the representatives of the female sex that I met in a rather active and long life came nearest the ideal of a perfect woman in opinion which is confirmed by all who had the good fortune to know her well she was surrounded not only by young artists like Beethoven but you rombergs reica the twin brothers googlin chin and others but also by the intellectual men of all classes in ages such as the Gravel professor delton who died early fish nick who afterward became municipal counselor professor that he is to arrest her afterward capitular of the cathedral vereda who became a bishop hackle and floret secretaries of the elector malcus private secretary of the austrian minister von keverberg later government counselor of holland court counselor von boers scheidt christian von bruning and many others about the time Beethoven left on for vienna the wife of count anton von belter busch nephew of the deceased minister of that name had deserted her husband for the embraces of a certain baron von lichtenstein and by that cock was engaged as governess and instructors of the motherless children in process of time belter busch obtained a divorce into the french law from his adulterous wife and married to governess august 9 1802 Beethoven in the brooning house but it was in the brooning house that Beethoven enjoyed and profited most the mother's kindness for him gave her both the right and the power to urge and compel them to the performance of his duties and this power over him in his obstinate and passionate moods she possessed in a higher degree than any other person begler gives an amic note in point baron best fall von voostenberg until now in the service of the elector was appointed minister to the dutch and best valiant circuit to the courts of cologne and trevis his headquarters being at bond he resided in the large house which is now occupied by the post office directly behind the statue of him who was engaged as music teacher in the counts family the brooning house was but a few steps distant diagonally across the corner of the square here madame von brooning was sometimes compelled to use her authority and force the young man to go to his lessons knowing that she was watching him he would go ute iniqui mentis aceles but sometimes at the very door would turn back and excuse himself on the plea that today it was impossible to give a lesson tomorrow he would give two to which as upon other occasions when reasoning with him was of no avail the good lady with drug her shoulders with remark he has his raptus again an expression which the wrapped Beethoven never forgot most happy was it for him then in madame von brooning he had a friend who understood his character thoroughly who cherished affection for him who could indeed so affectionately act as a peacemaker when the harmony between him and her children was disturbed Schindler is a witness that just for this phase of her motherly care Beethoven down to the close of life was duly grateful in his later days he still called the members of his family his guardian angels of that time and remember with pleasure the many reprimands which he received from the lady of the house she understood city how to keep insects off the flowers about insects he meant certain friendships which had already begun to threaten danger to the natural development of his talent and a proper measure of artistic consciousness by awakening vanity in him by their flatteries he was already near to considering himself a famous artist and therefore more inclined to give he to those who encouraged him in his illusions then such as set before him the fact that he had still to learn everything that makes a master out of a disciple this is well said is very probable in itself and belongs in the category of facts as to which Schindler is a trustworthy witness Stefan Bambruni became so good at violinist as to play occasionally in the electoral orchestra as he grew older and the comparative difference in age between him and Beethoven lessened the acquaintance between them became one of great intimacy Frau Karth says he was a frequent visitor in the Benzogasa and she had a lively recollection of the noise they used to make with their music in the room of her head Lance the youngest of the Roonings was about 15 when his teacher left Bonn but a few years after he became a pupil of Beethoven again in Vienna that became a good pianist for him the composer seemed to have cherished a warm affection one to which the seven years difference in their ages gave a peculiar tenderness it has been supposed that Beethoven at one time indulged a warmer feeling than mere friendship for Eleanor Bonn-Bruni but this idea is utterly unsupported by anything which has been discovered during the inquiries made for this work Beethoven's remarkable powers of improvising were often exhibited at the Bruning House Begler has an anecdote here once when Beethoven was improvising at the House of the Roonings on which occasions he used frequently to be asked to characterize in the music some well-known person Father Reese was urged to accompany him upon the violin after some hesitation he consented and this may have been the first time that two artists improvised a duo Beethoven had in common with all men of original and creative genius a strong repugnance to the drudgery of forcing the elements of his ardent to dull brains and awkward fingers but that this repugnance was extraordinary as Begler says does not appear a frau van Bever Verde one of his bond pupils assured Schindler that she never had any complaint to make of her teacher in respect to either the regularity of his lessons or his general course of instruction nor is there any thing now to be gathered from the traditions at Vienna which justifies the epithet Reese's experience is not here in point for his relations with Beethoven were like those of little Hummel through Mozart he received such instruction gratis as the master and leisure moments felt disposed to give there was no pretense of systematic teaching at stated hours the occasional neglect of a lesson at Beren Westfall says detailed in the anecdote about giving may be explained on an other ground than that of extraordinary repugnance to teaching Beethoven was in 7091 to 92 just at the age when the desire for distinction was fresh and strong he was conscious of power still not fully developed his path was diverse from that of the other young men with whom he associated and knew from all that can be gathered now on that subject a little faith in that which he had chosen he must have felt the necessity of other instruction or all events of better opportunities to compare his powers with those of others to measure himself by a higher standard to try the effect of his compositions in another sphere to satisfy himself with his instincts as a composer were true and that his deviations from the beaten track were not wild and capricious lost time we know from Begler and this is confirmed by his own words had faith in him and his works and it will be seen that another fish nick had also but what would he be said of him and his compositions in the city of Mozart Haydn Gluck to this add the restlessness of an ambitious youth to whom the routine of duties which must long since in great measure have lost the charm of novelty had become tedious and the natural longing of young men for the great world for a wider field of action had grown almost insupportable Beethoven's sweethearts in Bonn or Beethoven's raptus may just then have had a very different origin Jeanette Donrath or Fralin Vesterholt was perhaps the innocent cause to young ladies whose names are preserved by Begler of the many for whom he says his friend at various times indulged transient but not the less ardent passions the former was from Cologne when she occasioned it came to Bonn to pass a few weeks with Eleanor Bonn-Brunning she was a beautiful, verbatitious bond of good education says Begler an amiable disposition who enjoyed music greatly and possessed an agreeable voice wherefore she several times teased our friend by singing a song familiar at the time beginning nick hooked a knock ve von dir zu trennen un des zizzes nick verhindern kernen ist zu empfindlich Mein Herz for the favorite rival was the Austrian recruiting officer in Cologne Karl Gureth who married the young lady and died on October 15, 1827 as field marshal general commander of the 23rd Regiment of Inventory and commandant of Temespar the passion for Miss Donrath was eclipsed by a subsequent penance for Fralin Bonn-Vesterholt the court calendars of these years named Huck first lick Munster Ker Oberist Stahlmeister senior excellence there Huck von Gerborn Herr Friedrich Rudolf Anton Freher von Vesterholt Geissenberg Kerr Köln Witzker und Haasisch Munster Ricker Kai-Henroth this much Petitelman according to Neve Spotsiers Berlin Mus Zeitung played the bassoon himself and maintained a fair band among his servants particularly players of wind instruments he had two sons one of whom was a master of the flute and two daughters the older daughter the younger was still a child Maria Anna Bill Helma was born on July 24, 1774 married Baron Friedrich Clemens von Elver felt called von Beverferde varies on April 24, 1792 and died on November 3, 1852 she was an excellent pianist and Munster Neve heard the fiery Madame von Elverfeld play a difficult sonata by a sardine not sardine with a rapidity and accuracy that were marvelous it is not surprising that Beethoven's talent should have met with recognition and appreciation in this musical family he became the young woman's teacher and as the chief equary count that's to hold had to accompany the elector on his business to Munster where moover he owned a house there is a tradition in the family that young Beethoven went with them before the young lady's marriage in 1790 she was with whom Beethoven was now in love he had the disease violently nor did he let concealment like a worm in the bud feed upon his cheek 40 years after Bernard Romburg had anecdotes to relate of this bear to love the strong doubt that any such feeling for Eleanor von Brunning was ever cherished by Beethoven has already been expressed the letters to her from Vienna printed by Begler and other correspondents still in manuscript confirm this doubt by their general tone but that a really warm friendship existed between them and continued down to the close of his life with a single interruption just before he left von of the cause of which nothing is known so much is certain among the few souvenirs of youthful friendship which he preserved was the following compliment to him on his 20th birthday surrounded by a wreath of flowers at Fassmere another was a silhouette a foul line von Brunning referring to Beethoven's allusion to this in a letter to Begler 1825 the letter says in two evenings the silhouettes of all the members of the von Brunning family and more intimate friends of the house were made by the painter Nissen von in this way I came into the possession of that Beethoven which is here printed Beethoven was probably in his 16th year at the time far more probably in his 19th the reader will say to the point of Beethoven's susceptibility to the tender passion let Begler again be cited the truth as I learned to know it and also my brother lost the von von Brunning Ferdinand Ries and Bernard Romberg is that there was never a time when Beethoven was not in love and that in the highest degree these passions for the misses down right than best a whole fell in his transition period from youth to manhood and left impressions as little deep as were those made upon the beauties who had caused them in Vienna at all events so long as I lived there Beethoven was always in love and occasionally made a conquest which would have been very difficult if not impossible for many and Adanas a review of some of the last pages shows that for the most part after 1789 the life of Beethoven was a busy one but that the frequent absences of the elective as recorded in the newspapers of the day left many a period of considerable duration during which except for the meetings of the orchestra for rehearsal and study he had full command of his time thus he had plenty of leisure hours and weeks to devote to composition to instruction in music for social intercourse for visits to Copren and other neighboring places for the indulgence of his strong propensity to ramble in the fields and among the mountains for the cultivation in that beautiful Rhine region of his warm passion for nature the new relations to his father and brothers as a virtual head of the family were such as to relieve his mind from anxiety in their account his position in society too become one of which he might just to be proud owing as it was to know had been teacher's circumstances but simply to his genius and high personal character of illness in those years we hear nothing except regular's remark notice in 11 when the famous organist Abe Vogler played in Bond 1790 or 1791 I sat beside Beethoven's sick bed a mere passing attack for Begler would have vouch safe did a more extended notice in his subsequent remarks upon his friend's health thus these were evidently happy years in spite of certain characteristic and gloomy expressions of Beethoven in letters hereafter to be given and years of active intellectual artistic and moral development the suggestion of Haydn as teacher the probability that in July of 1792 it had been proposed to Haydn to take Beethoven as a pupil has been mentioned but it is pretty certain that the suggestion did not come from the elector who there's little doubt was in Frankfurt at the coronation of his nephew Emperor Franz July 14th at the time of Haydn's visit the enophatic Volckerogen is unable to determine precisely when the composer left London or reached Vienna but it is known he was in the former city after July 1st and in the letter before August 4th whatever arrangements may have been made between the pupil and master they were subject to the will of the elector and here of Allstein may well have exerted himself to his protege's advantage at all events the result was favorable and the journey determined upon perhaps that Haydn found Max Megen in Bonn he might have taken the young man with him as it was some months elapsed before his people could follow some little space must be devoted to the question when's the pecuniary resources for so expensive a journey to and sojourn in Vienna were derived the good-hearted did not forget to record the event in very flattering terms when he wrote next year in spaziers Berliner music Zeitung in November of last year Ludwig von Beethoven assistant court organist and unquestionably now one of the foremost pianoforte players went to Vienna at the expense of our elector to Haydn in order to perfect himself under his direction more fully in the art of composition in a note he adds in as much as this LVB according to several reports is said to be making great progress in art and owes a part of his education of hair and neath and bond to whom he has expressed his gratitude in writing it may be well here ends modest and proposing no objection to a pen a few words here since moreover they were down to the credit of hair B I thank you for your counsel very often giving me in the course of my progress in my divine art if ever I become a great man yours will be some of the credit this will give you the greater pleasure since you can remain convinced etc the limit of Maximilian's favor at the expense of our elector so says me so too Vish and Nick says of Beethoven whom the elector has sent to Haydn in Vienna Maximilian then had determined to show favor to the young musician this idea is confirmed by Beethoven's noting in the small man random book previously referred to the reception soon after reaching Vienna of 25 decades and his disappointment that the sum had not been a hundred a receipt for a salary $25 for the last quarter of this year still on the Dusseldorf archives is dated October 22 and seems at first sight to proven advance per favor the many others in the same collection show that payments were usually made about the beginning of the second month of each quarter there's also a paper in the Dusseldorf collection undated but clearly only a year or two after Beethoven's departure by which important changes are made in the salaries of the elector's musicians in this list Beethoven does not appear among those paid from the Landren Neisterai that is the revenues of the state but is to receive from the Chatouille privy purse 600 florins a sum equivalent to the hundred decades which he had expected in vain it is true these changes were never carried out but the paper shows the elector's intentions with such backs before us how was Beethoven to be relieved of the odium of ingratitude to his benefactor by the circumstance that for anything that appears the good intentions of the elector accepting in an increase of salary hereafter to be noted and the transmission of 25 duccas were never carried out and the young musician after receiving his quarterly payment two or three times was left entirely dependent upon his own resources Maximilian's justification lies in the sea of troubles by which he was so soon to be overwhelmed that the hundred duccas were not advanced to Beethoven before leaving Bonne as easily accounted for in October 1792 the French revolutionary armies were approaching the Rhine on the 22nd they entered Mayance on the 24th and 25th the archives and funds of the court at Bonne were packed up and conveyed down the Rhine on the 31st the elector accompanied by the prince of new veed reached cleave on his first flight from his capital it was a time of terror all the principal towns of the Rhine region Trevis Koblenz etc even Cologne were deserted by the higher classes of the inhabitants perhaps it was owing to this that Beethoven obtained permission to leave Bonne for Vienna just then instead of waiting until the approaching theatrical a musical season had passed but with the treasury removed to Düsseldorf he had to contend himself with just sufficient funds to pay his way to Vienna and the promise of more to be forwarded thither Beethoven's departure from Bonne called forth lively interest on the part of his friends the plan did not contemplate a long sojourn in the Austrian capital it was his purpose after completing his studies there to return to Bonne and then to go forth on artistic tours this is proved by an autograph album dating from his last days in Bonne which some of his intimate friends obviously those with whom he was want to associate if the Zerrgarten sent with him on his way now preserved in the imperial library of Vienna the majority of the names are familiar to us but many which one might have expected to find notably those of the musicians of Bonne are missing Eleanor Bonne Brunning's contribution was a quotation for harder Frun Schauff mit dem Guten waset be der aben schatten bis des leben sonne saint Bonne den one november 1792 Ira Wara Fronden Eleanor Brunning most interesting of all the inscription in the album however is that of Count Ballstein which was first published by Schindler by him on page 18 from a copy procured for him by Alois Fuchs it proves how great were the writer's hopes how strong his faith in Beethoven Dear Beethoven you're going to Vienna in fulfillment of your long frustrated wishes the genius of most start is morning and weeping over the death of her pupil she found a refuge but no occupation with the inexhaustible Haydn through him she wishes to form a union with another with the help of a seduous labor you shall receive Mozart's spirit from Haydn's hands your true friend Ballstein Bonne October 29 1792 the journey to Vienna the dates in the album proved that Beethoven was still in Bonne on November 1 1792 and indicate that it was the last day of his sojourn there in Duton's journal of travels as translated and augmented by John Highmore gentlemen London 1782 a by-deckers or Murray's handbook of that time the post route from Bonne to Frankfurt on the mine is laid down as passing along the Rhine via Adenach to Koblenz and then crossing the river at Aaron Byte Stein via Montabauer Lindberg Burgess and Conan Stein corresponding to the route advertised in the intelligents gen slot a few years later time 24 hours 43 minutes this was the route taken by Beethoven and some unknown companions starting from Bonne at 6 a.m. they would according to Duton's and Highmore dying at Koblenz about 3 p.m. and be in Frankfurt about 7 next morning the first three pages of the memorandum book above cited contain a record of the expenses of this journey as far as Burgess one of the items is this drink gelt pour boire at Koblenz because the fellow drove like the devil right through the Hessian army at the risk of a cuddling one small taller this army march from Koblenz on November 5 but on the same day in French Corps having advanced from Mainz beyond Limburg took possession of Wielburg the travelers could not therefore have journeyed through Limburg later than the night of the third we conclude then that it was between November 1st and 3rd that Beethoven that farewell to Bonne and that Eric Breitstein saw Father Rhine for the last time the temptation is too strong to be resisted to adhere the contents of the three pages of the memorandum book devoted to this journey and the reasonings fancies if the reader prefers the term drawn from them the poem which is founded the assertion that Beethoven had a traveling companion this is probable in itself and is confirmed by first two handwriting second the price paid for post horses thus the first entry is for a station and a quarter at 50 Stuber the regular price being one florn or 40 Stuber per horse for a single passenger there were therefore two horses and ten Stuber extra proposed for the second passenger third the word asked in the record of the drink gelt at Koblenz fourth the account sees that Bergus but they would naturally have been continued to Vienna had they been noted down by Beethoven for motives of economy fifth the payment of two forms for dinner and supper is certainly more than a young man not overburdened with money within those days have spent at the post house we may suppose then that the companions have reached the end of their journey in common and sit down to computing to buy the expenses Beethoven hands his blank book to his friend who writes thus page one from bottom to remarking one and a fourth stat at 50 Stuber's three Florence from remarkings to utter knock one and a half Stevens three point 45 tip 45 toes 45 from hand to knock to Koblenz one stoop three tips to have a knock 50 to Koblenz toes to have a knock 42 toes to Koblenz these last three items are not carried out and Beethoven now takes the book and has the items of the toes to have a knock bus sin zig seven Stuber Ron Nicker five Stuber price zig 10 Stuber nor a four and a half Stuber these 26 Stuber changed into Kruzer's make up the 42 in the column above on the next page he continues page 2 Koblenz toes 30 Kruzer's Rothen Haman red cogs 24 Kruzer's Koblenz to Mountain Bauer two Rice Stoller and one half dockets toes to Koblenz 48 Kruzer's tip because the fellow drove like the devil right through the Heshn army at the risk of a cuddling one small taller eight dinner two Florence post from Mount Abour to Limburg three Florence 57 Kruzer's 10 Kruzer's Road Money 15 Kruzer's page 3 supper in Limburg two Florence 12 Watson tips 14 Kruzer's Greece Money 14 Kruzer's tip for poster in one Florence the other hand now writes the same money for meals and tips besides 12 Kruzer's Road Money to Virgus the entries of the second and third pages are now changed into foreign currency and brought together making 22 Florence and 14 Kruzer's at the expenses on the first page to this seminar we have a total of about 35 Florence from Bond to Virgus for two young men traveling day and night and no doubt as economically as was possible the new entries are by Beethoven's hand in Vienna and we are left to imagine his arrival in Frankfurt and his departure then via Nuremberg Regensburg Passau and Lenz in the public post coast for Vienna proof will be found hereafter that he was in that city on or before November 10th and that's general volume one page 19 therefore confounds this journey with that of 1787 and is all along when he says they travel very slowly in the money which they had taken along was exhausted before they had traversed half the journey end of chapter nine section 12 of the life of Ludwig von Beethoven volume one by Alexander Wheelock Fayer translated by Henry Edward Grebiel this LibriVox recording is in the public domain chapter 10 Beethoven's creative activity and bond an inquiry into the genesis of many compositions the cantatas on the death of Joseph the second and the elevation of Leopold the second songs the Ritter Ballet the octet and other chamber pieces but for the outbreak of the French revolution bond seems to have been destined to become a brilliant center of learning and art owing to the elector's taste and love for music that art became what under the influence of Goethe poetry and drama were in Weimar the artistic expression and embodiment of the intellectual character of the time in this art among musicians and composers Beethoven in doubt with a genius whose originality has rarely if ever been surpassed lived moved and had his being his official superiors Ducisi Raika Nief were indefatigable in their labors for the church the stage and the concert room his companions Andreas Perner and Tan Raika the Rombergs were prolific in all the forms of composition from the set of variations to even the opera and oratorios and in the performance of their productions as organist pianist and viola player he of course assisted the trophies of mil teodies allowed no rest to the mysticlies did the applause bestowed upon the scenes duos trios quartets symphonies operas of his friends awakened no spirit of emulation in him was he contented to be the mere performer leaving composition to others and yet what a beggarly account is the list of compositions known to belong to this period of his life calling to mind the activity of others particularly Mozart developed in their boyhood and reflecting on the incentives which were offered to Beethoven and Bonn when may well marvel at the small number and the small significance of the compositions which preceded the trios opus one with which at the age of 24 years he first presented himself to the world as a finished artist but a change has come over the picture in the progress of time not only are the beginnings of many works which he presented to the world at a late day as the right products of his genius to be traced back to the Bonn period fate has also made known to us compositions of his youth which for a long time were lost in whole or in part in which in connection with the three great pianoforte quartets of 1785 not only disclose a steady progress but also discover the self-developed individual artist at a much earlier date than has here before been accepted now that we are again in possession of the cantatas and other fruits of the Bonn period or have learned to know them better as such we are able to free ourselves from the old notion which presented Beethoven as a slowly and tardily developed master cantata on the death of Joseph II the most interesting of Beethoven's compositions in the Bonn period are unquestionably the cantatas on the death of Joseph II and the elevation of Leopold II Beethoven did not bring them either to performance or publication they were dead to the world not a bone called attention to the fact that manuscript copies of their scores were announced in the auction catalog of the library of Barron De Bein in April 1813 it seems probable that Hummel purchased them at that time at any rate after his death they found their way from his estate into the second handbook shop of Liszt and Frank in Leipzig where they were bought in 1884 by Armin Friedmann of Vienna Dr. Edward Hanslich acquainted the world with the rediscovered treasures in a few years long published in the Neur Freie Presse newspaper of Vienna on May 13, 1884 and the funeral cantata was performed for the first time at Vienna in November 1884 and at Bonn on June 29, 1885 both cantatas were then included in the complete works of Beethoven published by Breitkopf and Hartel the cantata on the death of Joseph II composed by L. Bonn Beethoven was written between March and June 1790 the emperor died on February 20 and the news of his death reached Bonn on February 24th the Lezger cell shop at once planned a memorial celebration which took place on March 19 at a meeting held to make preparations for the function on February 28 professor E. Logius Schneider who delivered the memorial address expressed the wish that a musical feature be incorporated in the program and said that a young poet had that day placed a poem in his hands which only needed a setting from one of the excellent musicians who were members of the society or a composer from elsewhere Beethoven's most influential friends at the head of them Count Waldstein were members of the society here therefore we have beyond doubt the story of how Beethoven's composition originated the minutes of the last meeting for preparation held on March 17 state that for various reasons the proposed cantata cannot be performed among the various reasons may have been the excessive difficulty of the parts for the wind instruments which according to Weigler frustrated a projected performance at mergin time though it is also possible that Beethoven who was notoriously a slow worker was unable to complete the music in the short time which was at his disposal the text of the cantata was written by Severin Anton Averdonk son of an employee of the electoral bureau of accounts and brother of the court singer Johanna Helene Averdonk who in her youth was for a space a pupil of Johan von Beethoven Beethoven set the young poets owed for a solo voice chorus and orchestra without trumpets and drums Brahms on playing through the score remarked it is Beethoven through and through even if there were no name on the title page none other than that of Beethoven could be conjectured the same thing may be said of the cantata on the elevation of Leopold II to the imperial dignity composed by L.B. Beethoven Leopold's election as Roman emperor took place on September 30, 1790 his coronation on October 9 when Elector Max Rons was present at Frankfurt this gives us a hint as to the date of the composition whether or not the Elector commissioned it cannot be said Averdonk was again the poet the two cantatas marked the culmination of Beethoven's creative labors in Bonn they show his artistic individuality ripened and a sovereign command of all the elements which Bonn was able to teach him from a technical point of view other works of the Bonn period two errors for bass voice with orchestral accompaniment are to judge by the handwriting also to be ascribed to about 1790 the first is entitled Prü, Pfung, Deis, Kussens The Test of Kissing V, L, V, Beethoven the use of the W instead of the V in the spelling of the name points to an early period for the composition the text of the second there's the title Nitt Maddlin Sick Vettragon and was taken by Beethoven from the original version of Gertrude's Claudine van Bella paper handwriting and the spelling of the name of the composer indicate the same period as the first air the two compositions remained unknown a long time but are now to be had in the supplement to the complete works published by Breitkopf and Hartel to these errors must be added a considerable number of songs as fruits of Beethoven's creative labors in Bonn the first of these it could admit flutter dumb sin was made known by publication in the complete works a sketch found among sketches for the variations on Sir Vuo Bellari led not a bone to set down 1792 as the year of its origin of the songs grouped and published as Opus 52 the second Fewer of Farb belongs to the period of transition from Bonn to Vienna on January 26 1793 fish Nick wrote to Charlotte Bonn-Schiller I am enclosing with this the setting of the Fewer of Farb on which I should like to have your opinion it is by a young man of this place whose musical talents are universally praised on whom the elector is sent to Haydn in Vienna he proposes also to compose Schiller's Früder and indeed Storfi by Storfi ordinarily he does not trouble himself with such tribals as the enclose which he wrote at the request of a lady from this it is fair to conclude that the song was finished before Beethoven's departure from Bonn later he wrote a new postlude which is found among Moe Tivi for the octet and the trio in C minor of the other songs in Opus 52 the origin of several may be set down as falling in the Bonn period that of the first Ureens, Rice, Oom, D, Belt we have already seen whether or not these songs which met with severe criticism in comparison with other greater works of Beethoven were published without Beethoven's knowledge is doubtful probability places the following songs in the period of transition or just before it on Mina sketched on a page with fewer farb and other works written out in the early days of the Vienna period a drinking song to be sung at parting er hebt das glas mit fro her hant to judge by the handwriting an early work presumably circa 1787 Allergy, Alph, Den, Todd, Ines, Boodles the Aklaga to be placed in 1790 in as much as the original manuscript form appears simultaneously with sketches of the funeral cantata there is Einfriermann whose original autograph in the British Museum bears the inscription Ipsi, Fekit Lv, Beethoven and must be placed not later than 1790 while the revised form is probably a product of 1795 and to a third vechler appended a different text Bassistes Maras Zeal published in 1806 Le Pen's Schlied may be a trifle older the autograph of Mann Strept Die Flamme zu Fair Helen in the possession of a Gassel Schacht der Musik Froende which has been placed in the year 1792 bears in Beethoven's hand writing the words poor Madame Beeson Thirm Par-Louis-Bahn Beethoven Madame Beeson Thirm was a writer an actress and from 1789 a member of the company of the Bergtheater in Vienna and it is more than likely that Beethoven did not get acquainted with her till he went to Vienna although she was born on the Rhine Turn me now to the instrumental works which state back to the Bonn period the beginning is made with the work which in a manner first brought Beethoven into close relationship with the stage the Ritter Ballet produced by the nobility on Carnival Sunday March 6791 in which consequently cannot have been composed long before say in 1790 or 1791 the ballet was designed by Count Ballstein in connection with Habich a dancing master from Aix La Chapelle of the contents of the piece we know nothing more than is contained in the report from Bonn printed three chapters back namely that it illustrated the predilection of the ancient Germans for war the chase love and drinking the music being without words can give us no further help it consists of eight short numbers designed to accompany the pantomime one March 2 German song three hunting song four romance five war song six drinking song seven German dance eight coda it was intended that the music should be accepted as Ballsteins and therefore Beethoven never published it it seems as if the last year Beethoven's sojourn in Bonn was especially influential in the development of his artistic character and nobility of the works of 1792 besides trifles there were two of larger dimensions which if we were not better advised would unhesitatingly be placed in the Riper Vienna period the autograph of the octave four wind instruments published after the composer's death and designated at a later date as Opus 103 bears the inscription Parthia NS above this Don's Unconcert due a oboe due a clarinetti due a corny due a pagoti D L V Beethoven from a sketch which precedes suggestions for the song for Farba not a bone concludes that the octave was composed in 1792 or at the latest in 1793 in the latter case it would be a Viennese product it is improbable however that Beethoven found either incentive or occasion soon after reaching Vienna to write a piece of this character and it is significant that in his later years he never returned to a combination of eight instruments but there was an incentive in Bonn in the form of the excellent dinner music of the Elector described by Joplin Junker which was performed by two oboes two clarinets two horns and two bassoons it may be set down as a fruit of 1792 is last year in Bonn for the same combination of instruments Beethoven also composed a Rondino in E flat published in 1829 by Diabelli probably from the posthumous manuscript from the autograph not a bomb argued that it was written in Bonn and what has been said of the origin of the octet applies also to the Rondino the autograph of our little duet in G for two flutes bears the inscription for friend Deggan Hart by Alvi Beethoven August 23rd 1792 midnight we are lifted to a higher plane again by a work which in invention and construction surpasses the compositions already mentioned and still to be mentioned in the present category and discloses the fully developed Beethoven as we know him the trio in E flat for violin viola and violon cello opus 3 its publication was announced by Artaria in february 1797 according to vegler Beethoven was commissioned by Count Apani in 1795 to write a quartet he made two efforts produced first the trio opus 3 and then quintet opus 4 we know better the origin of the latter work now that vegler is also mistaken about the origin of the trio it was a bond product here the proof at the general flight from bond whether the one at the end of october or that of december 15 1793 the elector ordered his jamblin abe clemens dobler to accompany an english lady the honorable mrs bowwater to hamber while there says william gardener in his music and friends three 142 he was declared an immigrant and his property was seized luckily he placed some money in our english government funds and his only alternative was to proceed to england dobler accompanied mrs bowwater to lustre she's having lived much in germany had acquired a fine taste in music and as the abe was a very fine performer on the violin music was essential to fill up this irksome period while mrs bowwater lived in lodgings before moving into old dobby hall my company was sought with that of two of my friends to make up occasionally an instrumental quartet our music consisted of the quartets of hyden baccarini and rand ninski the abe who never traveled without his violin have luckily put in his fiddle case a trio composed by bay toben just before he set off which thus in the year 1793 found his way to lustre this composition so different from anything i'd ever heard awakened in me a new sense a new delight in the science of sounds when i went to town london i inquired for the works of this author but could learn nothing more than that he was considered a madman and that his music was like himself however i had a friend in hamber through whom although the world was raging at the time i occasionally obtained some of these inestimable treasures the trio for strings opus three what trio was this so praised by the enthusiastic englishman on the last page but one of gardeners italy her music arts and people he writes speaking of his return down the rye recently we arrived at bond the birthplace of Beethoven about the year 1786 my friend the abbey dobler chaplain to the elector of cologne first noticed this curly black-headed boy the son of a tenor singer in the cathedral through the abbey i became acquainted with the first production of this wonderful composer how great was my surprise in playing the viola part to his trio in e-flat so unlike anything i'd ever heard it was a new sense to me an intellectual pleasure which i had never received from sounds again in a letter to Beethoven gardener says your trio in e-flat for violin viola and bass to all but the blind this narrative pours a flood of light upon the whole question there come up now for consideration the compositions in which Beethoven's principal instrument the pianoforte is employed they carry us back of space and to the earliest examples we had a related composition for violin it was a part of Beethoven's official duty to play pianoforte before the elector and it may therefore easily be imagined that after his first boyish attempt in 1784 he would continue to compose concertos and parts of concertos for the pianoforte an orchestra and not wait until 1795 when he publicly performed the entirely new concerto in e-flat quite recently the world has learned of a first movement for our pianoforte concerto in D concerning which the first report was made by Guido Adler in 1888 and which was performed in Vienna on April 7, 1889 and then incorporated as edited by Adler in the supplement to the complete works it was discovered in copy, solo and orchestra parts in the possession of Joseph but Zek Nyi the head of an educational institution for the blind and proud and the handwriting is his immediately after its first performance this authenticity was questioned by Dr. Palme Gartner who called attention to its Mozartian characteristics but failed to advance any reason for doubting the testimony of Soferro a musical scholar's Adler the latter had emphasized the resemblances to Mozart's works which indeed are too obvious to escape attention but for a long time after 1785 especially after Beethoven met Mozart personally in Vienna the format was completely in the latter's draw and that his music should occasionally be reminiscent of his model is not at all singular such reminiscences are to be found in the quartets of 1785 and the trio for Piano Forte and wind instruments it is safe to assume that the movement was written as Adler suggests in the period 1788 to 1793 perhaps before rather than after 1790 and that Beethoven attached little value to it and laid it permanently aside a companion piece to this movement is the fragment of a concerto for violin in C major of which the autograph is in the archives of the Gela's Schaft der Musikfrunde in Vienna the handwriting of which indicates that it belongs to the early Vienna if not the Bonn period that it is a first transcription is indicated by the fact that there are many erasures and corrections the fragment contains 259 measures embracing the orchestral introduction the first solo passage the second tutti and the beginning of the free Fantasia for the solo instrument it ends with the introduction of a new transition motif which leads through the conjecture that the movement was finished and that the missing portion has been lost a trio in E flat for Piano Forte violin and violon cello found among Beethoven's posthumous papers was published in 1836 by Dunst in Frankfurt on the main on the original publication its authenticity was certified to by D. Abelli Skerzny and Fernand Ries and it was stated that the original manuscript was in the possession of Schindler Begler verified the handwriting as that of Beethoven Schindler cites Beethoven's utterance that he had written the work at the age of 15 years and described it as one of his highest drivings and the freestyle of composition which was either a misunderstanding of Schindler's or a bit of irony on the part of Beethoven newer the truth at any rate is a remark in Graffers written catalog of Beethoven's works composed on 1791 and originally intended for the three trios opus one but omitted as to week by Beethoven whether or not this observation rests on an authentic source is not stated whether or not the Piano Forte trios opus one were composed in bond may be left without discussion here since we shall be obliged to recur to the subject later the facts about them that have been determined beyond controversy are that they were published in 1795 were not ready in their final shape in 1794 and were already played in the presence of Haydn in 1793 other works composed in bond the variations in E flat for Piano Forte Violin and Velo Gello which were published in 1804 by Hofmeister and Leipzig as opus 44 apparently belonged to the last year of Beethoven's life in bond not to bomb bound to sketch of the work alongside one of the song Fewer Farba which fact points to the year 1792 Beethoven in a letter to the publisher appears not to have laid particular store by it a circumstance easily understood in view of the great works which had followed the youthful effort besides these compositions a trio for Piano Forte flute and bassoon concerning which all the information which we have came from the catalogue of Beethoven's effects sold at auction has recently been published it is number 179 in the catalogue where it is described as a composition of the bond period on the autograph preserved in Berlin the title placed at the end is trio con certante a clave che ballo flauto pagato composto dot ludovico von Beethoven organista the SS illegible word cologne the designation of the composer's organist etc fixes the place of its origin and the handwriting indicates an early date among the papers found in Beethoven's apartments after his death was the manuscript of sonata and b-flat for Piano Forte and flute which bastard the hands of our taria it is not in Beethoven's handwriting and that little evidence of its own authenticity is not convincing it is more than likely that the variations for Piano Forte and violin on Mozart's se vuol belare ought to be assigned to the latter part of the von period they were published in july 1793 with a dedication to Eleonora von Brunning to whom Beethoven sent the composition with a letter dated November to 1793 the dedication leads to the presumption that the work was carried to Vienna in a finished state and there subjected to only the final polish the post-script to that letter to Fraulein von Brunning betrays the reason for the hurried publication Beethoven wanted to checkmate certain Viennese P&S whom he had detected copying peculiarities of his playing in improvisation which he suspected they were published as their own devices besides the pieces already mentioned Beethoven wrote the following works for Piano Forte and von one a Prelude in F Minor according to a remark on a printed copy shown to be authentic Beethoven wrote it when he was 15 years old that is in 1786 or the question of his age not being determined at the time 1787 the Prelude is as a matter of fact a fruit of his studies in the art of imitation and the initiative probably came from Bach's Preludes two two Preludes through the 12 major keys for Piano Forte or Organ published by Hoffmeister in 1803 as Opus 39 obviously exercises written for Nief while he was Beethoven's teacher in composition three variations on the Areata Venni Amore by Regini in D major Venni Amore not Vianni the Areata begins Venni Amore now to Regno Ma Capagno del Timor Regini gave his melody a number of vocal variations Beethoven republished his in Vienna in 1801 through Treg complete work series 17 number 178 composed about 1790 and published in Mannheim in 1791 they were inscribed to Countess Hadsfeld Ne Countess Gerardin who has been praised in this book as an eminent pianist the story of the encounter between Beethoven and Sturkel in which these variations figure has also been told Beethoven had a good opinion of them certainly told Otto Jahn that he had brought them with him to Vienna and used them to introduce himself Piano Forte Variations and a Sonata two books of variations are to be a judge to the Bonn period because of their place of publication and other biographical considerations they are the variations in a major honor theme from Dittersdorf's opera Das Raffa-Copchen S-Bar Ein Maul Ein Altar Mann and the variations for four hands on the theme by Count Waldstein those sets were published by Simrock and Bonn the first of Beethoven's compositions published in his native town they were not published until 1794 but according to a letter to Simrock dated August 2, 1794 the latter had received the first set a considerable time before and Beethoven had held back the corrections while the other was already printed Beethoven's intimate association with Waldstein and Bonn is a familiar story but we hear nothing of it in the early Viennese days the variations on a theme of his own seem likely to have been the product of a wish expressed by the Count that Beethoven seldom wrote for four hands and certainly not without a special reason is an accepted fact another presumably Bonnian product which has come down to us only as a fragment is the Sonata in C major for Piano Forte published in 1830 by Dunst and Frankfurt with a dedication to Eleonora, Bonn, Brunning it is probably the Sonata which Beethoven according to the letter to be given presently had promised to his friend and which was fully sketched at the time there would be no doubt of the fact that the Sonata was written in Bonn if the presumption that the letter was written in Bonn were true but even as it is the fact that the letter says that it had been promised long ago indicates a pre-Viennese origin all that is certain is that Eleonora, Bonn, Brunning received it from Beethoven in 1796 in the copy sent to the publisher 11 measures at the end of the Adagio were lacking these were supplied by Ferdinand Reis in the manner of Beethoven there can scarcely be a doubt that Beethoven finished the Adagio and it can be assumed that he also composed the last movement which has been lost concerning the Rondo and C major published embosslers Blumen Lee's of 1783 we have already spoken it is a striking fact to anyone who has had occasion to examine carefully the chronology of publication of Beethoven's works that up to nearly the close of 1802 whatever appeared under his name was worthy of that name but that then in the period of the second third and fourth symphonies of the Sonatas Opus 47, 53, 57 and of Leot Noir to the wonder of the critics of that time serial advertisements of a constant industry comptoire in Vienna announced the trios Opus 30 and 7 bagatelles Opus 33 in another the grand symphony Opus 36 and the variations on God Save the King on May 15 1805 the Volstein Sonata and the romance Opus 50 and on June 16 the songs Opus 52 which the Allah Manya music Zaitan describes as commonplace poor weak in part ridiculous stuff Reese solves the enigma when he writes notice in 124 that all trifles many things which he never intended to publish because he deemed them unworthy of his name were given to the world through the agency of his brother in this manner the world was made acquainted with songs which he had written long before he went to Vienna from Bonn even little compositions which he had written in the albums were filched and published but even if the widest latitude be given to the judgment in selecting from the publications of these year's works belonging to the Bonn period still what an exceedingly meagre list is the aggregate of Beethoven's compositions from his 12th to the end of his 22nd year Mozart's according to Kirchel reach at that age 293 handle completed his 20th year February 2370 no five on the 25th his second opera Nero was performed and what had he not previously written this apparent lack of productiveness on the part of Beethoven has been noticed by other writers one has disputed the fact in his other opinion that the composer in later years destroyed the manuscripts of his youth to prevent the possibility of injury to his fame by their posthumous publication but this explanation is nonsense as everyone knows who has had an opportunity to examine the autograph collections in Vienna and there to remark with what scrupulous care even his most valueless productions were preserved by their author in all his migrations from house to house and from city to country throughout his Vienna life Beethoven attached absolutely no value to his autographs after they had once been engraved they generally were piled on the floor in his living room or an anti-room among other pieces of music I often brought order into his music but when Beethoven hunted for anything everything was sent flying in disorder at that time I might have carried away the autograph manuscripts of all the pieces which had been printed or had I asked him for them he would unquestionably have given them to me without a thought these words of research are confirmed by the small number of autographs of printed works in the auction catalog of Beethoven's posthumous papers most of them having remained in the hands of the publishers or having been lost destroyed or stolen works taken to Vienna from Bonn another author has endeavored to supply the vacuum by deducing the chronology of Beethoven's works from their form matter or general character as viewed by his eyes referring all which seem to him below the standard of the composer at any particular period to an earlier one and a very comical chronology he makes of it his success certainly has not been such as to induce any attempt of the kind here and yet that he is right in the general fact is the hypothesis which the following remarks are conceived to establish as truth Schindler who is often very positive on the ground that what he does not know cannot be true in introducing his chronological table of Beethoven's works published from 1796 to 1800 remarks it may be asserted with positiveness that none of the works cataloged below were composed before 1794 upon which point the assertion is ventured that Schindler is thoroughly mistaken and that many of the works published by Beethoven during the first dozen years of his Vienna life were taken dither from Bonn they doubtless were more or less altered amended improved corrected but nevertheless belong as composition to those years when Beethoven played piano for taken chariots and underneath accompanied at court in the theater and in concerts while the other young men were trying their strength upon works for the orchestra and stage the performance of which would necessarily give them notoriety the court pianist would naturally confine himself mostly to his own instrument and to chamber music to works whose production before a small circle in the salon of the Elector Countess Hatzfeld and others would excite little if any public notice but here he struck out so new and at that time so strange a path that no small degree of praise is due to the sagacity of Count Wollstein who comprehended his aims felt his greatness and encouraged him to trust you and be guided by his own instincts and genius that Beethoven also tried his powers in a wider field we know from the two cantatas the Ares and Die Schöne Schöster and the Ritter Ballet Carl Hauslinger in Vienna also possessed an orchestra introduction to the second actor an unnamed opera may as well be referred to the Bonn period as to any other and it is not by any means a wild suggestion that he had tried his strength and other conspiracies for piano forte and full orchestra than that of 1784 as to the compositions four to six or eight wind instruments there was little if any danger of mistake in supposing them to have been written for the Elector's harmony music but this is wandering from the point to establish which the following remarks are in all humility submitted creative industry and Bonn one if a list be drawn up of Beethoven's compositions published between 7095 and December 1802 with the addition of other works known to have been composed in those years the result will be nearly as follows omitting single songs and other minor pieces symphonies to ballet Prometheus 1 Sonata solo in duo 32 romances violin and orchestra two serenade one duos clarinet and bassoon three sets of variations 15 sets of dances five opera fida and adelaide two piano forte concertos three trios piano forte and other instruments nine quartets six quintets three septet one piano forte rondos three marches four four hands three oratorio christus one an aggregate of 92 compositions in eight years or 96 months and most of them such compositions that Beethoven was a remarkable man all the world knows but that he could produce at this rate study operatic composition with salieri sustain ne increase his reputation as a piano forte virtuoso journey to prog berlin and other places correct proof sheets for his publishers give lessons and yet find time to write long letters to friends to sleep to eat drink and be merry with companions of his own age this is to say the least a morsel difficult of digestion the morsel from the fact that at the very time when he began to devote himself more exclusively to composition such marvelous fertility suddenly ceased the inference is obvious to when nief and 7098 calls Beethoven beyond controversy one of the foremost piano forte players it excites no surprise 10 years before he had played the most of Bach's well-tempered clavichord and had now long held the offices of second court organist and concerto player but what sufficient reason could valstine have had for his faith that this pianist by study and perseverance would yet be able to seize and hold the scepter of Mozart and upon what grounds too could fish Nick on January 26, 7093 right as he did to Charlotte von Schiller von von C. Ante and Ed I expect something perfect from him for so far as I know him he is wholly devoted to the great and sublime Haydn has written here that he would soon put him at grand operas and soon be obliged to quit composing note the date of this January 26, 7093 Haydn must have written some time before this when Beethoven could not have been with him more than six or eight weeks did the master bound his remark upon what he had seen in his pupil upon the composition which his people had placed before him Begler has printed an undated and incomplete letter of Beethoven to Eleanor von Bruning certainly however not later than the spring of 7094 which was accompanied by a set of variations and a rondo for piano forte and violin do the following passages in this letter indicate anything I have a great deal to do or I would before this have transcribed the sonata which I promised you long ago it is a mere sketch in my manuscript and it would be a difficult task even for the clever and practice periquen to copy it you can have the rondo copied and return the score to me it is the only one of my things which is in a manner suitable to you may these words not be paraphrased thus as to the sonata which I played at your house and of which I promised you a copy it is in my manuscript hardly more than a sketch so that I could not trust it to a copyist not even to periquen and I have not had leisure to transcribe it myself and finally the closing lines of a short article in the your bu der ton kust fu be in und prog 1776 which notice was not written later than the spring of 7095 nine or ten months before the publication of the sonatas opus two are pregnantly suggested we have a number of beautiful sonatas by him amongst which the last ones particularly distinguished themselves these works were therefore well known in manuscript even at the time when he was busy with his studies under Haydn and Albrecht's burger three if in spite of the above it still be objected that the opera one to 15 or 20 as you please are of a character beyond the powers of Beethoven during his bond life who knows this to be a fact has such an objection any other basis than a mere prejudice evidence is of early activity a fanciful theory has exhibited Beethoven to us as a rude and developed genius who being transferred to Vienna and school two years by Haydn and Albrecht's burger then began with the trios opus one brought his way upward in eight years through the 23 compositions of opera two to 14 in a geometrical progression to the first pianoforte concertos the ballet prometheus and the symphony and see it is however known that in March 70 95 Beethoven played his pianoforte concerto and be flat in Vienna shortly afterward published the trios opus one and then 70 96 composed the two sonatas for pianoforte and be alone cello in Berlin a young man who at the age of 24 or 25 could give the public to such concertos could hardly have been such a rough diamond only three or four years before for however convincing the preceding propositions seemed to the ordinary reader the critical student of musical history justly demands something more it is not enough for him to know that opus 19 was composed before the publication of opus one that opus two is in part made up from the pianoforte quartets of 1785 that the quintet opus four is an arrangement of the parthia in E flat for wind instruments afterwards published as opus 103 it is now proved to belong to the bond period and that a whole movement of the funeral cantata found its way into Fadilio the argument is to him like an arch without its keystone until one or more of the important works be named specifically as bond compositions and proved to be such end of section 12