Beethoven's Letters 1790-1826 Volume I Part 22

I unluckily only got your letter yesterday. A thousand thanks for your remembrance of me. Pray express my grat.i.tude also to your charming Princess Christiane [wife of Prince Carl Lichnowsky]. I had a delightful walk yesterday with a friend in the Bruhl, and in the course of our friendly chat you were particularly mentioned, and lo! and behold! on my return I found your kind letter. I see you are resolved to continue to load me with benefits.

As I am unwilling you should suppose that a step I have already taken is prompted by your recent favors, or by any motive of the sort, I must tell you that a sonata of mine [Op. 90] is about to appear, _dedicated to you_.

I wished to give you a surprise, as this dedication has been long designed for you, but your letter of yesterday induces me to name the fact. I required no new motive thus publicly to testify my sense of your friends.h.i.+p and kindness. But as for anything approaching to a gift in return, you would only distress me, by thus totally misinterpreting my intentions, and I should at once decidedly refuse such a thing.

I beg to kiss the hand of the Princess for her kind message and all her goodness to me. _Never have I forgotten what I owe to you all_, though an unfortunate combination of circ.u.mstances prevented my testifying this as I could have wished.

From what you tell me about Lord Castlereagh, I think the matter in the best possible train. If I were to give an opinion on the subject, I should say that Lord Castlereagh ought to hear the work given here before writing to Wellington. I shall soon be in Vienna, when we can consult together about a grand concert. Nothing is to be effected at Court; I made the application, but--but--

[Music: Treble clef, C major, 4/4 time, Adagio.

al-lein al-lein al-lein]

_Silentium!!!_

Farewell, my esteemed friend; pray continue to esteem me worthy of your friends.h.i.+p. Yours,

BEETHOVEN.

A thousand compliments to the ill.u.s.trious Princess.

[Footnote 1: The date reversed, as written by Beethoven, is here given.]

132.

TO THE ARCHDUKE RUDOLPH.

1814.

I perceive that Y.R.H. wishes to try the effect of my music even upon horses.[1] We shall see whether its influence will cause the riders to throw some clever summersets. Ha! ha! I can't help laughing at Y.R.H.

thinking of me on such an occasion; for which I shall remain so long as I live, &c., &c., &c. The horse-music that Y.R.H. desires shall set off to you full gallop.

[K.]

[Footnote 1: A tournament was held on the 23d November, 1814, in the Royal Riding School. Beethoven was probably requested by the Archduke to compose some music for it, which, however, has not been traced.]

133.

TO THE ARCHDUKE RUDOLPH.

1814.

It is impossible for me to-day to wait on you, much as I wish it. I am dispatching the work on Wellington's victory[1] to London. Such matters have their appointed and fixed time, which cannot be delayed without final loss. To-morrow I hope to be able to call on Y.R.H.

[K.]

[Footnote 1: The Cantata _Der glorreiche Augenblick_, the poetry by Dr.

Alois Weissenbach, set to music by Beethoven for chorus and orchestra (Op.

136), was first given in Vienna on the 29th November, 1814, and repeated on the 2d December.]

134.

TO THE ARCHDUKE RUDOLPH.

(In a different hand) Dec. 1814.

I really feel that I can never deserve your goodness towards me. I beg to offer my most respectful thanks for Y.R.H.'s gracious intervention in my affairs at Prague. I will punctually attend to the score of the Cantata.[1]

I trust Y.R.H. will forgive my not having yet been to see you. After the concert for the poor, comes one in the theatre, equally for the benefit of the _impresario in angustia_, for they have felt some just shame, and have let me off with one third and one half of the usual charges. I have now some fresh work on hand, and then there is a new opera to be begun,[2] the subject of which I am about to decide on. Moreover, I am again far from well, but a few days hence I will wait on Y.R.H. If I could be of any service to Y.R.H., the most eager and anxious wish of my life would be fulfilled.

[K.]

[Footnote 1: What concert Beethoven alludes to I cannot discover, but no mention of it being made in the very exact _Allgemeine Leipziger Musikalische Zeitung_, it appears not to have taken place.]

[Footnote 2: The new opera, with the subject of which Beethoven was occupied, was no doubt Treitschke's _Romulus_.]

135.

TO THE ARCHDUKE RUDOLPH.

1814.

My warmest thanks for your present.[1] I only regret that you could not partic.i.p.ate in the music. I have now the honor to send you the score of the Cantata [see No. 134]. Y.R.H. can keep it for some days, and afterwards I shall take care that it is copied for you as soon as possible.

I feel still quite exhausted from fatigue and worry, pleasure and delight!--all combined! I shall have the honor of waiting on you in the course of a few days. I hope to hear favorable accounts of Y.R.H.'s health.

How gladly would I sacrifice many nights, were it in my power to restore you entirely!

[K.]

[Footnote 1: The present he refers to was probably for the concert of November 29th, or December 2d, 1814.]

136.

TO THE ARCHDUKE RUDOLPH.

1814.[1]

I see with real pleasure that I may dismiss all fears for your well-being.

As for myself, I hope (always feeling happy when able to give you any pleasure) that my health is also rapidly recruiting, when I intend forthwith to compensate both you and myself for the _pauses_ that have occurred. As for Prince Lobkowitz, his _pauses_ with me still continue, and I fear he will never again come in at the right place; and in Prague (good heavens! with regard to Prince Kinsky's affair) they scarcely as yet know what a figured ba.s.s is, for they sing in slow, long-drawn choral notes; some of these sustained through sixteen bars |======|. As all these discords seem likely to be very slowly resolved, it is best to bring forward only those which we can ourselves resolve, and to give up the rest to inevitable fate. Allow me once more to express my delight at the recovery of Y.R.H.

[K.]

[Footnote 1: 1814 or 1815. Prince Lobkowitz was still alive at that time (died December 21st, 1816).]

137.