The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume III

by Alexander Wheelock Thayer

Schindler: Lichnowsky says that a smaller orchestra is more effective at the Theater-an-der-Wien than a large one in the Ridotto Room. You need not take all at the Theater-an-der-Wien—none at all if you do not need them,—that is the arrangement with Palfy.

Lichnowsky: Unnecessary expenses must be avoided.

Schindler: You will not have to pay the forces at the Theater-an-der-Wien at all—so that may be deducted. The days of performance if agreeable to you would be the 22nd or 23rd or 24th of this month.

Lichnowsky: You will make money, and more if you give a second concert, when it will not be necessary that all the pieces be new; you will have the same symphony and two other missal movements.

Schindler: The prices of admission will be considerably modified at 2 florins for the parterre, 2 florins for the gallery and 15 florins for the seats.—You ought not to seek difficulties where there are none; if the worst comes to the worst, everything will be settled—The question is not whether there are more difficulties at the theatre or the Ridotto Room—I shall see Schuppanzigh to-day noon; but before then Lichnowsky will go to Palfy tentatively to report your decision.

The conversation continued (probably the next day):

Schindler: Schuppanzigh is greatly pleased that you have come to an understanding with Palfy. He will make use of the entire orchestra of the theatre. He is coming to the Ridotto Room to-day, as he hopes to find you there. The choruses at the theatre are also good; Schuppanzigh says that the women’s choir of the society is not of the best because they are all young girls; which is true.—The Baron took the tempo just once again as fast, therefore your advice was highly important; not until the second time did it go well.—Besides, the women’s choir is thoroughly bad. Falstaff was also convinced and is now glad that nothing but the men’s choir will be needed. The solo voices are much too weak for the room and too—young.—The soprano singer is sixteen years old at the most. Palfy is sending you word that he will send you his offer, which you know, and the promise which he made, to-morrow in writing.—You are choosing the lesser of two evils.—Twenty to twenty-four for each part in the chorus are already on hand.—Of the twelve violins for each part we to-day selected the six best, who are to be arranged in rank and file.—The only wish that Palfy has, as he admitted to Lichnowsky to-day, is that Klement be handled as gently as possible so that his feelings may not be hurt. For this reason we all request you to write a billet to Klement and tell the truth as it is. But as there is no question but that he will come to the second concert, I suggest that the direction be then given to him.—Schuppanzigh is agreed to this. And as Piringer of the Theater-an-der-Wien pretends that as a high R. I. official he cannot take part, Klement might take first place among the second violins at the first concert and Schuppanzigh at the second.—Palfy does not at all want that you shall take Klement, but only that you shall take the trouble to write him a billet and tell him about the matter. He will certainly be agreeable.—He [Schuppanzigh] has become much quieter and more commode since he was in Russia—his paunch is already beginning to embarrass him. Böhm will play first violin, Piringer will not play at the An-der-Wien, which is all one to Schuppanzigh.

Composition of the Performing Force

But matters were not so easily arranged with Clement as Schindler had imagined. He did not want to be deprived of the honor of playing at the concert, the orchestra of the Theater-an-der-Wien sided with him and declared that it would not play under Schuppanzigh. Schindler appealed to Count Palfy, who knew that though you can lead a horse to water you cannot make him drink. He said that he could command the men to play under Schuppanzigh, but he did not want to be answerable for the mischief which would result. Schindler advised Beethoven that if Palfy stood by Clement the contract for the Kärnthnerthor Theatre be closed with Duport. Up to late in April it was as good as settled that the concert would be given at the Theater-an-der-Wien, though Beethoven’s fatal indecision left the point uncertain. With negotiations pending with both theatres the Ridotto Room came up for consideration, and finally (it would seem as a consequence of advice by the Steiner firm), also a fourth locale. This was the Landständischer Saal, a small room in which the Concerts Spirituels took place. Lichnowsky, when he heard that Beethoven was considering such a step, hurried to him with representations that if the hall were taken there would be trouble with Palfy and he himself humiliated and embarrassed, since he had come to an agreement with the manager in his name. He as well as Schindler was sorely tried by the new turn of affairs and represented to Beethoven that the room was too small, holding only 500 persons, and that the court would not go there. But Nephew Karl favored the hall because its choice would avoid the difficulties (Sauerei) incident to the selection of either of the theatres. Lichnowsky and Schindler did not seek to hide their displeasure from Beethoven because of his willingness to take the advice of others (meaning, no doubt, Brother Johann, Nephew Karl and Steiner), in preference to theirs, but at length circumstances compelled him to abandon all other plans and agree to take the Kärnthnerthor Theatre. He considered the noon hour as the time for the concert, but Johann told him that an evening concert was worth 1500 florins more than one given in the daytime; he clung to the Landständischer Saal, but Schindler told him that on the day which had been fixed upon there was to be a concert at the Ridotto Room in which Sontag, Unger and the Italian singers would take part. “The girls” would therefore be unavailable for his concert and the court would, of course, go to the fashionable place and affair. As late as April 21, it was publicly announced that the concert would be given in the Theater-an-der-Wien, but at length Beethoven made up his mind, and Schindler was empowered to close with Duport for the Kärnthnerthor Theatre. Palfy yielded to the composer’s wishes, but regretfully, saying that he would rather lose 1000 florins than the honor of having the concert in his house. It would seem as if it was the cabal in the orchestra against Schuppanzigh which ended Beethoven’s irresolution. Beethoven now decided to take the Court theatre for 400 florins, chorus and orchestra being included as well as the lighting, with the privilege of a repetition on the same terms in seven or eight days. In the letter which Beethoven sent to Duport, were named Sontag, Unger and Preisinger (bass) as solo singers, Umlauf and Schuppanzigh as leaders, the orchestra and chorus were to be augmented from the amateur forces of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. There were to be 24 violins, 10 violas, 12 contrabasses and violoncellos, and the number of wind-instruments was to be doubled, for which reason room would have to be provided for the orchestra on the stage. Duport was requested to fix the date not later than May 3rd or 4th and was informed that the reason why the agreement with Count Palfy had been cancelled was that the Theater-an-der-Wien was lacking in capable solo singers and that Palfy wanted Clement to lead the orchestra, whereas Beethoven had long before selected Schuppanzigh for the post. With a change of date to May 7 this arrangement was formally confirmed.

But many details remained to be settled, the most vexatious to Beethoven being the prices of admission. Beethoven wanted an advance on the regular tariff. Duport appealed to the Minister of Police, but permission to raise the prices was refused. In the selection of solo singers Therese Grünbaum had been considered, but she was eventually set aside in favor of Henrietta Sontag, for whom Beethoven had a personal admiration (he could not know much, if anything, about her voice and art). She and Unger, who had a sincere love for Beethoven’s music, were the composer’s “pretty witches” and had been invited by him to dinner. Jäger had been suggested for the tenor part, but Anton Haitzinger was chosen because, in a spirit of professional courtesy, Jäger refused to take a part away from a Kärnthnerthor singer. Forti and Preisinger were rival candidates for the solo bass parts. The latter was considered the more musical of the two and better fitted for Beethoven’s music, and was therefore selected. He took part in the rehearsals, and for him Beethoven made a change in the music of the recitative in the Symphony (Schindler gives it in his biography); but at the last the tessitura of the part was found to be too high for him and Preisinger had to withdraw. It was impossible under the circumstances now to appeal to Forti, and the part was entrusted to Seipelt of the company at the Theater-an-der-Wien.