Braunhofer, Anton (1773–1846). Professor of natural history at the University of Vienna, he was also one of Beethoven’s physicians during the years 1820–1826, and particularly during the illness of spring 1825. Beethoven wrote two canons for him, the most significant of which is WoO 189. In April 1825, having been forced to renounce his customary planned journey to London — for which he had received a new invitation from the Philharmonic Society in January — Beethoven wrote a heartfelt short letter [A.1359] to Dr. Braunhofer, begging him to come and visit him. The doctor’s advice was to follow a diet, abstain from alcohol, avoid spices and coffee, and above all to go to the countryside. Beethoven left for Baden on 7 May and remained there the entire summer.

In a letter of 13 May [A.1371], Beethoven reported his persistently poor state of health to Braunhofer in an almost humorous tone. At the end of the letter he wrote the canon Doktor sperrt das Tor dem Tod WoO 189 (“The doctor bars the gate to death”), which concludes with one of Beethoven’s usual word‑plays, based on Note (musical note) and Not (need): “Note hilft auch aus der Not” (“Music also helps in need”). The letter ends with the date: “Written on 11 May 1825 in Baden, in the Helenental, at the second Anton Bridge toward Sicchenfeld.”

To the doctor Beethoven also dedicated the song Abendlied unterm gestirnten Himmel WoO 150 (“Evening Song beneath the Starry Sky”), written in 1820, and the canon Ich war hier, Doktor WoO 190 (“I was here, doctor”).

Brentano, Antonie Josepha, née Birkenstock (1780–1869). Born in Vienna, she was the daughter of Court Councillor Johann Melchior Birkenstock (1738–1809), a great lover of art and music, a famous collector who had transformed his palace into a veritable museum. In 1798 she married Franz Brentano, Bettina’s half‑brother, and moved with him, a merchant, to Frankfurt.

Returning to Vienna in 1809 upon her father’s death, she remained there until 1812, chiefly to sell the family art collection. During this period she became an intimate friend of Beethoven, whom she had met in 1810 during a visit of her sister‑in‑law Bettina Brentano to the composer; her admiration for him soon turned into love. It is to her that the famous letter “To the Immortal Beloved” was probably addressed. Many facts seem to support this: in particular the simultaneous presence of Beethoven and the Brentanos in Prague in July 1812, the Brentano family’s summer stay in Karlsbad — where Beethoven also travelled after being in Teplitz.

Afterwards the Brentanos returned to Frankfurt, but remained in affectionate correspondence with Beethoven. Franz Brentano was also a generous supporter, advancing Beethoven considerable sums of money without interest. The Brentanos had six children. For the ten‑year‑old Maximiliane, Beethoven wrote a small piano trio (WoO 39), dated 26 June 1812 — only ten days before the “Immortal Beloved” letter. And, it may be added, malicious tongues insinuated that the Brentanos’ last child, Karl, born in 1813, was Beethoven’s son. In 1823 Beethoven dedicated the Diabelli Variations to Antonie.

Brentano, Clemens (1778–1842). Brother of Bettina and half‑brother of Franz, he was one of the most representative poets of German Romanticism. Between 1806 and 1808 he worked, together with his brother‑in‑law Achim von Arnim, on the ancient German songs collected in Des Knaben Wunderhorn.

At the beginning of 1811 he sent Beethoven, through his sister‑in‑law Antonie, the text of a cantata he had written for the death of Queen Louise of Prussia (1810), hoping Beethoven would set it to music. The two met in Teplitz in 1811. Beethoven, however, abandoned the project entirely.

Brentano, Elisabeth (“Bettine”) (1785–1859). Half‑sister of Franz Brentano, she was a friend of Goethe, to whom she spoke of the impression Beethoven — whom she had met in Vienna in 1810 — had made upon her. Beethoven wrote to her in February 1811 [A.296], hoping she might act as intermediary with the great poet.

Bettina married the poet Achim von Arnim (1781–1831). Romantic and imaginative, she was inclined to invent and describe events that had never occurred, especially concerning important figures of the time, and to romanticize her own life. For example, in 1835 she published a book containing letters she claimed to have received from Goethe — letters she had entirely fabricated. Likewise, at least two of the three letters she claimed to have received from Beethoven are inventions.

Breuning, Gerhard von (1813–1892). Son of Stephan von Breuning, Beethoven’s friend, he visited Beethoven’s home very frequently during the years 1825–1827. He was a source of spiritual comfort to the aging and ill Master, who affectionately nicknamed him “Ariel,” during the final period of his life. In 1872 he wrote a memoir of Beethoven, relating precisely to those years: Aus dem Schwarzspanierhaus (“From the House of the Black Spaniards,” published in Italy with the subtitle Ludwig van Beethoven nei miei ricordi giovanili).

Breuning, Stephan von (1774–1827). Son of Court Councillor Emanuel Joseph von Breuning (1741–1777) of Bonn. In the Breuning household, the young Beethoven was welcomed by the widow, Frau Helene, and treated as a son. A solid lifelong friendship was established between Beethoven and Stephan, as well as with the other Breuning siblings.

Lorenz, the youngest of the Breuning brothers, during a stay in Vienna from 1794 to 1797, was Beethoven’s pupil and frequent companion. Stephan moved permanently to Vienna in 1801, with a position in the Imperial War Council, and after the years of separation during which he had remained in Bonn, he immediately renewed his friendship with Beethoven. After an interruption from 1815 to 1825 — due essentially to trivial reasons — Stephan and Ludwig resumed close relations from 1825 onward.

Breuning was a great supporter of the Master’s works, especially Fidelio: in 1806 he revised Sonnleithner’s original libretto for the second version of the opera. Beethoven dedicated to him, in 1808, the Violin Concerto; to his first wife, Julie, he dedicated the Piano‑and‑Orchestra version of the same concerto. Stephan died only two months after the Master.

Bridgetower, George August Polgreen (1779–1860). A mixed‑race violinist, born in Poland, he settled at a very young age in London, where he was acclaimed as a child prodigy. During a concert tour in Europe in 1803, he was in Vienna, where Prince Lichnowsky introduced him to Beethoven. It was perhaps at Lichnowsky’s suggestion that Beethoven wrote for Bridgetower — or rather, completed in great haste — the Violin Sonata Op. 47, the “Kreutzer,” which was performed for the first time by Bridgetower and Beethoven at a concert in the Augarten on the evening of 24 May 1803.

Broadwood, Thomas. The firm Broadwood & Sons was a famous London piano‑manufacturing house, founded in 1732 by the Swiss Burkhard Tschudi, succeeded in its direction by his son‑in‑law John Broadwood and then by John’s sons: James entered the firm in 1795 and Thomas in 1805. It was Thomas who, in 1817, sent Beethoven a six‑octave grand piano, which arrived in Vienna in 1818, free of transport and customs charges — thanks perhaps to the intervention of the Austrian Minister of Finance, Count Johann Philipp Karl Joseph von Stadion, contacted, as two letters [A.890, 891] suggest, through Lichnowsky. The piano, which stood in the Master’s room at the time of his death, is now preserved in the Budapest Museum.

Browne‑Camus, Johann Georg von (1767–1827). Son of the governor of Estonia and Latvia, he was a field marshal in the Russian imperial service under Catherine II. He was one of the “golden men” of late‑eighteenth‑century Vienna: he possessed enormous estates in Livonia, but eventually squandered all his wealth. He was one of Beethoven’s earliest and most munificent patrons, and Beethoven dedicated many works to him: the String Trios Op. 9, the Piano Sonata Op. 22, the Lieder Op. 48, and the Cello Variations WoO 46. To the Count’s wife, Anna Margarethe, née von Wietinghoff, were dedicated the Piano Sonatas Op. 10, the Piano Variations on a Russian Dance by Wranitzky WoO 71, and the Piano Variations on a Theme by Süssmayr WoO 76.

In his Viennese palace in Seilerstadt No. 1052, musical gatherings were held in which Beethoven certainly participated, and at which some of his works — for example the Trios Op. 9 — were almost certainly first performed. What Beethoven’s exact relations with the Count were, and what benefits he derived from them, we do not know. In the dedication of Op. 9, adulatory and full of false modesty, Beethoven calls him “my first patron.”

It is certain that Beethoven had the Count employ his pupil Ries, who accompanied him on his summer stays in Baden and entertained him by playing. In a letter of 1801 [K.53], Beethoven writes casually to Ries telling him to go to the Count to obtain the 50 ducats needed for some expenses. The Count, as Ries recounts, was devoted to the pleasures of life and for this reason squandered all his wealth. At the Count’s request Beethoven also composed the Four‑Hand Marches Op. 45 [at least the first two], about which a rumour spread in Vienna that they had been illicitly sold to more than one person; Ries, Beethoven’s brothers, and the publisher Breitkopf & Härtel were involved in the dispute. After 1802–1803 we have no further information on relations between Beethoven and the Count, which probably ceased.

Brunsvik, Count Franz von (1777–1849). The Brunsvik family was an aristocratic Hungarian family. The father, Count Anatol, died in 1793, and the family was cared for by his widow Anna (1752–1830). Of the five children — Therese, Franz, Josephine, Charlotte, Julietta — the first three were good musicians. After a visit to Vienna in 1799, during which Therese and Josephine took lessons from Beethoven, they remained closely attached to the Master.

Franz was an excellent cellist; although he lived in Hungary, he remained in correspondence with Beethoven at least until 1814, and received the dedication of the Sonata Op. 57 and the Fantasia Op. 77. Therese, who never married, received the dedication of the Sonata Op. 78. To Josephine, who became Countess Deym, Beethoven dedicated the song An die Hoffnung Op. 32.

In the album of recollections of Therese and Josephine — who played a significant role in Beethoven’s sentimental history — the Master wrote, on 23 May 1799, the song Ich denke dein WoO 74 (“I think of you”), with piano variations for four hands, which he reworked years later. From the various members of the family we have memoirs and letters, which constitute a reliable source of information on Beethoven.

Castelli, Ignaz Franz (1781–1862). Viennese playwright and poet of moderate success. From 1811 to 1814 he was charged, together with Treitschke, with writing librettos for the Imperial Court theatres. Beethoven had planned to compose an opera on one of his librettos. Castelli deserves mention because he published a book of memoirs, Memoiren meines Lebens (“Memories of My Life,” Vienna–Prague 1861), which contains several pieces of information on Beethoven. In one of the Master’s letters [A.423] his name is also written “von Kastelly.”

Castil‑Blaze (pseudonym of François H. J. Blaze, 1784–1857). French music critic and composer. He wrote many volumes on the history of music and on works by various authors. He was among the founders of the journal La France musicale. His greatest merit was having contributed to the dissemination in France of the music of foreign composers.

Clement, Franz (1780–1842). A native of Vienna, violinist, he was a child prodigy who began performing in public at the age of nine. Beethoven met him shortly after arriving in Vienna, and in 1794 wrote him an enthusiastic note praising his playing as “so delightful and splendid” [A.13]. He travelled almost continuously on concert tours, but from 1802 held the post of concertmaster at the Theater an der Wien, a position he again held from 1818 to 1824.

On 23 December 1806 he premiered the Violin Concerto Op. 61, which Beethoven had composed for him. In 1824 he was to have been the concertmaster for the premiere of the Ninth Symphony, but Beethoven insisted that the position be held by Schuppanzigh, with the result that the concert venue was moved from the Theater an der Wien to the Kärntnertor Theater. Despite his success, he died in poverty.

Clementi, Muzio (1752–1832). The famous Italian pianist, pedagogue, composer, publisher, and piano manufacturer had a very friendly relationship with Beethoven beginning in 1807, when, during one of his concert tours, he met him in Vienna. Born in Rome, he had moved at a young age to London, where he entered into partnership in a publishing house with W. F. Collard. He continued to give many concerts, accompanied on tour by his pupil John Field. Once he became friends with Beethoven, Clementi oversaw several London editions of the Master’s works and commissioned new ones, among them the Fantasia Op. 77, the Piano Sonatas Op. 78 and 79, and the piano version of the Violin Concerto Op. 61. Beethoven was certainly a great admirer of Clementi’s piano works, in which many influences may be found, especially in the early piano sonatas.

Collin, Heinrich Joseph von (1772–1811). Official of the Imperial Ministry of Finance, he was an important poet and dramatist whose plays were very frequently performed. On 24 November 1802 his tragedy Coriolan was staged at the Burgtheater, with the role of the protagonist performed by Joseph Lange, Mozart’s brother‑in‑law. Beethoven wrote the Overture Op. 62 — Coriolan, precisely — which was used for a revival of the tragedy on 24 April 1807, though it had previously been performed in private auditions. Beethoven also intended to compose an opera on a libretto by Collin; the exact subject on which they had agreed is unknown, but nothing came of the project. A trace of it remains in Beethoven’s letters [A.163].

Cramer, Johann Baptist (1771–1858). Pianist, pedagogue, composer, and music publisher. He met Beethoven — and became his friend — during his stay in Vienna in 1799–1800. Beethoven was influenced by Cramer’s pianism, echoes of which may be found at times, for example in the finale of the Sonata Op. 26. According to Carl Czerny, Beethoven was prompted to write that movement, almost in the style of a perpetual motion, as found in certain sonatas by Cramer, after Cramer’s stay in Vienna. Cramer’s studies are still used today in piano pedagogy.

Cramolini, Luigi (–1884). A celebrated singer, he left an affectionate account of a visit he paid to Beethoven, together with his fiancée, the singer Nanette Schechtner, during the last months of the Master’s life.

Czerny, Carl (1791–1857). Pianist and composer. Of Slavic origin but born in Vienna, son of Wenzel Czerny, a piano teacher. He took piano lessons from Beethoven in 1801–1803 and became one of the finest pianists of the time. He remained in close contact with Beethoven throughout his life.

In 1812 he premiered, in its first Viennese performance, the Fifth Piano Concerto Op. 73 [which had received its world premiere in Leipzig on 28 November 1811 with Friedrich Schneider as soloist]. He thereafter performed Beethoven’s works regularly, knowing practically all of them by heart. He made many piano reductions of Beethoven’s works and remained deeply attached to him, helping him on numerous occasions.

Author of a vast number of compositions for piano and various ensembles, his piano studies remain in use today. In the fourth volume of his Theoretical and Practical Piano School Op. 500, he transmitted a wealth of information and many instructions for the correct interpretation of Beethoven’s works. In 1842 he wrote a memoir [Erinnerungen aus meinem Leben] containing many other fascinating details about the Master’s life.

Czerny, Joseph (1785–1842). Viennese pianist and composer. He was not related to Carl Czerny, whom he replaced as piano teacher to Beethoven’s nephew. Several of his remarks appear in the Conversation Books. From 1824 he was business partner in the publishing house of Cappi, which in 1826 became Cappi & Czerny.

 Dembscher, Ignaz. Official of the Imperial Court and great lover of music. Karl Holz recounts that Dembscher, who had not paid his subscription for the March 1826 concert of the Schuppanzigh Quartet — in which the Quartet Op. 130 was performed — wished to have the work played at his home and went about saying that it would be easy for him to obtain the manuscript from Beethoven. But the Master refused.

Dembscher asked Holz to smooth things over; Holz told him that the only way was to send the 50 florins of the subscription to Schuppanzigh. Dembscher, laughing, asked: “Muss es sein?” (“Must it be?”). When Holz reported this to Beethoven, the Master immediately wrote the canon WoO 196 “Es muss sein, ja. Heraus mit dem Beutel. Heraus. Es muss sein.” (“It must be, yes. Out with the purse. Out. It must be.”).

The canon became famous because the phrase “Muss es sein? Es muss sein!” appears at the beginning of the last movement of the Quartet Op. 135, the page of the “difficult decision.” Nineteenth‑century criticism wished to see in this small musical enigma a Kantian act of faith by Beethoven in the moral categorical imperative of duty.

Deym, Countess Josephine, née Brunsvik (1779–1821). Beethoven had met Josephine — and taken her as a pupil, together with her sister Therese — during their first visit to Vienna in 1799. In the same year Josephine married Count Joseph Deym (1752–1804). After her husband’s death in January 1804, she continued to live in the Vienna palace and remained in close contact with Beethoven, who, as usual, fell in love with her and hoped to marry her.

In 1949 fourteen letters addressed to her, written between 1804 and 1807, were discovered; in them Beethoven’s infatuation — calling her repeatedly “only beloved” — is evident. We do not know exactly what her feelings were, although from the information available it is certain that she greatly admired Beethoven and, according to her sister Therese, was very free in her sexual conduct.

To Josephine Beethoven offered the song An die Hoffnung Op. 32. From the correspondence it appears that the relationship continued until 1808, when Josephine left Vienna, though she returned in 1810, the year in which she married, for convenience, Count von Stackelberg. The marriage was a failure, and the two separated.

Since Beethoven and Josephine continued to see each other for a long time, some — on the basis of the tone of the letters — have supposed that she was the “Immortal Beloved” of the 1812 letter, and that her last child, Minona [an anagram of Anonim, the Austrian legal term for illegitimate], born in 1813 and conceived when the marriage had already deteriorated, was in fact Beethoven’s daughter. The evidence adduced — including a supposed photographic resemblance — is extremely weak. Since the remains of Minona and Ludwig lie close to each other in Vienna’s Zentralfriedhof, the mystery would be very easy to resolve today.

Diabelli, Antonio (1781–1858). Born near Salzburg, he was a composer, pedagogue, and music publisher. He began working in Vienna in 1803 as a teacher of piano and guitar. He later worked for the firm Steiner, and in 1818 became a music publisher in partnership with Pietro Cappi; in 1814 he founded his own publishing house. HeHe wrote much music, and some of his small pieces are still used today in piano teaching. His name is indissolubly linked with that of Beethoven: the waltz that served as the theme for the Diabelli Variations Op. 120 is his. He was among those who visited Beethoven’s home even during the Master’s final painful weeks of illness.

Eeden, Heinrich Gilles van der (1710–1782). Court organist in Bonn. He was probably, according to Thayer, one of Beethoven’s earliest music teachers.

Erdödy, Countess Anna Marie, née Niczky (1779–1837). She married Count Peter von Erdödy zu Monyor‑Okerek und Monte Claudio in 1796. She met Beethoven in 1803. An excellent pianist, she was a great admirer of his compositions, which were regularly performed in the private concerts she held in her house in the Krugerstrasse. In this house, owned by the Countess, Beethoven had lodgings in 1808–1809.

The Countess was beautiful, small, and elegant, but having married at fifteen, she had suffered, from her first pregnancy onward, from many ailments that kept her almost constantly bedridden. J. F. Reichardt described her in 1808 as a lady “who limped from one piano to another, yet remained so cheerful and affectionate.”

She also had a country house at Jedlesee, just beyond the Danube, easily reachable from the Viennese suburbs where Beethoven spent his summers — and some have suspected that Beethoven’s choice of summer residences had a very specific purpose.

Their relationship is hinted at by two notes [E.360, 361, March 1809] in which Beethoven — half‑deaf and suspicious — had misinterpreted a gratuity of 25 florins given by the Countess to his servant, and accused her, with a torrent of exclamation marks, of having preferred the servant to him: “What more do you want? You have now received the servant instead of the master — ‘are you not yet indemnified?’ What a substitution!!!!! What a magnificent exchange!!!!”

The next day, naturally, came the usual note of apology and reconciliation [E.363]. Beethoven then immediately moved to Walfischgasse 1087, directly behind the Countess’s house, in a building that also housed a brothel.

In 1815 the Erdödy family left Vienna, but the Countess remained in epistolary contact with the Master. At that time Beethoven had begun composing a Piano Trio in F minor, in which he wished to express his affection for the Countess’s three children — Marie (Mimi), Friederike (Fritzy), and August (Gusti). But in 1816 Gusti died (apparently after being severely beaten by the tutor Brauchle), and the Trio was never completed.

To the Countess Beethoven dedicated the Trios Op. 70, published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1809, and the Cello Sonatas Op. 102 in the Simrock edition of 1817.

Ertmann, Baroness Dorothea von, née Graumann (1781–1849). She was Beethoven’s piano pupil from 1803 and became a formidable interpreter of his works, renowned throughout the musical world and considered the greatest female performer of Beethoven’s music. She had married Baron Peter von Ertmann in 1798, and in 1824 left Vienna with him for Milan. Beethoven dedicated the Sonata Op. 101 to her.

Esterházy, Prince Nikolaus von Galántha (1765–1833). A wealthy patron of musicians, and from 1794 also of Haydn, he was in 1795 one of the subscribers for three copies of Beethoven’s Op. 1. In 1806 he commissioned Beethoven to write a Mass for the name‑day of his wife, Maria Josepha Liechtenstein. The Mass in C major Op. 86 was performed, under Beethoven’s own direction, on 13 September 1807, but the Prince was not very satisfied with it.

Fétis, François‑Joseph (1784–1871). Belgian composer, musicologist, pedagogue, and conductor. Director of the Brussels Conservatory, he was among the most influential figures in nineteenth‑century musical life and was known for his conservative stance against the new music. He authored encyclopedic pedagogical and historical works.

Fischer, Gottfried (1780–1864). From a wealthy Bonn family, he had known Beethoven since youth. With the help of his sister Cecilia (1762–1845), he wrote in 1838 a collection of recollections about Beethoven, continually adding to the manuscript, which is now in the Beethoven‑Archiv; but many of the details appear to be poorly documented.

Förster, Emanuel Aloys (1748–1823). Born in Silesia, a prolific composer, he settled in Vienna in 1799 as a piano teacher and instructor in theory. His fame is linked especially to his quartet writing. Beethoven met him in the 1790s at the Lichnowsky residence and probably studied with him. In 1802 Beethoven gave piano lessons to Förster’s youngest son.

Forti, Anton (1790–1859). Viennese baritone, he sang the role of Pizarro in the 18 July 1814 performance of Fidelio, replacing the indisposed Johann Michael Vogl, and in subsequent revivals. He had been a violist at the Theater an der Wien, a singer in the Esterházy chapel at Eisenstadt; upon returning to Vienna he was again at the Theater an der Wien and finally at the Kärntnertor Theater until the end of his career.

Frank, Dr. Joseph (1771–1842). Physician and amateur composer. In the 1790s he organized musical evenings in which Christine Gerhardi (whom he married in 1798) and Beethoven participated. Gerhardi, a soprano of great talent and of Italian origin, continued to sing in public even after moving with her husband to Vilna. Several letters from Beethoven to her survive, some of them playful in tone.

Freudenberg, Karl Gottlieb (1797–1869). A famous organist from Breslau, he visited Beethoven in 1825. He left an account of that conversation — in which, something that happened rarely, Beethoven expressed opinions on musical composition and on musicians — in his writing Aus dem Leben eines alten Organisten, published posthumously in Breslau in 1870.

Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia (1744–1797). Nephew of Frederick the Great, he was a cultivated and refined musician; an excellent cellist, he loved playing in orchestra and adored the string quartet. In Berlin, at court, in his presence, in May 1796, Beethoven and Jean‑Pierre Duport, the court cellist, performed for the first time the Cello Sonatas Op. 5.

For a time a rumour circulated that Beethoven was his illegitimate son. He exerted a profound influence on Berlin’s cultural life and particularly promoted the dissemination of the works of Gluck and Mozart. At the concert Beethoven gave at court, the King presented him with a snuffbox filled with gold louis, which Beethoven described as something “worthy of an ambassador.”

Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia (1770–1840). Successor to Friedrich Wilhelm II, he reigned from 1797 to 1840. Beethoven probably met him during the Congress of Vienna in 1814. He was one of the subscribers to the publication of the Missa solemnis. He received the dedication of the Ninth Symphony.

Fries, Count Moritz von (1777–1826). Owner of the merchant and banking firm Fries & Co., he became director of the Austrian National Bank. A patron and protector of artists and musicians, he commissioned the Quintet Op. 29 and probably also the Violin Sonatas Opp. 23 and 24, works dedicated to him. He also received the dedication of the Seventh Symphony. It was through his firm and his bank that Beethoven sent his works and received payments from the Scottish publisher George Thomson; several letters survive concerning this commercial activity.

Galitzin, Prince Nikolas Borissovich (1794–1866). An excellent cellist and promoter of many musical initiatives in St. Petersburg. He corresponded with Beethoven for a long time. His letters reveal great admiration for Beethoven and deep musical understanding. He commissioned from Beethoven the Quartets Op. 127, 130, and 132. The overture Die Weihe des Hauses was also dedicated to him. He contributed to the subscription for the Missa solemnis, and it was thanks to him that the first complete performance of the Missa took place in St. Petersburg in April 1824.

Gebauer, Franz Xaver (1784–1822). Born in Eckersdorf, Silesia, he appears around 1810 as a music teacher in Vienna. In 1816 he was appointed choirmaster of the Augustinerkirche. He was among the founding members of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, and in 1819 founded the famous Concerts Spirituels, where many of Beethoven’s works were performed. He appears frequently in the Conversation Books.

Gelinek, Abbé Joseph (1738–1825). This Czechoslovak priest was a good composer and a celebrated piano virtuoso, much admired in Vienna in the 1790s. His pianistic contest with Beethoven in 1792 — in which Beethoven won the palm as the superior improviser — became memorable. According to Thayer, Gelinek often criticised Beethoven’s works, indeed spoke ill of the later ones. Nevertheless, in 1804 he made a piano transcription of the First Symphony, and in 1816 published variations on the second movement of the Seventh.

Gellert, Christian (1715–1791). Poet and writer. He was regarded as a national poet, and his tomb became the destination of so many pilgrimages and demonstrations that the authorities eventually intervened to forbid visits and gatherings. In Gellert’s poetics lay the principle of the subordination of art to philosophy. He expounded these theories while teaching at the University of Leipzig and applied them in his Fabeln und Erzählungen.

George IV, King of England (1762–1830). Beethoven’s great admiration for all things English was almost certainly the reason why he sent a copy of Wellington’s Victory Op. 91 to the King and dedicated it to him. George indeed gave the score to his musicians and allowed its performance in London, but sent no acknowledgment to Beethoven, who from that moment spoke ill of him incessantly.

Gerhardi, Christine (1777–?). See Frank, Dr. Joseph.

Giannattasio del Rio, Cajetan (1764–1828). Of Spanish origin, he directed a boarding school which in 1816 was located on the outskirts of the city, in the Landstrasse. Beethoven’s nephew Karl was his pupil from February 1816 to January 1818. He had two daughters. Anna (1792–c.1866), on the occasion of her wedding, received from Beethoven the Hochzeitslied WoO 105. Her sister Fanny (1790–c.1876), who had fallen in love with the Master, remained unmarried and kept a diary in which she recorded Beethoven’s visits to the school, his problems with his nephew, his fits of anger, and even certain sentimental adventures of the Master.

Gläser, Franz Joseph (1798–1861). Son of the copyist Peter Gläser, composer of operettas and conductor. At the reopening of the Josephstadt Theater on 3 October 1822 with Die Weihe des Hauses, he collaborated with Beethoven (by then deaf) in directing the orchestra. As is well known, the new Overture Op. 124 was not performed on the opening night because it was still incomplete. The performance was a great success and was repeated three times; Beethoven received very warm applause.

Gläser, Peter (1776–1849). After the death of Wenzel Schlemmer in 1823, he became one of the copyists most closely associated with Beethoven.

Gleichenstein, Baron Ignaz von (1778–1828). Secretary of the Imperial Ministry of War in Vienna, he was a cellist of considerable talent. He met Beethoven around 1797 and became an intimate friend. He handled Beethoven’s business affairs, his dealings with publishers, and acted as intermediary regarding the annuity granted to Beethoven by Lobkowitz, Kinsky, and Archduke Rudolph. Beethoven dedicated to him the Cello Sonata Op. 69 (premiered on 5 March 1809 by Anton Kraft and Dorothea Ertmann).

In 1811 he married Anna Malfatti, niece of the physician Giovanni Malfatti, who treated Beethoven. Gleichenstein introduced Beethoven to the Malfatti household, where the Master met Anna’s younger sister, Therese, to whom he made his well‑known, ill‑fated marriage proposal. Beethoven confided to Gleichenstein, in many letters, his sadness and despair. He remained affectionately at the Master’s side until the final days.

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (1749–1832). The great poet and Beethoven met in Teplitz in July 1812 and spent several days together. Beethoven wrote and repeated many times that he had read and loved Goethe’s poetry since youth. He set several of Goethe’s poems to music, and one may say that his relationship with Goethe’s poetry culminated in the composition of Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt Op. 112, dedicated to Goethe himself.

The Master certainly intended to set Faust to music, but never obtained a libretto. While Beethoven’s admiration for Goethe appears in several letters — even adulatory ones, though written with the ulterior motive of seeking help for the publication of the Missa solemnis — it may be said that the great poet did not hold Beethoven in high regard, though he was certainly impressed by some of his music. Indeed, he was disturbed by Beethoven’s behaviour, which appeared to him coarse and unrestrained.

Grillparzer, Franz (1791–1872). Celebrated Austrian dramatic poet. He had met Beethoven in 1804 or 1805 at the home of his uncle Joseph Sonnleithner. They also lived in two different apartments in the same house in Heiligenstadt during the summer of 1808, at Kirchengasse 8 (today Grinzingerstrasse 64; the house still stands).

There were repeated attempts at collaboration on a new opera around 1823, as evidenced by letters and Conversation Books. The chosen subject seems to have been Melusina, and Beethoven even claimed to have begun work on it. But no trace of this work remains; one must therefore assume it was one of Beethoven’s frequent boastful claims — he often said and wrote that he had works ready which he had not yet begun to compose.

Grillparzer wrote the funeral oration read by Anschütz at Beethoven’s funeral. Strangely enough, Grillparzer never visited Beethoven during his final illness. In his memoirs he claims to have learned of the Master’s grave condition only two days before his death, from Schindler, who had come to ask him to prepare the funeral oration — despite the fact that Beethoven’s condition was widely known in Vienna and beyond.

Hiller, Ferdinand (1811–1885). German composer, pianist, conductor, and music critic. A pupil of Hummel, he lived for a long time in Paris, where he came into contact with Rossini, Meyerbeer, Chopin, and Liszt. He later lived in Frankfurt, Leipzig, and Dresden, where he frequented Mendelssohn, Spohr, Schumann, and Brahms. In 1850 he founded the Cologne Conservatory, which he directed until his death.

He wrote oratorios, four symphonies, six operas (some performed also at La Scala), piano concertos, sonatas, and other piano works, including pleasant studies still used today in teaching. In his memoirs Aus dem Tonleben unserer Zeit, Neue Folge (1871), he left a detailed account of the last three weeks of Beethoven’s life. He cut a lock of hair from the dead Master, kept it in a locket throughout his life, and it is now preserved at the Beethoven Center in San José (USA).

Hoffmann, Ernst Theodor Amadeus (1776–1822). Born in Königsberg, he was a painter, writer, poet, composer, and music critic, and enjoyed great popularity. Among critics he was one of the first to take the field in defence of Beethoven, whose works he championed in many writings. One of the most famous was his 1810 essay on the Fifth Symphony.

His ideas and interpretations were decisive in creating the Romantic myth of Beethoven as a magician capable of leading us to the threshold of the infinite. For him Beethoven wrote the canon WoO 180: “Hoffmann sei ja kein Hofmann” (“Hoffmann, you are certainly no Hofmann”), where the wordplay is probably based on Hoff‑rat (vanity), Hof (court), and Mann (man).

Holz, Karl (1798–1868). An official in the Austrian Chancellery, he was a good violinist who also played second violin in the Schuppanzigh and Böhm quartets. Refined, cultured, witty, a pleasant conversationalist and attractive in appearance, he was a brilliant and entertaining companion who, in the last period of Beethoven’s life, certainly brightened many of the Master’s sad moments.

He loved wine, and perhaps Beethoven drank a little too much in his company. From the summer of 1825, after meeting Beethoven, he became his friend, assistant, and secretary — a sort of lightning rod for the old Master’s tempers — replacing Schindler. For about a year he was very close to Beethoven, who found him amusing, likeable, and spirited.

Schindler reappeared at Beethoven’s side in December 1826, when the final phase of the illness began, while Holz, who had meanwhile married, visited him less often but preserved his affection for him intact. In his Biographie von Ludwig van Beethoven, Schindler naturally spoke ill of Holz, trying to discredit him and blaming him for the Master’s worsening condition.

Beethoven certainly had great affection for Holz, as shown by the endless series of nicknames and wordplays he invented on his name Holz (“wood”): for example, “Most Excellent Splinter,” “Most Excellent Wood of Christ,” “Most Excellent Piece of Mahogany,” and so on.

In 1826 Beethoven signed a document authorizing Holz to write his biography, but Holz never began the work. He probably assisted Anton Gräffer, who intended to write one and collected much material without completing it; the material passed from Gräffer to Simon Gassner, who made no use of it; Gassner’s widow then gave the entire dossier to Ludwig Nohl, who used it for his Beethoven’s Leben (1864). The information transmitted by Holz appears to be reliable.

Hotschevar, Jakob. Court secretary, he was a relative by marriage — through his wife — of Beethoven’s sister‑in‑law Johanna. He therefore supported her in the 1818 legal case concerning the guardianship of young Karl. In 1827, upon Beethoven’s death, he himself was appointed as one of Karl’s guardians.

Huber, Franz Xaver (1760–1810). Poet and librettist, he wrote several opera librettos that enjoyed great success. He was the author of the text of the oratorio Christus am Ölberge Op. 85.

Hummel, Johann Nepomuk (1778–1837). Born in Bratislava, pianist, composer, and pedagogue. A pupil of Mozart, he soon began an intense concert career. He settled in Vienna in 1813 as a piano teacher, but was later appointed Kapellmeister in Stuttgart and in Weimar.

He led the percussion group in one or more performances of Wellington’s Victory (Op. 91) in 1814. On this occasion Beethoven wrote him an autograph letter in February 1814 [A.466]:

“Most amiable Hummel! I beg you, conduct once again the drum rolls and cannon shots with your baton as excellent Kapellmeister and Artillery Marshal — Do it, I beg you. If you wish that one day I fire cannonades at you, I am ready to serve you body and soul — Your friend Beethoven.”

For him Beethoven wrote the canon WoO 170 “Ars longa, vita brevis.” During Beethoven’s final illness, Hummel returned to Vienna to see his friend once more and took part in his funeral.

Hüttenbrenner, Anselm (1794–1868). Viennese composer, pupil of Salieri, and close friend of Schubert. He met Beethoven in 1816. He was present at the famous concert of 7 May 1824 in which the Ninth Symphony was first performed, and accompanied Beethoven home with Schindler after the concert.

He was in Graz when he learned of the Master’s grave condition, and immediately set out hoping to reach Vienna in time to see him once more. But he arrived at Beethoven’s home on the afternoon of 26 March 1827, while the Master was dying. He was, together with Johanna van Beethoven (or the housekeeper Sali?), one of the two people present at the moment of Beethoven’s death, and he left the most famous testimony of the event.

Joseph II, Emperor of Austria (1741–1790). Son of Maria Theresa, he reigned jointly with her and then alone from 1780 to 1790. A supporter of Enlightenment ideas and in many respects a radical reformer, he introduced divorce, promoted freedom of the press, and abolished feudal taxes. Many of his reforms, however, failed, were violently opposed, or were reversed by his successor, his brother Leopold II. Nevertheless, he succeeded in unifying the territories of the Empire, centralizing governmental powers, and reorganizing the finances. Beethoven wrote the Cantata WoO 87 in his memory.

Jeitteles, Alois (1794–1858). Physician and amateur poet, born in Brno. In 1816, while still a medical student, he wrote the text of the song cycle An die ferne Geliebte Op. 98.

Junker, Karl Ludwig (1740–1791). Clergyman, composer, and critic, he was one of the first to recognize Beethoven’s gifts when, in 1791, he wrote in Bossler’s Musikalischer Korrespondenz a series of “Articles about Music” from Bonn.

Kanka, Johann Nepomuk (1772–1865). A famous Prague lawyer, talented amateur musician and composer, and art collector. He met Beethoven during one of the latter’s visits to Prague in 1796, and saw him again in later years at Karlsbad and Teplitz. Kanka, who handled the affairs of the Kinsky family, played a crucial role after the Prince’s death in resolving the legal dispute between Beethoven and the Kinsky heirs regarding payment of the annual stipend promised to Beethoven in the famous 1809 contract signed by Archduke Rudolph, Prince Lobkowitz, and Prince Kinsky.

Kanne, Friedrich August (1778–1833). Poet, composer, and music critic, he moved from his native Saxony to Vienna. He soon became a friend of Beethoven and an enthusiastic admirer of his works. From 1821 to 1824 he directed the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung. According to a letter [A.1246], he had written an opera libretto for Beethoven, though nothing is known of it.

Keverich, Maria Magdalena (1746–1787). Beethoven’s mother. Daughter of the superintendent of the kitchens at Ehrenbreitstein Palace, she was widowed very young and married Johann van Beethoven in November 1767. Of their seven children, four died in infancy; only Ludwig, Caspar Anton Carl, and Nikolaus Johann survived. She was a pious woman, devoted to household work and family, and the Master always spoke of her with deep longing. In the earliest surviving letter from him [A.1], dated 15 September 1787, he writes with profound affection: “She had consumption and died about six weeks ago… She was to me such a good, such a dear mother, my best friend.”

Kinsky, Prince Ferdinand Johann Nepomuk (1781–1812). In 1809 he was, together with Archduke Rudolph and Prince Lobkowitz, one of the three signatories of the annual stipend of 4,000 gulden granted to Beethoven. His share was to be 1,800 gulden. Beethoven dedicated to him the Mass in C major Op. 86 (though it had originally been commissioned by Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, who was not satisfied with it), and to his wife, Princess Carolina, the Lieder Opp. 75, 83, and 94. The Prince died very young after a fall from his horse, and Beethoven had considerable difficulty obtaining payment of the stipend from the heirs.

Kirchoffer, Franz Christian. Viennese businessman and friend of Beethoven. He handled some of Beethoven’s dealings with England, particularly the transmission of the Ninth Symphony to the Philharmonic Society of London.

Klöber, August Carl Friedrich von (1793–?). Painter, born in Breslau. He made a portrait of Beethoven in 1818 at Mödling. He left an amusing account of the sittings and of the patience required to succeed in portraying the Master. The canvas depicting Beethoven — in which, according to Prod’homme, the nephew Karl was also included — has unfortunately been lost. Preparatory sketches survive, however, which vividly portray the composer at the height of his activity.

Koch, Barbara (Babette) (1771–1807). The Koch family kept an inn, Zum Zehrgarten, in the Marktplatz of Bonn, a gathering place for artists, musicians, and poets, run by the widowed mother Anna Maria. Barbara was very pretty and much admired by the young habitués, Beethoven included, who — as we learn from the letter [A.7] of 2 November 1793 to Eleonore von Breuning — wrote to her twice from Vienna without receiving any reply. Babette later married Count Anton von Belderbusch, nephew of the late Elector of Cologne’s Prime Minister, Maximilian Friedrich.

Koschak, Marie Leopoldine (1794–1855). A native of Graz, she married Dr. Karl Pachler, a lawyer in that city. She was an excellent pianist. She met Beethoven in Vienna in 1817 and again in 1823. A warm and affectionate friendship developed between them; some have even suggested that Beethoven loved her.

Beethoven already knew of her pianistic gifts in 1811, having been informed by Professor Schneller, who taught history in the girls’ schools of Graz. In a letter to Varena [A.334], Beethoven suggested that she perform the piano part of the Fantasia Op. 80 in the charity concert held in Graz on 22 December 1811 — as indeed happened.

In a note from the summer of 1817 [A.815], Beethoven asked her to play again for him his Sonatas in F major Op. 54 and in C minor Op. 13, adding: “I have not yet found anyone who can perform my compositions as well as you… You are the true foster‑mother of my spiritual children.”

Upon her departure on 27 September 1823, Beethoven dedicated to her a very brief musical phrase, “Das Schöne zum Gute” (“Beauty to Goodness”), WoO 202.

Kotzebue, August Friedrich Ferdinand von (1761–1819). Writer, poet, and dramatist of fluctuating fortunes and an adventurous life, he was born in Weimar. From 1798 to 1799 he served as administrator of the Burgtheater in Vienna, which at that time was directed by Peter von Braun. He later went to Russia, where he lived for some time, and then moved to Berlin, where he founded the journal Der Freimütige, in which he wrote several reviews of Beethoven’s works. In 1811, for the opening of the new theatre in Pest, he wrote the dramatic pieces for which Beethoven composed the music: König Stephen Op. 117 and Die Ruinen von Athen Op. 113. A famous letter of 28 January 1812 [A.344] survives, in which Beethoven, extolling Kotzebue’s dramatic genius, asks him for an opera libretto.

From 1811 Kotzebue lived on his estate in Estonia. In 1819 he was assassinated by a student who suspected him of being a Russian spy. He left more than 200 tragedies, comedies, and farces, which enjoyed great success among his contemporaries. Among them: Misanthropy and Sensibility (1789), The German Provincials (1803). The exponents of emerging Romanticism criticised Kotzebue’s theatre, while he, for his part, systematically opposed Romanticism.

Kraft, Anton (1752–1820). A fine cellist, he came to Vienna from his native Bohemia to complete his law studies, but in 1778 accepted Haydn’s invitation to join the Esterházy orchestra. In 1792, after Prince Esterházy’s death, the orchestra was dissolved. He then returned to Vienna, where in 1796 he joined the new orchestra formed by Prince Lobkowitz. He also played in Prince Lichnowsky’s quartet. He took part in the first performance, at the Lobkowitz Palace, of the Triple Concerto Op. 56.

Kraft, Nikolaus (1778–1847). Born at Esterháza on 14 December 1778, he was the son of Anton Kraft. Growing up in a highly musical environment, he became a magnificent cellist. He moved with his father to Vienna in 1796, and when the young Prince Lobkowitz formed his orchestra, Nikolaus joined it. From 1792 he was a member of Prince Lichnowsky’s quartet: Schuppanzigh and Louis Sina, violins; Franz Weiss and Nikolaus Kraft, both fourteen years old, viola and cello respectively. He was the first performer, at a benefit concert held for him on 5 March 1809, of Beethoven’s Cello Sonata Op. 69; at the piano sat Baroness Dorothea von Ertmann.

Kreutzer, Konradin (1780–1849). Composer and conductor, also a pupil of Albrechtsberger. He held various posts in Germany, but from 1804 to 1812 he was in Vienna, to which he later returned as director of the Kärntnertor Theater. He was certainly acquainted with Beethoven, though he did not belong to his inner circle. He wrote a large number of works, some of which enjoyed great success at the time (Jery und Bätely, after Goethe, Vienna 1810; Das Nachtlager von Granada, Vienna 1834). His finest output is his vocal‑lyrical music: Lieder and Romantic ballads.

 Kreutzer, Rodolphe (1766–1831). Famous French violinist and composer. He wrote more than forty operas, symphonies, violin concertos, and Lieder. His greatest fame, however, rests on his activity as a violin virtuoso: he began performing in public around the age of ten. He visited Vienna in 1798 and met Beethoven, who in 1804 dedicated to him the “Kreutzer” Sonata Op. 47 — which Kreutzer never performed. In a letter to Simrock of 4 October 1804 [A.99], Beethoven writes: “This Kreutzer is a good and dear person whose company I greatly enjoyed during his stay in Vienna. His simplicity and naturalness please me far more than all the outward show without inward substance of most virtuosos. Since the Sonata was written for a capable violinist, the dedication to Kreutzer is all the more appropriate.”

Krumpholz, Wenzel (1750–1817). From a family of Bohemian musicians, violinist, mandolinist, and composer. He settled in Vienna around 1795 and became a good friend and great admirer of Beethoven, and later of Carl Czerny. Upon his sudden death in 1817, Beethoven wrote and dedicated to him Gesänge der Mönche WoO 104.

 Kuffner, Christoph (1780–1846). Viennese writer who in 1808 probably wrote — or at least contributed to — the text of the Choral Fantasy Op. 80. For Kuffner’s tragedy Tarpeja, Beethoven composed the Triumphal March in C major WoO 2a and the Introduction to Act II WoO 2b.

Kuhlau, Friedrich (1786–1832). Born in Hanover into a family of musicians, he became a popular composer of operas and piano music (still used today for teaching). In 1810, to avoid military service, he fled to Copenhagen, where he held various musical posts, including that of first violin at court, though he continued to travel in Europe.

Kuhlau worked actively to promote Beethoven’s music and met him personally in September 1825, when, while on tour in Austria, he refused to leave before meeting the Master. The meeting took place in Baden, Beethoven’s summer residence, and on 2 September, during a breakfast in the Helenenthal — one of Beethoven’s favourite walks — amid jokes and libations, and inspired by many glasses, Beethoven wrote a canon (WoO 191) dedicated to Kuhlau. The text, naturally invented by Beethoven, was a wordplay: “Kuhl nicht lau, nicht lau etc.” (“Cool, not lukewarm, not lukewarm, etc.”). On 3 September Beethoven sent a note (the autograph is lost) [A.1427] to Kuhlau with the canon and a few lines: “I must confess that even in my case the champagne went too much to my head… Although I am usually able to reply on the spot, I have not the faintest recollection of what I wrote yesterday. Remember now and then your devoted Beethoven.”

Lichnowsky, Prince Carl (1756–1814). One of the most prominent figures of the Viennese aristocracy, a great lover of music, friend and pupil of Mozart, and one of Beethoven’s most generous patrons during the composer’s early Viennese years, during which Beethoven lived for quite some time in his residence in the Alserstrasse.

Besides providing substantial financial support, he helped promote Beethoven’s works through the musical gatherings held in his palace. It was in his palace that the famous meeting of December 1805 took place, in which the revision of Fidelio was decided. Even in the Heiligenstadt Testament Beethoven expresses gratitude toward Lichnowsky.

Despite cordial relations, there were several quarrels, culminating in the famous Graz episode of 1806, when Beethoven refused to play in the presence of French officers hosted by the Prince, left the house, and returned to Vienna. Relations resumed later, but never regained their former warmth. Other members of the family were also close to Beethoven: Princess Marie Christine, Count Moritz, and Countess Henriette.

Beethoven dedicated to Prince Lichnowsky the Trios Op. 1, the Sonatas Op. 13 and 26, the Variations WoO 69 on Paisiello’s Quant’è bello l’amor contadino, and the Second Symphony; to his wife Christine, the piano version of The Creatures of Prometheus (initially published as Op. 24, with the long title Gli uomini di Prometeo… dedicated to Her Highness Princess Lichnowsky née Countess Thun), and the Variations for piano and cello WoO 45 on Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus; to the sister Henriette the Piano Rondo Op. 51 No. 2; to the brother Count Moritz — who remained close to Beethoven until the end — the Variations Op. 5 and the Piano Sonata Op. 90. Lichnowsky also gave Beethoven the precious string quartet whose instruments are still displayed today at the Beethoven‑Haus in Bonn.

Linke, Joseph (1783–1837). (The correct dates are 1783–1837; the alternative dating 1811–1886 is a recurring error found in some secondary sources.) Cellist, he was a member of the Rasumovsky Quartet from its foundation until its dissolution following the fire that destroyed Prince Rasumovsky’s palace. He later joined the Schuppanzigh Quartet and contributed greatly to the performance and dissemination of Beethoven’s late quartets. He was a regular participant in the musical gatherings of Countess Erdödy, and it is believed that the Cello and Piano Sonatas Op. 102, dedicated to the Countess, were composed specifically to be performed by Linke and the Countess herself. He was also one of the faithful visitors to Beethoven’s home during the composer’s final illness.

Lobkowitz, Prince Franz Joseph Maximilian von (1772–1816). Of Bohemian origin, he was one of Beethoven’s most ardent supporters and patrons. A prominent figure in Viennese aristocratic life and decidedly anti‑French, he was an accomplished amateur violinist and cellist. His palace — still perfectly preserved today — contained a concert hall.

The Prince maintained a private orchestra and a resident quartet, and frequently organized musical gatherings. Beethoven had the orchestra at his disposal and conducted many private rehearsals and performances of his symphonies there before their public premieres; this was certainly the case for the Eroica, which is why the hall is now known as the “Eroica Hall.”

The String Quartets Op. 18 (1798–1800), dedicated to the munificent Prince, were almost certainly first performed in his palace. His generosity was also decisive in the 1809 agreement — with Archduke Rudolph and Prince Kinsky — to grant Beethoven an annual pension of 4,000 florins. Many of Beethoven’s finest works were dedicated to him: the Third, Fifth, and Sixth Symphonies; the Triple Concerto Op. 56; the Quartet Op. 74; and the song cycle An die ferne Geliebte Op. 92. For his son Ferdinand, Beethoven composed the cantata WoO 106, the Lobkowitz Kantate. Like other patrons of Beethoven, he eventually fell into ruin owing to disastrous financial speculations.

Malfatti, Dr. Giovanni (1775–1859). Born in Lucca, he arrived in Vienna in 1795 and quickly gained great renown as a physician. His brother owned an estate in Mödling, and his daughters Anna and Therese became friends of Beethoven through the family friend Ignaz von Gleichenstein, who later married Anna. Therese — who married Baron Drosdick in 1816 — famously inspired Beethoven’s affection, and he is believed to have proposed marriage to her. The Bagatelle Für Elise was perhaps written for her, as suggested by the fact that the autograph remained in her possession for a long time.

Dr. Giovanni attended Beethoven during his final illness in 1827. For his birthday on 2 June 1814, Beethoven composed the small cantata Un lieto brindisi WoO 103, for vocal quartet and piano accompaniment.

Marschner, Heinrich August (1795–1861). German conductor and composer. He wrote much chamber music but was above all a successful composer of operas, and one of the most authentic representatives of German Romanticism — Wagner himself was initially influenced by him. He met Beethoven in Vienna in 1817.

Matthisson, Friedrich von (1761–1831). German poet, born near Magdeburg, pupil of Klopstock. He studied theology, philology, literature, and natural sciences at Halle. He taught for a time but spent most of his life travelling in the company of the Princess of Anhalt‑Dessau; he knew Italy well. He later became librarian in Stuttgart. His poetry enjoyed great renown in his day, though his success did not last long, owing to a certain lack of strong individuality; yet he was admired for his delightful descriptions of the countryside, the seasons, and for his elegiac tone. Schiller wrote of him: “His poetry is animated by an enlightened and serene humanity; beautiful scenes of nature are reflected in his pure and limpid soul.” Beethoven set several of his poems to music. The first was Adelaide Op. 46, about which Beethoven wrote him an enthusiastic letter on 4 August 1800 [A.40], asking for more poems and expressing “the divine pleasure that all your poetry has always given me and will always give me.” Beethoven later set other poems by Matthisson: four different versions of Opferlied Op. 121b, as well as An Laura WoO 112 and Andenken WoO 136.

Mayer, Friedrich Sebastian (1773–1863). A famous actor and singer. He had married Mozart’s sister‑in‑law, Josepha Weber, widow of the violinist Franz de Paula Hofer. He sang the role of Pizarro on 20, 21, and 22 November 1805 at the premiere of Leonore.

Mayseder, Joseph (1789–1863). Viennese by birth, an excellent violinist and composer of many works for his instrument. A pupil of Schuppanzigh, he was a friend of Beethoven, who — as several letters show — held him in high esteem. He frequently took part in performances of Beethoven’s works.

Meisl, Karl (1775–1853). The playwright who wrote the two works for the reopening of the Josephstadt Theater in Vienna in 1822, for which Beethoven composed the overture Die Weihe des Hauses.

Neefe, Christian Gottlob (1748–1798). Born in Chemnitz, Saxony, he studied law but soon devoted himself entirely to music, becoming musical director of several theatrical companies. Arriving in Bonn in 1779 with one of these companies, he remained there and was appointed Court Organist in 1781. From 1779 he taught Ludwig piano, harmony, and composition, and immediately recognized his gifts. As Thayer reports, in 1783 he wrote in Cramer’s Magazin der Musik the prophetic words: “He will surely become a second Mozart if he continues as he has begun.”

He taught Beethoven to love and understand Bach, making him study the Well‑Tempered Clavier, whose performance by Beethoven he greatly praised. He helped him publish his first works and obtain his first court employment. Beethoven never forgot him; in October 1793 he wrote from Vienna [A.6]: “If ever I should become a great man, you will have a share in my success.”

Obermayer, Therèse (1787–1828). Beethoven’s sister‑in‑law. She was the housekeeper and companion of Beethoven’s brother Nikolaus Johann in Linz in 1812. She already had a five‑year‑old daughter, Amalie. Beethoven rushed to Linz in an attempt to break off the relationship; in response, the two married on 8 November 1812. It was a wholly unhappy marriage, and no further children were born.

Oliva, Franz (1786–1848). A bank clerk, fluent in several languages, and from 1820 a language teacher. He was an intimate friend of Beethoven and handled many of his affairs, acting almost as his secretary, as did Carl, Schindler, and later Holz. He left Vienna in December 1820 for St. Petersburg, where he remained until his death from cholera in 1848. Their relationship ceased entirely after December 1820; no letters between them survive after that date. In 1810 he had received the dedication of the Piano Variations Op. 76.

Onslow, Georges (1784–1852). Born in Clermont‑Ferrand, he studied piano in London with Dussek and Cramer, and composition in Paris with Reicha. A highly prolific composer: 3 comic operas; 4 symphonies; 34 string quintets and 36 string quartets; 10 piano trios; sonatas and other chamber works.

Oppersdorf, Count Franz von (1778–1818). A passionate music lover, he maintained his own orchestra at his castle in Oberglogau, Upper Silesia. He met Beethoven in the autumn of 1806 during the composer’s stay with Prince Lichnowsky at Grätz. The two became friends, and the Count commissioned two symphonies, the Fourth and the Fifth. Only the Fourth, however, was dedicated to him; Beethoven apologizes for this in a letter of 1 November 1808 [A.178], saying: “Need compelled me to sell to others the Symphony I had written for you.”

Pálffy von Erdöd, Count Ferdinand (1774–1840). Active in Vienna as a theatre director. In 1806 he directed the Burgtheater, and in 1813 he purchased the Theater an der Wien. He knew Beethoven and discussed operatic projects with him, but from Beethoven’s letters we may infer that Pálffy was not among his true supporters.

Pasqualati, Baron Johann Baptist von zu Osterberg (1777–1830). Son of Empress Maria Theresa’s personal physician, he was a great music lover and art collector. A devoted friend of Beethoven, he assisted him in legal disputes and business matters. For example, he handled ticket sales for several of Beethoven’s concerts.

On 31 December 1813, the Wiener Zeitung announced: “Tickets may be purchased daily at the Kohlmarkt, at the house of Baron von Haggenmüller, in the courtyard to the right on the ground floor, that is, in the office of Baron von Pasqualati.”

The following year, tickets for the revival of Fidelio were also sold in another Pasqualati residence, at No. 94 Mölkerbastei.

The Baron was generous in helping the suffering Master during his final months, sending food and drink, which Beethoven always appreciated. He also patiently endured the whims of his capricious tenant: Beethoven lived at various times between 1804 and 1815 in Pasqualati’s apartment at Mölkerbastei 1239. Whenever Beethoven decided to leave, the Baron ordered that the apartment not be rented to anyone else, certain — correctly — that Beethoven would return.

The house still stands today, with the old stone steps worn by Beethoven’s feet; the rooms he occupied are now a memorial.

On the third anniversary of the death of the Baron’s young wife, the twenty‑four‑year‑old Eleonore von Fritsch, in 1814, Beethoven dedicated to him the Elegischer Gesang Op. 118. He also dedicated to him the separate‑parts editions of Leonore III and Egmont. At the beginning of 1815 he dedicated to him a New Year canon, “Glück zum neuen Jahr” WoO 165.

Peters, Carl Friedrich (1779–1827). See: Beethoven’s Publishers.

Peters, Karl. Court councillor and tutor to the children of Prince Lobkowitz. A friend of Beethoven, he assisted him in the legal case concerning the guardianship of his nephew, and from 1820 to 1825 served as co‑guardian with him.

Piringer, Ferdinand (1780–1829). Viennese civic official and passionate music lover; he played the violin well, sang bass, and occasionally conducted the orchestra of F. X. Gebauer’s Concerts Spirituels. After Gebauer’s death he became co‑director with Johann Baptist Coissler.

For him Beethoven composed the Allegretto in B minor WoO 61, dated 18 February 1821. From that time he became a good friend of Beethoven, who — as the Conversation Books show — visited him often and remained close to him until the end.

Pleyel, Ignaz Joseph (1757–1831). See: Beethoven’s Publishers.

Potter, Philip Cipriani Hambly (1792–1871). London‑born pianist and composer. He met Beethoven frequently while studying in Vienna in 1817–1818. An account of their relationship and conversations is found in Thayer’s biography.

Punto, Johann Wenzel (1748–1803). His real name was Stich (“point”), but he was known by the Italian nickname. Born in Bohemia, he was a celebrated horn virtuoso. In 1778 he met Mozart, who wrote for him and other wind players the Sinfonia Concertante K. 279b. When he visited Vienna in 1800 on a concert tour, he met Beethoven, who wrote for him the Horn Sonata Op. 17, which they performed together on 18 April 1800.

Schuppanzigh Quartet. The quartet changed personnel and residence several times over the years. In 1794 Schuppanzigh led the quartet at the Lichnowsky residence, performing at Prince Carl von Lichnowsky’s chamber‑music evenings with Sina (second violin), Weiss (viola), and Kraft (cello). The Prince himself occasionally played cello with them.

Around 1804–1805 Schuppanzigh also led another quartet with the sixteen‑year‑old Joseph Mayseder (second violin), Schneider (viola), and Kraft (cello), performing in private homes.

From 1808 to 1815 Prince Rasumovsky engaged Schuppanzigh and Weiss, who with Mayseder (violin) and Linke (cello) formed the Rasumovsky Quartet. The Prince himself, a capable violinist, sometimes played with them.

After the fire that destroyed the Rasumovsky Palace on 31 December 1814, the quartet dissolved, and Schuppanzigh travelled to Russia. He returned to Vienna only in 1824. In the intervening years, Joseph Böhm became the leading figure in Viennese quartet concerts.

After Schuppanzigh’s return, the quartet was re‑formed with the old members Weiss and Linke, and Karl Holz as second violin. This new ensemble, led by “Falstaff,” presented Beethoven’s late quartets to the Viennese public:

• Op. 127 on 6 March 1825
• Op. 130 on 21 March 1826 (with the original Grosse Fuge) and again on 22 April 1827, less than a month after Beethoven’s death, with the new finale
• Op. 132 on Friday 9 and Sunday 11 September 1825

Radziwiłł, Prince Anton Heinrich (1775–1833). Born in Vilna, Lieutenant‑Governor of the Grand Duchy of Posen, he met Beethoven in 1814 while in Vienna for the Congress. He was a capable cellist, singer, and composer. He wrote much chamber music, romances, and incidental music for Goethe’s Faust. He was among the subscribers to the Missa Solemnis. Beethoven dedicated to him the overture Namensfeier Op. 115 and the set of 25 Scottish Songs Op. 108.

Rasumovsky, Count Andrej Kyrillovich (1751–1836). Russian ambassador to Vienna from 1792, art collector, excellent violinist, and great lover of music, he lived in a luxurious palace. From 1808 he subsidised a string quartet formed by Schuppanzigh, Sina, Weiss, and Kraft, with whom he often played second violin. The quartet dissolved in 1815 after a devastating fire, on 31 December 1814, destroyed his palace during a ball.

He had been a friend of Mozart and Haydn. At his commission Beethoven composed the three Quartets Op. 59, known as the “Rasumovsky” Quartets. The Fifth and Sixth Symphonies were dedicated to him and to Prince Lobkowitz.

Reicha, Antonín (1770–1836). Born in Prague into a family of musicians, he moved to Bonn in 1785 with his uncle, the composer Joseph Reicha (1746–1795), and joined the Elector’s orchestra. In Bonn he met Beethoven and became a close friend; the friendship was renewed when he too moved to Vienna in 1802.

From 1808 he lived in Paris, where he worked as a composer and highly esteemed teacher. He wrote pedagogical methods and treatises on composition. He was the author of much chamber music, cantatas, and stage works that enjoyed wide circulation; his wind quintets deserve particular mention.

Reichardt, Johann Friedrich (1752–1814). Composer, writer, and man of broad culture, Kapellmeister in Berlin under Frederick William II, he left his post in 1794 because of his sympathies for the French Revolution. He later became Kapellmeister in Kassel under Jérôme Bonaparte.

He was one of the most important musical personalities of his time. When he visited Vienna, arriving on 19 November 1808, every house opened its doors to him. He left memoirs of Viennese musical life during the winter of 1808–1809 (Vertraute Briefe, geschrieben auf einer Reise nach Wien, 1810), which describe the musical environment in which Beethoven lived and contain many valuable observations about the Master.

Reinecke, Carl Heinrich (1824–1910). German composer, pianist, conductor, and pedagogue. A child prodigy who debuted at the age of ten. He wrote numerous works, symphonic and pianistic music, and several volumes on musical pedagogy and history.

Reisser, Franz de Paula Michel (1769–1835). Professor of geography and economic history at the University of Vienna, and director of the Vienna Polytechnic. In 1825, when Beethoven’s nephew Karl was admitted there, he became co‑guardian of the boy together with Beethoven.

Reissig, Christian Ludwig (1783–1847). Born in Kassel, he enlisted in the Austrian Army in 1809, was severely wounded in battle, and discharged. He was a fairly popular poet among Viennese composers, though apparently something of a nuisance, as he seems to have actively urged composers to set his verses to music. Beethoven set several of his poems.

Alongside a friendly note from Beethoven to Reissig [A.242], there survive several letters [A.281] in which Beethoven heaps insults upon him, calling him a scoundrel and a rascal, over an editorial dispute. Reissig had had Artaria reprint Gesang aus der Ferne WoO 137, which had already been published by Breitkopf & Härtel.

On the engraving copy for Artaria appears the note: “This copy was sold to Reissig by Beethoven … and Reissig resold it to us.”

But in a note dated 11 October 1810 [A.279] — perhaps a postscript to A.281 — Beethoven asserts the opposite: “It is a vile lie that Captain Reissig ever paid me anything for my compositions. I wrote those works for him as a gesture of friendship, because at that time he was an invalid and aroused my compassion… I declare that the gentlemen Breitkopf & Härtel are the sole proprietors of the songs I sent them, whose verses are by Captain Reissig.”

Rellstab, Ludwig (1790–1860). Poet and novelist, he stayed in Vienna for several weeks between March and May 1825. He had the opportunity to meet Beethoven, to hear concerts including premières of his works, and to speak with the composer’s friends. He left a small memoir, Beethoven. Ein Bild der Erinnerung aus meinem Leben (1854), one of the most precious testimonies we possess about Beethoven.

Ries, Ferdinand (1784–1838). Pianist and composer. His father, Franz Anton Ries (1755–1846), had been musical director of the Bonn court chapel and Beethoven’s violin teacher, and had been affectionately close to Beethoven at the time of his mother’s death.

Ferdinand moved to Vienna in 1801 and became Beethoven’s piano pupil. A warm and lasting friendship developed between them. Ries moved to London in 1813 and remained there until 1824, tirelessly promoting the performance and dissemination of Beethoven’s works and trying to persuade him to visit London.

Back in Germany, he lived near Bonn, where in 1825 he conducted the first performance of the Ninth Symphony before its publication; he later settled in Frankfurt am Main. He wrote the important memoir, published with Wegeler in Coblenz in 1838, Biographische Notizen über Ludwig van Beethoven.

Rochlitz, Johann Friedrich (1769–1842). Theologian, composer, poet, and music critic. He directed the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung of Leipzig from 1798 to 1818 and continued to write for it thereafter. He organized the Gewandhaus concerts in Leipzig.

His relationship with Beethoven dates back to 1804, when the Master wrote to him [A.87a] returning a libretto for an opera that Rochlitz had sent him. He was in Vienna in 1822 and seems to have met Beethoven at least three times; he left interesting descriptions of these encounters (though some accuse him of embellishment).

Röckel, Josef August (1783–1870). A celebrated singer, engaged in autumn 1805 as principal tenor at the Theater an der Wien. He sang the role of Florestan in the 1806 revival of Fidelio, replacing the ageing Demmer.

Rode, Jacques Pierre Joseph (1774–1830). French violinist, composer, and pedagogue. A pupil of G. B. Viotti, he was one of the most acclaimed virtuosos of his time and a leading figure of the French violin school. He composed violin concertos, brilliant solo pieces, and duets. His 24 Caprices and the violin method written with Baillot and Kreutzer are still used today.

During a concert tour in 1812 he visited Vienna, and Beethoven wrote for him his last violin sonata, Op. 96, performed by Rode with the Archduke at the piano on 29 December 1812 at the Lobkowitz Palace. The sonata had been written to suit Rode’s playing style, though Beethoven was reportedly not satisfied with his performance.

 Romberg, Andreas Jakob (1767–1821) and Bernhard Heinrich (1767–1841). These two cousins, both born in Oldenburg in 1767, were virtuosi — the former on the violin, the latter on the cello. Already famous as child prodigies, they were members of the orchestra of Elector Max Franz in Bonn and belonged to Beethoven’s circle of friends. Naturally, they were also part of the group of musicians who took part in the famous journey to Mergentheim in September–October 1791.

Bernhard performed with Beethoven the Cello Sonatas Op. 5 in Vienna at the end of 1796 or the beginning of 1797. In 1822 Bernhard came to Vienna to give concerts with his daughter Bernardine and his eleven‑year‑old nephew Carlo, himself a cello prodigy; on that occasion (12 February 1822) Beethoven wrote him an affectionate letter. Both cousins were prolific composers.

Rudolph, Archduke of Austria (1788–1831).  Son of Emperor Leopold II and half‑brother of Emperor Francis I. Delicate in health and subject to epilepsy, he was born in Florence and brought to Vienna in 1790. Exceptionally gifted in music, he became Beethoven’s pupil — perhaps the only one in composition — from 1803 or 1804 onward.

A strong friendship developed between them, and he became one of Beethoven’s most steadfast patrons. One need only recall the 1809 annuity agreement (Archduke–Lobkowitz–Kinsky), granting Beethoven 4,000 florins a year on condition that he remain in Vienna and compose free from financial worry.

Though sometimes impatient at being, in a sense, always at the Archduke’s service, Beethoven felt deep affection, esteem, and respect for him, and was constantly concerned — as his letters show — for his friend’s health.

Rudolph was not only a competent pianist but also a good composer; his 40 Variations on a Theme by Beethoven WoO 200 deserve mention. On Beethoven’s manuscript of the theme appears the note: “componirt im Frühjahr 1818 in doloribus etc.” Beethoven, who in two letters [A.933 and 948] calls the variations “masterly,” oversaw their publication by Steiner in December 1819, with a dedication to himself.

Many of Beethoven’s most important works were dedicated to the Archduke: the Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos; the Sonatas Op. 81a Les Adieux, Op. 106 Hammerklavier, and Op. 111; the Violin Sonata Op. 96; the Archduke Trio Op. 97; the Missa Solemnis Op. 123; the Grosse Fuge Op. 133 and its four‑hand piano transcription Op. 134; and several smaller pieces.

Many of these works were written for specific occasions:

• Op. 81a refers to the Archduke’s departure, absence, and return during the French siege of Vienna in 1809;
• the first two movements of Op. 106 were written and sent for his birthday;
• the piano part of Op. 96 was tailored for their performance with Rode;
• the Missa Solemnis was intended as a tribute for his enthronement as Archbishop of Olmütz in May 1820, though it was not completed in time.

Rupprecht, Johann Baptist (1776–1846). A businessman, writer, poet, and botanist. He also served as imperial censor of books. His poem Merkenstein was set to music twice by Beethoven, as Op. 100 and WoO 144. He met Beethoven in 1814, and although little is known about their relationship, it may have been closer than generally assumed, since his name appears frequently in the Conversation Books.

Russell, Sir John (1792–1863). He visited Beethoven around 1820–1822 and left in his travel memoirs an account of this visit.

Salieri, Antonio (1750–1825). Born in Legnago, he moved to Vienna in 1766, where in 1788 he became Court Kapellmeister. He composed a vast number of operas, among them Europa riconosciuta, with which La Scala in Milan was inaugurated in August 1778. As a composer he enjoyed great success not only in opera but also in instrumental music — symphonies, serenades, concertos — as well as sacred and chamber music.

A passionate teacher, he counted among his pupils Schubert, Meyerbeer, Hummel, and certainly from 1802 onward Beethoven, whom he instructed in the Italian operatic and vocal style. In 1799 Beethoven published the Ten Variations on a Theme by Salieri WoO 73. He later dedicated to Salieri the Violin Sonatas Op. 12.

Carli Ballola sketches his portrait thus: “Among the musicians whom Beethoven frequented more or less regularly was Antonio Salieri, the last in the long line of Italian masters who… had pitched their tents in the Habsburg capital, finding themselves perfectly at ease in a cultural and social environment deeply Italianised. A musical authority of the first order… a man highly skilled in navigating artistic and courtly intrigues, Salieri belonged to that breed of immovable figures who withstand every political, historical, and spiritual upheaval and whom one finds still in place decades later… When Gluck was in vogue he became a Gluckian, and thanks to the support of that influential man he succeeded in having his Danaïdes performed in Paris and in obtaining the commission to inaugurate the new Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1778. Slightly fallen from favour under Leopold II, and surrounded by a certain coldness when rumours began to circulate about the death of poor Mozart, Salieri nonetheless remained one of the most respected and honoured musical personalities in Vienna and the custodian of the Italian operatic tradition. To Salieri, therefore, the young Beethoven turned for lessons and advice on ‘theatrical style’ and Italian vocal writing — undoubtedly the most useless instruction he ever received.”

Salomon, Johann Peter (1745–1815). Born in Bonn, he was a violinist in the Elector’s orchestra and later Konzertmeister to Prince Henry of Prussia. In 1781 he moved to London, where he took part in many musical enterprises. He was the one who arranged Haydn’s journey to London in 1790.

In 1815 Beethoven wrote to him [A.544], addressing him as “My distinguished compatriot!”, asking him to speak with London publishers about issuing some of his works (see Birchall, in Beethoven’s Publishers).

Schickh, Johann (1770–1835). Primarily a textile merchant, he was a lively spirit with a keen interest in the arts and culture. In 1816 he founded — and directed until his death — the Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur, Theater und Mode, also known as the Wiener Modenzeitung. The journal, widely circulated, included supplements: fashion plates (mostly French) and musical supplements consisting of album leaves and romances. Beethoven occasionally contributed to it.

The Lied Das Geheimnis WoO 145 was published there on 29 February 1816; Wo oder so WoO 148 on 15 February 1817. Schickh was in contact with Beethoven for many years and appears frequently in the Conversation Books. He was among the last to visit Beethoven shortly before his death, around 2 p.m. on 26 March, and was one of the torch‑bearers at the funeral.

The Wiener Modenzeitung published, on 29 March, an announcement of Beethoven’s death — probably written by Schickh himself — which, alongside biographical data, included assessments of the greatness of the Master’s work.

Schikaneder, Emanuel Johann Joseph (1751–1812). Theatre impresario, librettist, actor, and playwright. For years he toured various Austrian regions as actor‑manager and impresario. In 1789 he settled in Vienna, becoming director of the Theater auf der Wieden (later rebuilt as the Theater an der Wien, though Beethoven continued to call it “Wiedener”). His productions soon became popular for their ingenious staging and lavishness.

A friend of Mozart and fellow Freemason, he was the librettist of Die Zauberflöte, which he staged and in which he sang the role of Papageno at the première in 1791. For Beethoven he wrote the libretto of the opera Vestas Feuer, but after composing a few numbers Beethoven abandoned the project.

Schikaneder’s life was always difficult, plagued by financial troubles that overwhelmed him in 1807. He died insane and in poverty.

Schiller, Johann Christoph Friedrich von (1759–1805). Poet and playwright. His name is linked to Beethoven — though the two never met — for several reasons. He is the author of An die Freude, the text set in the choral finale of the Ninth Symphony, and he was one of Beethoven’s most beloved and admired writers. Beethoven often quotes him, directly or indirectly, in his letters and notes, citing passages from Don Carlos, Die Jungfrau von Orleans, Die Braut von Messina, and Wilhelm Tell.

Schindler, Anton Felix (1795–1864). Violinist, conductor, biographer, and self‑styled “friend” of Beethoven, as he described himself on his visiting card. Born in Moravia, he came to Vienna to study law but soon devoted himself to music, becoming a fine violinist and eventually concertmaster of the orchestra at the Josephstadt Theater.

He remained close to Beethoven for many years — if not from 1814, as he later claimed, certainly from 1819, when he began serving as Beethoven’s unpaid secretary, taking on even the most menial tasks: copyist, errand‑runner, household procurer. Beethoven grew fond of him and trusted him even in financial matters, though he knew well that Schindler lacked great ability; he accused him of being disorderly and showered him — sometimes for mere lateness or imprecision — with more or less good‑natured insults: Papageno, rascal, scoundrel of Samothrace, and so on. Many of Beethoven’s letters to Schindler, though playful, have an unmistakably imperative tone.

From 1822 to 1825 they lived in the same house, but in the summer of 1825, when Beethoven formed a close friendship with Holz, Schindler — who likely could not bear being eclipsed in the Master’s eyes — vanished from the scene for many months, returning only to assist the ailing Beethoven during the last five months of his life, when he was constantly at his side.

After Beethoven’s death, Schindler moved to Münster as musical director, then to Aachen, and finally to Frankfurt, where he died. He published in 1840 his Biographie von Ludwig van Beethoven, and in 1842 Beethoven in Paris, works brimming with anecdotes and fascinating details — many of which are now considered unreliable, lacking any evidence beyond his own word. Doubts about their credibility increased when it was discovered that he had made numerous posthumous additions to the Conversation Books and that, according to other testimonies, certain episodes were wholly invented or inaccurately reported.

After Beethoven’s death he came into possession of a vast amount of material: letters, manuscripts, Conversation Books. Unfortunately, he destroyed many of the latter, claiming they contained overly vehement criticisms of the authorities or did not present Beethoven in a favourable light. Of roughly 400 books, only 137 survive. All the material he had collected was eventually — and fortunately — transferred to the Royal Library in Berlin in exchange for an annual pension.

Schlemmer, Wenzel (1760–1823). The copyist who worked for Beethoven from 1799 to 1823. Beethoven trusted him deeply. He was meticulous and, above all, had become thoroughly familiar with Beethoven’s handwriting, which he could decipher with great accuracy. In reality, most copies were executed by his assistants: Schlemmer supervised the work, intervening to decipher difficult passages and checking the completed copies.

Some of these assistants remain anonymous; we know only that several scores from certain periods were copied by the same hand. One of them, however — Wenzel Rampl — is known to have become Beethoven’s closest collaborator after Schlemmer’s death, copying the late quartets and the Ninth Symphony.

Other copyists, of course, worked for Beethoven, but none — according to the Master, who complained about this many times — was comparable to Schlemmer.

Schuppanzigh, Ignaz (1776–1830). Viennese violinist and composer. He was one of the most renowned violinists of his time and particularly distinguished in quartet playing. He belonged to the private quartet of Prince Lichnowsky (with Sina as second violin, Weiss on viola, and Kraft on cello), and later, from 1808, to that of Count Rasumovsky.

When the quartet dissolved after the fire that destroyed the Count’s palace, he spent several years in Germany, Poland, and Russia, continuing his career. Upon returning to Vienna in 1823, he renewed his close relationship with Beethoven, whom he had first known in the late 1790s and to whom he had given violin lessons (he also became a friend of Schubert, who dedicated to him the A‑minor Quartet).

He led the violins in the première of the Ninth Symphony; with his quartet he gave the first performances of Beethoven’s late quartets (with the exception of Op. 131). He composed chamber music, naturally centred on the violin.

Beethoven never missed an opportunity to tease him — a relatively easy task, as Schuppanzigh was extremely corpulent. Beethoven called him “Falstaff.” He dedicated to him a short piece for solo voices and chorus, Lob auf den Dicken (“In Praise of the Fat Man”) WoO 100, which begins with the words “Schuppanzigh ist ein Lump” (“Schuppanzigh is a rascal”); composed in 1801, it was published only in 1890 by Grove in London.

On the occasion of Schuppanzigh’s return to Vienna, on 26 April 1823, Beethoven wrote him a note [A.1168] containing a canon, “Falstafferel, Falstafferel, Falstaff lass dich sehn” (“Little Falstaff, little Falstaff, Falstaff, show yourself”) WoO 184.

Sebald, Amalie (1787–1846). A celebrated Berlin singer, she met Beethoven in Teplitz in 1811 and saw him again the following year. Beethoven was probably very fond of her; in 1812 he wrote her many notes, lamenting that he could not meet her during his stay in Teplitz, and he presented her with the score of Christ on the Mount of Olives Op. 85 and the Goethe Lieder Op. 75 and 83.

Seyfried, Ignaz Xaver Ritter von (1776–1841). Viennese conductor, teacher, and composer whose works enjoyed wide popularity in his time. He had studied piano with Mozart and Kozeluch, and composition with Albrechtsberger and Winter. He wrote over one hundred theatrical works — operas, Singspiele, and incidental music — as well as many symphonies, quartets, overtures, sonatas, and sacred works. He also worked for Schikaneder’s theatre.

A good friend of Beethoven, he turned pages for him at the première of the Third Piano Concerto on 5 April 1803 at the Theater an der Wien. He left a curious description of the evening, reported by Thayer: “Beethoven asked me to turn pages for him; but this was easier said than done. I saw nothing but blank pages; on one page or another there were a few Egyptian hieroglyphs, completely incomprehensible to me, but serving him as reminders; he played almost the entire solo part from memory, having had no time to write it out.”

Seyfried wrote a book on Beethoven’s musical studies, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Studien im Generalbasse, Contrapuncte und in der Compositions‑Lehre (1832), interesting for its references to Beethoven’s character and the recollections of his life — certainly reliable, since the two lived together for a time at the Theater an der Wien.

Smart, Sir George Thomas (1776–1867). Born into a London family of musicians, he was an eclectic figure: organist, violinist, conductor, composer, and singing teacher. He was among the founding members of the Philharmonic Society of London and was extremely active for more than thirty years in organising musical events.

He conducted the first London performance of the Ninth Symphony in March 1825. He later visited Vienna and met Beethoven several times. On that occasion Beethoven gave him a four‑voice enigmatic canon on the words “Ars longa, vita brevis” WoO 192.

Smart left several writings containing recollections of his life and his encounters with Beethoven. As he had done with Moscheles, Beethoven wrote — or rather signed, since Schindler drafted them — two letters to Smart, dated 22 February [A.1555] and 6 March 1827 [A.1559], in which he recalled the Philharmonic Society’s offer to organise a benefit concert for him, described his grave condition, and asked for help. As is well known, only a few days later the 100 pounds sent by the Philharmonic Society arrived from London.

Sonnleithner, Joseph Ferdinand (1766–1835). Lawyer and composer. He studied law and, as an Austrian diplomat, travelled widely. He was Grillparzer’s uncle, and it was in his house that the young poet first saw Beethoven. Sonnleithner played important roles in Viennese cultural and musical life.

In May 1801 he founded, with Schreyvogel and Hohler, the Bureau d’Arts et d’Industrie, serving as its secretary for many years; the Bureau published many of Beethoven’s works, but ceased activity in 1822.

In 1804 he succeeded Kotzebue as director of the Court Theatres, a position he held until 1814. He was among the promoters and founders of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde.

In 1804 he wrote for Beethoven Leonore, an adaptation of J. N. Bouilly’s French libretto Léonore ou l’amour conjugal, for the first version of Fidelio.

Sontag, Henriette Gertrude Walpurgis (1806–1854). Born in Koblenz, she became a celebrated soprano. She studied piano and singing in Prague, debuted at fourteen, and later moved to Vienna in 1822, remaining until 1825. Her brilliant career began in 1823, when Weber, having heard her in Rossini’s La donna del lago, entrusted her with the leading role in Euryanthe.

Her success in Weber’s operas, at a moment of renewed German national sentiment, made her something of a Germanic heroine. She achieved great acclaim throughout Europe. After marrying Count Rossi, a diplomat of the King of Sardinia, she left the stage, but when her husband withdrew from political life after the events of 1847–1848, she returned to performing and even sang in the United States.

She possessed a voice of exceptional clarity and sweetness, with a silvery timbre, great range, and agility. She met Beethoven, as a letter of 8 September 1822 attests. The meeting occurred during a visit she and Unger paid to the Master, who was immediately captivated by their youth and charm; he wrote to his brother [A.1097]: “Today two singers came to visit us, and since they absolutely wanted to kiss my hands and were very pretty, I preferred to suggest that they kiss me on the mouth.”

At seventeen she sang the soprano part in the première of the Ninth Symphony and in excerpts from the Missa Solemnis at the historic concert of 7 May 1824.

 

Spohr, Louis (1784–1859). Composer, violinist, and conductor. An indefatigable concert artist and founder of the German violin school, he was regarded as second only to Paganini — with whom he was on friendly terms — among the virtuosi of his age. He held conducting posts in Gotha, Vienna, Frankfurt, and Kassel.

He was one of the earliest conductors in the modern sense of the term, and among the first to use a baton. A remarkably prolific composer, he wrote ten operas, nine symphonies, fifteen violin concertos, thirty‑four quartets, fifty‑nine Lieder, four oratorios, and a vast quantity of other works for various ensembles. He also wrote a violin method and a book of memoirs.

During his stay in Vienna from 1812 to 1815, as director of the Theater an der Wien, he became a friend of Beethoven. His autobiography contains many vivid and entertaining recollections of his relationship with the Master, of episodes from Beethoven’s life, and of Viennese musical life.

Sporschil, Johann (1800–1863). A young poet who had planned an opera in which the score of The Ruins of Athens was to be used. On 5 November 1823 he published in the Morgenblatt of Stuttgart an article describing Beethoven’s character, habits, and personality.

Stadler, Maximilian (born Johann Karl Dominik) (1748–1833). He embraced the Benedictine religious life and became Abbot of Kremsmünster. From 1796 to 1803 he lived in Vienna, devoting himself to music; from 1815 onward Vienna became his permanent residence.

A friend of Mozart — whose work he always admired — he must not be confused with Anton Stadler (1753–1812), for whom Mozart wrote the Stadler Quintet K. 581. He was also a friend of Beethoven, though he kept a certain distance from Beethoven’s music and did not fully grasp its greatness.

He composed much sacred and secular vocal music. On 6 February 1826 Beethoven wrote him a letter [A.1468] — the only one — praising him and his musical learning, after the Abbot had written a pamphlet defending the authenticity of certain passages of Mozart’s Requiem that Gottfried Weber (a lawyer and amateur musician) had questioned. Beethoven wrote for him a canon, “Signor Abate” WoO 178.

Starke, Friedrich (1774–1835). Virtuoso horn player, composer, and teacher. A fine musician, he gave piano lessons to Beethoven’s nephew before Czerny did. He was an intimate friend of Beethoven from 1812 until the composer’s death, and his name appears frequently in the Conversation Books.

In 1820 he asked Beethoven for a contribution to his manual Wiener Pianoforteschule, and Beethoven sent him the Bagatelles Nos. 7–11, Op. 119.

Steibelt, Daniel Gottlieb (1765–1823). German composer and pianist, author of several operas and seven piano concertos; he was also famous as a teacher but above all as a piano virtuoso. Thayer labels him a “charlatan,” and Ries recounts the famous contest with Beethoven in May 1800 at the house of Count Fries, from which Steibelt emerged utterly humiliated.

Stein, Johann Andreas (1728–1792). The celebrated Augsburg piano maker. He had three children:

• Matthäus Andreas Stein (1776–1842), piano maker in Vienna and friend of Beethoven;
• Friedrich Stein (1784–1809), pianist, who made the piano arrangements of the Fourth Symphony and the Coriolan Overture;
• Anna Maria (Nanette) Stein (1769–1833), married Streicher (see Streicher).

Strauss, Anton. When Beethoven first arrived in Vienna, from December 1792 to January 1793 he lived in an attic at No. 45 Alserstrasse, Alsergrund, and then, from January 1793 to late summer 1794, in a ground‑floor room of the same building (today Alserstrasse 30), which, as Thayer writes, “was occupied by a certain Strauss, a printer.” (Thayer notes that another resident of the house was Prince Lichnowsky, who shortly thereafter arranged for Beethoven to move into his own lodgings.) This Strauss, who first welcomed Beethoven into his home, was the same man who thirty‑five years later printed the invitation to Beethoven’s funeral, written by Stephan von Breuning. In 1832 a second edition of that announcement was printed by the widow of Anton Strauss — evidently for commercial purposes.

Streicher, Johann Andreas (1761–1833). Born in Stuttgart, he had in his youth the remarkable fortune of knowing Friedrich Schiller and of fleeing with him from the Military Academy in 1782. Devoting himself to music, he became a pianist and composer. In 1793 he went to Augsburg, where he met Nanette Stein (1769–1833), daughter of the recently deceased organ and piano maker Johann Andreas Stein. He married her, and together with his brother‑in‑law Matthäus Andreas they settled in Vienna, where they founded a piano‑manufacturing business.

Their home in the Landstrasse soon became a gathering place for Viennese musicians, who met there to converse, discuss music, and take part in Sunday‑morning musical gatherings; the house became, in effect, a centre of Viennese musical life. Beethoven used their pianos and for a time preferred them to all others. Many letters survive in which Beethoven speaks to Johann Andreas Streicher about his instruments, calling them excellent. One letter of 1796 is particularly noteworthy [A.18]: “There is no doubt that, as far as playing is concerned, the piano is still the least studied of all instruments; one often has the impression of hearing nothing but a harp. And I am glad, dear friend, that you are one of the few who realise and sense that, if one has music in the soul, the piano can even be made to sing.”

Their familiarity was such that in a letter of November 1810, in which Beethoven asks him for a piano [A.283], the final lines read: Be well if you send me a p[iano]; If not, then be ill! Your friend Beethoven.

The Conversation Books show that Streicher visited Beethoven frequently; with his son Johann Baptist he went several times to Beethoven’s home during the composer’s final months and served as a torch‑bearer at his funeral.

Streicher, Anna Maria Nanette, née Stein (1769–1833). Daughter of Johann Andreas Stein, she was a child prodigy at the piano. Mozart heard her in Augsburg and wrote about her to his father on 23 October 1777; although he teased her for her affected manner of playing, he recognised her talent and predicted a brilliant future. She married Johann Andreas Streicher. She occupies a special place in Beethoven’s life. A warm friendship developed between the Streichers and the Master, and Beethoven soon turned to them — especially to her — for help with all manner of practical matters, including domestic ones. At least sixty letters and notes from Beethoven to Nanette survive, some only a few lines, others several pages long. They speak of laundresses, linen, nightshirts and socks, blankets and napkins, rags and teaspoons to be returned; of money lent or advanced for household expenses; of the search for new lodgings and ways of cooking; of unbearable housekeepers and servants; of lazy waiters, and so on.

Naturally, the usual word‑plays appear from time to time: “the entire household (Haushaltung) still has no bearing (Haltung), and resembles an Allegro of Confusion”; “what a trick (Streich) from Frau von Streicher!”; “As for Frau von Stein (stone), please do not let Herr von Steiner turn to stone.” In one letter concerning dish‑cloths, Beethoven even inserts a musical phrase on the word “Abwischfetzen” (wiping‑rags).

Fate decreed that Nanette Streicher should be buried only a few metres from Beethoven’s grave in the Zentralfriedhof of Vienna, so that the two may continue, as it were, to face one another.

Stumpff, Johann Andreas (1769–1846). Born in Thuringia, a maker of harps, he moved to London around 1790. A great admirer of Beethoven’s music, in 1824 he obtained from J. A. Streicher a letter of introduction to the Master; and of his meeting with Beethoven, which took place in September 1824, he left a vivid description reported by Thayer. Stumpff recounts that Beethoven invited him to dinner and that, after the meal, they drank several more glasses of Tokay. Beethoven praised the English way of life, railed against the bad taste that had infiltrated musical life — above all through Rossini and his followers — and declared that the greatest composer was Handel. Stumpff later sent from London the precious forty‑volume folio edition of Handel’s works published by Arnold; the gift, which arrived on 14 December 1826, brought immense joy to Beethoven, already near death. Stumpff remained in contact with Vienna during the Master’s illness and was informed directly of his death by a letter dated 28 March 1827, in which Streicher also enclosed a lock of Beethoven’s hair.

Sturm, Christoph Christian (1740–1786). A Lutheran pastor who, through his writings, sought a reconciliation between science, Enlightenment thought, and religion. Schindler, in his Biographie, claims that Beethoven’s religious ideas were based not so much on Church doctrine as on a personal deism. Beethoven recognised God in the works of nature, and this conception was greatly nourished by his reading of Sturm’s book.

Stutterheim, Josef von (1764–1831). Field Marshal Stutterheim was of great help to Beethoven: persuaded by von Breuning, he agreed to enlist Beethoven’s nephew Karl in his regiment, the Erzherzog Ludwig, stationed at Iglau. In gratitude Beethoven dedicated to him the String Quartet in C‑sharp minor, Op. 131.

Swieten, Baron Gottfried van (1733–1803). Director of the Imperial Court Library, patron of many Viennese musicians, friend of Mozart, and great admirer of the music of Bach and Handel. He was one of Beethoven’s earliest supporters in Vienna, and to him the First Symphony, Op. 21, is dedicated.

Tiedge, Christoph August (1752–1841). Writer and poet. His poem An die Hoffnung (“To Hope”) was set twice by Beethoven, in 1805 (Op. 32) and in 1811 (Op. 94). He met Beethoven in Teplitz, and a mutual sympathy arose between them.

Tomášek, Johann Wenzel (1774–1850). The Bohemian composer recounts in his autobiography that he heard Beethoven in Prague in 1798, performing his first two concertos and improvising, and that he was so overwhelmed he could not touch the piano for several days. He called Beethoven “the giant among pianists.”

Treitschke, Georg Friedrich (1776–1842). Poet and dramatist from Leipzig, he settled in Vienna around 1800 and became director of the Kärntnertortheater, where he also acted. Beethoven probably met him in 1811 and sought his collaboration for a new opera, though their plans came to nothing. Their relations remained excellent, however, and Treitschke later undertook the revision of the Fidelio libretto for the revival of the opera on 23 May 1814.

Several letters from Beethoven to Treitschke survive, all written in a tone of great cordiality. One, from April 1814 [A.479], is especially memorable: referring to Fidelio, Beethoven wrote the famous line, “I assure you, dear T[reitschke], that this opera will earn me the crown of martyrdom.”

For Treitschke Beethoven composed the final chorus “Germania” WoO 94 for the Singspiel Die gute Nachricht, performed on 11 April 1814. He also set the bass aria “Es ist vollbracht” (“It is accomplished”) WoO 97, the finale of Treitschke’s cantata Die Ehrenpforten (“The Gates of Glory”), a work performed several times during the jubilant celebrations of the Congress of Vienna. The Lied WoO 147, “Ruf vom Berge” (“Cry from the Mountain”), is likewise on a text by Treitschke.

These affectionate and collaborative relations left a deep impression on the poet, who on 26 April 1827 published in the Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur, Theater und Mode a poem commemorating Beethoven’s funeral: “Zu Beethoven’s Gedächtnis (Am 29 März 1827)”.

Umlauf, Michael (1781–1842). Conductor, son of the once‑famous composer Ignaz Umlauf (1746–1796). He conducted the first performances of Fidelio at its 1814 revival and of the Ninth Symphony in 1824. As is well known, Beethoven took part in the direction on both occasions, but owing to his deafness he could do very little; it was Umlauf who fulfilled the actual duties of conductor.

Unger, Caroline (1803–1877). A singer with an exceptionally wide vocal range (she could sing contralto, mezzo‑soprano, and soprano roles). She made her debut in 1821 at the Vienna Hoftheater in Così fan tutte. Her career unfolded mainly in Italy, where she enjoyed great success thanks also to her interpretative personality, which allowed her to excel in both serious and comic roles. She sang, together with Sontag, in the historic concert of 7 May 1824.

Varena, Joseph von (179–1843). A lawyer and passionate music lover living in Graz, Styria. He was one of the founders of the Graz Music Society. He met Beethoven in the summer of 1811 at Teplitz, and a warm friendship developed between them. Varena asked Beethoven for scores to be performed at charity concerts. Beethoven readily obliged and sent several works, including the oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives Op. 85, promising to send him every year some composition to aid the poor of Graz.

Varnhagen von Ense, Karl August von (1785–1858). Born in Düsseldorf, he enlisted in the Austrian army in 1809 and fought with the Vogelsang regiment at the Battle of Wagram, where he was wounded. He later held diplomatic posts in Prague, Paris, and Berlin. In 1814 he married Rahel Levin (1771–1833), who presided over a celebrated literary salon in Berlin. She was the first to champion Goethe in Berlin’s literary circles, exerting a profound influence on contemporary culture.

Varnhagen von Ense was a respected poet and writer, but his lasting fame rests on his memoirs, which contain many details about Beethoven, whom he had met at Teplitz through their mutual friend Oliva. He attempted to help Beethoven in securing the annual payments owed to him by Prince Kinsky under the famous 1809 annuity contract.

Vering, Dr. Gerhard von (1755–1823). A well‑known Viennese physician and surgeon, he treated Beethoven in 1801 for his deafness and abdominal ailments. The treatment seems to have had some effect, but Beethoven, dissatisfied, later turned to Dr. Schmidt. Vering’s daughter Julie was an excellent pianist [with whom Beethoven enjoyed playing four‑hand works]; she married Stephan von Breuning in 1808 but died in March 1809. To her Beethoven had dedicated the piano version of the Violin Concerto.

Viganò, Salvatore (1769–1821). A Neapolitan dancer, choreographer, and composer, son of a dancer and of Maria Ester Boccherini, niece of Luigi Boccherini. He began his musical studies with Boccherini. He married the dancer Maria Medina, and with his numerous ballets — many on his own music or arrangements of others — achieved great success throughout Europe.

His most famous ballet was The Creatures of Prometheus, with music by Beethoven, in whose première he and his wife took part. Appointed ballet master at La Scala in Milan, he presented from 1813 onward a series of ballets that aroused the enthusiasm of Stendhal, Foscolo, and Rossini. He is regarded as a supreme choreographer and one of the forerunners of the dramatic ballet.

Vogler, Abbé Georg Joseph (1749–1814). Known as “L’Abbé Vogler,” he was a harpsichordist, organist, theorist, and composer. After musical studies in Italy, he became chaplain at the Mannheim court and founded a music school renowned for its innovative teaching methods. He travelled widely in Europe as a performer. He wrote several operas, incidental music, three symphonies, quartets, trios, and about thirty concertos for harpsichord or piano. He was in Vienna from 1802 to 1805. Some reported that he once engaged in an improvisation contest with Beethoven in which, unusually, Beethoven made less impression than his rival; but the account of composer and writer Carl Ludwig Junker emphasises instead Beethoven’s greater richness of ideas and expressive power.

Waldstein und Wartenberg, Count Ferdinand Ernst Joseph Gabriel von (1762–1823). A great music lover and amateur composer, he was Beethoven’s first patron in Bonn. It was he who wrote, in the album presented to Beethoven by his Bonn friends on his departure for Vienna, the prophetic words: “The genius of Music is still in mourning and weeps for the death of its disciple, Mozart… May you receive, through unremitting labour, from the hands of Haydn the spirit of Mozart.”

The Count was one of the most influential figures at the Elector’s court. A member of the Lese‑Gesellschaft, the Reading Society descended from a secret order of Bonn intellectuals, he introduced the young Beethoven into cultivated circles. According to Wegeler, he was the first to recognise Beethoven’s musical gifts and became one of his staunchest supporters.

He had come to Bonn to undertake the novitiate of the Teutonic Order, into which he was solemnly admitted on 17 June 1788. To celebrate the event, still surrounded by considerable ceremony, he organised a grand fête with a ballet. The choreography was by the famous Habich of Aachen, and the music by Beethoven.

The ballet was performed on 6 March 1791 in the Bonn Ridotto Hall before nobles splendidly dressed in ancient Germanic costumes. It depicted the life and customs of the Germanic forefathers — hunting, amorous adventures, and feasting. At the première the music was attributed to Count Waldstein and was long considered his; it is not impossible that he suggested some themes.

The score, consisting of eight numbers, opens with a March and proceeds through a German Song, a Hunting Song, a Romance, a War Song, a Drinking Song, and a German Dance, ending with a Coda. It is catalogued as WoO 1.

On a theme by the Count, Beethoven wrote in 1791–1792 a small work, the Eight Variations in C major for piano four hands, WoO 67, which, though simple and ornamental, strike — as Solomon notes — “by their almost orchestral colour.”

Beethoven later dedicated to Count Waldstein the Sonata Op. 53, which bears his name.

Wawruch, Dr. Andreas Ignaz (c. 1771–1842). A physician of considerable merit, “professor of medical practice for surgeons” at the University of Vienna, a celebrated internist, and an amateur cellist and double‑bass player. He appears in Beethoven’s life only on 5 December 1826, when he was called — according to the Conversation Books — by Karl Holz to take charge of the Master’s final illness.

When Beethoven asked who he was, Wawruch wrote in a Conversation Book: “A great admirer of your name, who will do everything possible to bring you relief as soon as possible. Prof. Wawruch.”

He visited Beethoven daily from 5 to 14 December (twice on the 6th), managing to resolve the pulmonary problem but not the hepatic insufficiency. He assisted Dr. Wagner at the autopsy on 27 March. He left a detailed account of these events, omitting only the fact that in November 1827 he was paid a fee of 250 florins for his devoted attendance at the patient’s bedside.

Weber, Carl Maria von (1786–1826). The great composer did not at first understand Beethoven and might be counted among his early detractors, though he later became an ardent admirer. His first judgment of the Seventh Symphony was that “the author was now ready for the madhouse.” But he soon became practically an apostle of Beethoven’s music. He conducted Fidelio in Prague on 21 November 1814, and later brought it to definitive success — thanks also to the celebrated singer Wilhelmine Schröder‑Devrient, who made her début as Fidelio in the Dresden performance of 29 April 1823.

Beethoven, on the other hand, seems to have been immediately struck by Der Freischütz. Hearing of its great success in Berlin, he had the score sent to him and declared himself astonished.

Weber visited Beethoven in Baden on 5 October 1823. There was also an exchange of letters between them, but none has survived.

Wegeler, Dr. Franz Gerhard (1765–1848). A dear friend of Beethoven. They met in their youth, in 1782, and it was Wegeler who introduced the young Ludwig, as a piano teacher, into the Breuning household. Among Wegeler, Beethoven, Franz Ries (Kapellmeister to the Elector), and the von Breuning siblings (Stephan, Lorenz, Christoph, and Eleonore), a solid friendship was formed that was to last a lifetime.

Until 1792 — except for the years 1787–1789, when Wegeler studied medicine in Vienna — Wegeler and Ludwig spent many days together. They met again in Vienna from October 1794 to the summer of 1796, but after that they never saw each other again.

In 1802 Wegeler married Eleonore von Breuning, Stephan’s sister, worked a few more years as a physician in Bonn, and in 1807 moved to Koblenz. Beethoven’s affection and admiration for Wegeler remained unchanged, as can be seen from the letters they exchanged, albeit rarely, in the following years.

Wegeler was one of the first to whom Beethoven confided the beginning of the tragedy of his deafness, in the letter of 29 June 1801, in which he wrote: “Only the jealous demon, my bad health, has played me a vile trick; for my hearing has grown steadily weaker over the last three years… For nearly two years I have avoided social life because it is impossible for me to say to people: I am deaf… To give you an idea of this peculiar deafness of mine, I tell you that at the theatre I must sit very close to the orchestra if I wish to understand the actors, and that the high notes of instruments and voices escape me entirely if I move even a little away…” [A.51].

In 1815 Beethoven sent Wegeler his portrait: the Höfel engraving after Latronne’s drawing, published in 1814 by Artaria. Wegeler’s copy bears the inscription: “For my friend Wegeler, Vienna, 27 March 1815, L. v. Beethoven.”

In 1838 Wegeler published, shortly after the death of Ferdinand Ries, a biographical book on the Master, in both their names: Biographische Notizen über Ludwig van Beethoven. The book consists of two parts, the first written by Wegeler and the second by Ries; an appendix by Wegeler alone followed in 1845. Scholars place great trust in the information contained in this volume.

Weigl, Joseph (1766–1846). Composer and conductor active in Vienna, especially at the Kärntnertortheater. His relations with Beethoven were not particularly close, although one of his themes was used as the subject of the variations in the finale of the Clarinet Trio Op. 11. It was Weigl who set to music, in 1804–1805, Schikaneder’s libretto Vestas Feuer, which Beethoven had abandoned.

Weissenbach, Dr. Aloys (1766–1821). A surgeon with a taste for poetry, living in Salzburg, who met Beethoven in 1814 during a visit to Vienna for the festivities of the Congress. He wrote for Beethoven the text — judged banal and rhetorical — of the cantata Der glorreiche Augenblick Op. 136 (The Glorious Moment). Some have suggested that Beethoven accepted to set such an impossible text, which, as Schindler reports, caused him no small trouble, merely out of sympathy, since Weissenbach too was deaf.

Wieck, Friedrich (1785–1873). Pianist, pedagogue, and piano maker, better known in music history because his daughter Clara married Robert Schumann against his wishes. He visited Beethoven in Vienna in May 1826 and left a brief account of his visit.

Wild, Franz (1791–1860). A famous Viennese singer. On 25 January 1815, during the Congress of Vienna, at a court ceremony in the presence of the Empress of Russia, Wild sang Adelaide Op. 46, accompanied at the piano by Beethoven.

Willman, Magdalena. A highly talented singer who triumphed in the major Austrian, Italian, and German theatres. Originally from Würzburg, she met Beethoven in Bonn in 1790, when she sang at the court theatre. With the court musicians and Beethoven she took part in the Rhine cruise organised in September 1791 by Elector Maximilian Franz, from Bonn to Mergentheim.

Meeting her again years later in Vienna, Beethoven fell in love with her to the point of proposing marriage — naturally refused. She sang Beethoven arias in public concerts, one of which, on 6 April 1797, Beethoven played in, and thus presumably accompanied her.

Wolanek, Ferdinand (1761–?). A copyist entrusted with preparing parts of the Missa Solemnis. Because of the poor quality of his work, quarrels arose with Beethoven. Wolanek returned the material unfinished, with a letter alluding to the composer’s emotional temperament and telling him to console himself with the thought that, had Mozart and Haydn worked as copyists for him, he would have insulted them just the same.

Wölffl, Joseph (1772–1812). Composer, violinist, and pianist. As Thayer reports, he was born in Salzburg, studied with Leopold Mozart, and, a child prodigy, played a violin concerto in public at the age of seven. His successes as a piano virtuoso were extraordinary. Around 1799 he was a dangerous rival to Beethoven.

He had enormous hands that allowed him to take tenths as easily as others took octaves, executing double‑note passages at great speed. But all who wrote about the contests between the two concluded that Beethoven — though very brilliant, if less delicate and less clear than Wölffl — was decidedly superior in improvisation and expression.

Wolfmayer, Johann Nepomuk (1768–1841). A wealthy Viennese textile merchant and passionate music lover, he quickly became a strong supporter of Beethoven and his music. We possess no very precise information about their relationship, but it must have been fairly confidential. In a letter to Kanka of 22 August 1814 [E.732], Beethoven crossed out his own address (“Little Pasqualati House, Mölkerbastei 94”) and added in a postscript: “Please address letters to me at the residence of Mr. Johann Wolfmayer, Vienna, beym rothen Thurn, Adlergasse no. 764.” Beethoven was leaving for Baden, and Wolfmayer probably handled his correspondence during that period. In 1818, as a letter from Wolfmayer shows, he had commissioned a Requiem from Beethoven for a fee of one hundred ducats — a work Beethoven never composed. Beethoven had intended to dedicate the Quartet Op. 131 to him, but the dedication ultimately went to Baron Joseph von Stutterheim (who had facilitated the enlistment of Beethoven’s nephew Karl in the army). Wolfmayer later received the dedication of the Quartet Op. 135.

Zelter, Carl Friedrich (1758–1832). A German composer, conductor, and writer born in Berlin. His greatest merit perhaps lies in having directed, from 1800 onward, the Berlin Singakademie and bringing it to great splendour through performances of many works by Bach. Amalie Sebald had also been a member. Among his pupils was Mendelssohn, with whom he worked on the 1827 revival of the St Matthew Passion.

He was a friend of Goethe, with whom he maintained a rich correspondence, and he set many of Goethe’s poems to music — this lieder output being perhaps the finest part of his oeuvre. He was one of the most cultivated spirits of his time.

He met Beethoven in Vienna in 1819 and wrote him a very affectionate farewell note, revealing deep esteem. In that note he confessed to the Master that he too suffered from hearing problems. Beethoven wrote to him in 1823 asking for help in securing subscriptions for the Missa Solemnis. Zelter’s judgments of Beethoven, however, were not always benevolent.

Zizius, Nepomuk (1772–1824). Doctor of law and violinist. From 1800 he served as court and tribunal lawyer, professor of political science and jurisprudence at the Theresianum, and from 1810 professor of statistics at the University of Vienna. He assisted Beethoven in the dispute with Artaria (1804–1805) concerning the notorious pirated edition of the Quintet Op. 29. In 1812 he joined the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde and remained, until his death, a member of its governing committee as well as an active violinist in its ensembles. At his residence, Kärntnerstrasse 1038, he hosted for many years well‑attended musical evenings.

Zmeskall, Nicolaus von Domanovecz (1759–1833). Hungarian by birth, he lived all his life in Vienna, where he served as Secretary of the Hungarian Chancellery. He met Beethoven shortly after the composer’s arrival and remained a faithful friend until his death. He introduced Beethoven to many important Hungarian and Viennese families. A fine cellist and writer of quartets, he worked tirelessly to promote performances of Beethoven’s works. A substantial correspondence survives — letters and short notes, many concerning the mundane necessities of daily life (the hiring of a servant, a small loan, the purchase of good writing pens, problems with landlords, dealings with publishers). The first letter dates from 1795 and the last from 18 February 1827, only weeks before Beethoven’s death.

Although they remained in contact, they saw each other little in the final years, as Zmeskall was bedridden with severe arthritis; nevertheless, he did everything possible to attend the première of the Ninth Symphony on 7 May 1824.

Beethoven addressed him affectionately as “Count of Music” and “Baron Trash‑Collector,” but also scolded him — telling him, for instance, that he was “dismissed” or “required to appear today before our tribunal” when Zmeskall made comments on his music that displeased him. He also teased him with playful titles such as “Mirabile Signor von Seneskall,” “Your Highness,” “O extraordinary one, first among all who soar into the heavens without being lifted there!”, or by speaking of “Zmeskaltezza.”

Zmeskall never took offence and never refused his small services. Beethoven dedicated to him a short duet for viola and cello in E‑flat major, WoO 32, Duet mit obligaten Augengläsern (“Duet with Obligatory Spectacles”), alluding in the title to the fact that both were myopic and had to wear glasses.