ABSTRACT
The year 1819 opened with one of the regularly recurring squabbles, followed by litigation, between Beethoven and his sister-in-law (the “Queen of Night” as he called her) concerning young Carl, who had run away from his uncle to his mother. The Spring found Beethoven starting his annual spell in the country at Mödling, and hard at work on the Mass in D—how hard may be seen from this note of Schindler:
Towards the end of August, accompanied by the musician Johann Horsalka still living in Vienna, I arrived at the master’s home in Mödling. It was 4 o’clock in the afternoon. As soon as we entered we learned that in the morning both servants had gone away, and that there had been a quarrel after midnight which had disturbed all the neighbours, because as a consequence of a long vigil both had gone to sleep and the food which had been prepared had become unpalatable. In the living-room, behind a locked door, we heard the master singing parts of the fugue in the Credo—singing, howling, stamping. After we had been listening a long time to this most awful scene, and were about to go away, the door opened and Beethoven stood before us with distorted features, calculated to excite fear. He looked as if he had been 123in mortal combat with the whole host of contrapuntists, his everlasting his everlasting enemies. His first utterances were confused, as if he had been disagreeably surprised at our having overheard him. Then he reached the day’s happenings, and with obvious restraint he remarked: “Pretty doings, these ! (Saubere Wirthschaft.) Everybody has run away and I haven’t had anything to eat since yesternoon !” I tried to calm him and helped him to make his toilet. My companion hurried on in advance to the restaurant of the bathing establishment to have something made ready for the famished master. Then he complained about the wretched state of his domestic affairs, but here, for reasons already stated, there was nothing to be done. Never, it may be said, did so great an artwork as is the Missa Solemnis see its creation under more adverse circumstances.”
