As a freelance musician, Ludwig van B. was always looking for ways to make money. The dedication of works to nobility and/or friends, although a rather uncertain source of income, was one possible revenue stream. However, much depended on the goodwill of the dedicatee, and rather than sending money, payment might be a watch, a piece of silverware or a snuffbox. When Beethoven dedicated his Ninth Symphony to the King of Prussia, he sent him a ring with “a reddish stone that Beethoven quickly pawned for 300 florins.” Ludwig van B. frequently dedicated pieces out of friendship rather than for hope of money. And he got furious if a titled friend sent him money in return for a dedication he had made from friendship. “I am angry, angry, angry,” he wrote to his friend Nikolaus Zmeskall von Domanovecz—an official in the Hungarian royal court—for sending him money in return for the dedication of the Op. 95 String Quartet. “I cannot tell you in writing how much this present pains me,” Beethoven indignantly wrote. Zmeskall (1759-1833), a competent cellist, had been one of Beethoven’s earliest friends in Vienna. He entertained regular chamber music gatherings at his house, and over the course of their long friendship, they exchanged more than 100 letters and notes. They also enjoyed meeting in a local tavern called “The Swan” over drinks, and exchanged gossip, discussed books, and schemed how to best dismiss willful servants.
Templo S.U.D. over 2 years ago
What did the king of Prussia himself think of Ludwig’s attitude over the watch?
constantine48 over 2 years ago
That’s a good way to lose your head.
iggyman over 2 years ago
A true devotee to Beethoven Schroder!
MY DOG IS MY CO PILOT over 2 years ago
As a freelance musician, Ludwig van B. was always looking for ways to make money. The dedication of works to nobility and/or friends, although a rather uncertain source of income, was one possible revenue stream. However, much depended on the goodwill of the dedicatee, and rather than sending money, payment might be a watch, a piece of silverware or a snuffbox. When Beethoven dedicated his Ninth Symphony to the King of Prussia, he sent him a ring with “a reddish stone that Beethoven quickly pawned for 300 florins.” Ludwig van B. frequently dedicated pieces out of friendship rather than for hope of money. And he got furious if a titled friend sent him money in return for a dedication he had made from friendship. “I am angry, angry, angry,” he wrote to his friend Nikolaus Zmeskall von Domanovecz—an official in the Hungarian royal court—for sending him money in return for the dedication of the Op. 95 String Quartet. “I cannot tell you in writing how much this present pains me,” Beethoven indignantly wrote. Zmeskall (1759-1833), a competent cellist, had been one of Beethoven’s earliest friends in Vienna. He entertained regular chamber music gatherings at his house, and over the course of their long friendship, they exchanged more than 100 letters and notes. They also enjoyed meeting in a local tavern called “The Swan” over drinks, and exchanged gossip, discussed books, and schemed how to best dismiss willful servants.
cubswin2016 over 2 years ago
I thought that Elvis was the king.
fritzoid Premium Member over 2 years ago
And that is why Beethoven’s music is banned in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
txmystic over 2 years ago
Sucker composers should call him “sire”…
dlestersprint0 over 2 years ago
Elvis has left this comic.