10/03/2026
BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Tuesday, October 3, 1826 (very approximately)
Conversation Book 123 begins to be used sometime in the first half of October. This is a thin volume with only 15 leaves, but all of them contain writing. Schindler has correctly identified it as belonging to "+ Fall 1826 in Gneixendorf on Johann van Beethoven's estate." A note by Thayer places it in October, though it extends into early November as well. There are few guideposts to the chronology, so the precise dates of most entries in October and November of 1826 cannot be established other than in relation to one another. We have therefore distributed the material over the months of October and November, while keeping together conversations that are clearly related.
The book opens with a word probably written in by Brother Johann, which is heavily erased and not legible. Karl notes that Johann attends lectures on economics. Tomorrow Johann will need to spend the whole day in the field.
Karl writes several calligraphic exercises in both pencil and ink on the first page of the conversation book: "Nom", "Nonus", "Pull", "Pummus", "Holl", "Holland", and four capital Ns separated by hyphens. See attached detail of the page, enhanced for legibility.
Conversation Book 123, 1r.
Michael Kren, the son of Johann's w**e cellar supervisor, acts as Ludwig's personal servant. Friedrich Kerst, Die Erinnerungen an Beethoven, vol.II, at 199-201, contains several recollections related to Kren. The subsequent owner of the estate, Friedrich von Kleyle, was tasked with collecting all the reminiscences of Beethoven's stay in Gneixendorf. Kleyle's letter, which is dated Kirchberg, January 25, 1862, reports as follows:
"Michael Kren was a servant to the composer. I had him summoned, and he stated the following: Beethoven was in Gneixendorf in 1826, namely for three months, from the harvest until after the grape harvest, he believes August, September, October. Michael Kren was taken in by Johann Beethoven's wife to serve the composer. For the first few days, the cook made Beethoven's bed. Once, Beethoven sat at his table, gesturing with his hands, tapping his feet, and singing or humming along. The cook laughed at this. Beethoven happened to glance back at her, and when he saw her laughing, he chased her out of the room. Michael ran out with her. Beethoven called him back, told him not to be afraid, gave him three twenties [kreutzers] and said that from now on he had to make his bed and tidy up. Michael had to get up early, but usually had to knock for a long time before Beethoven opened the door. Around 5:30, Beethoven would usually get up, look at his table, tap out the beat with his hands and feet, and write while singing and humming. At first, when he felt like laughing at this, Michael would sneak out the door, but gradually he got used to it. At 7:30, they had breakfast together. After the same, Beethoven always hurried outdoors, strolled around in the fields, shouted, gestured with his hands, sometimes walking very slowly, then very quickly, or suddenly stopping and writing in a kind of notebook."
"Once, when he came home, he noticed that he had lost something. 'Michael,' he said, 'run and find my writings. I must have them back at any cost.' And indeed, they were found. At half past twelve he usually came home for dinner. From the table he went to his room and remained there until three o'clock, and then he ran around in the fields again until before sunset, for after that, he almost never went out again. By half past seven, it was nighttime, and then he went to his room, wrote until ten o'clock, and then went to bed. Sometimes Beethoven also played the piano, but it was not in his bedroom, rather in the hall. Beethoven's living room and bedroom, which no one but Michael was allowed to enter, was the corner room facing the garden and courtyard, where the billiard room is currently located."
"During the time when Beethoven went out for his morning walks, Michael had to tidy the room. There, several times he found money lying on the floor. When he gave it back to Beethoven, he asked him where he had found it. Michael then had to show him the place where he had found it, whereupon the man gave it to him as a gift. This happened three or four times, but then Michael could no longer find any money. In the evenings, Michael always had to sit next to Beethoven and write down the answers to the questions Beethoven asked him. He was mostly questioned about what had been said about him at lunch and dinner. One day, the landowner's wife [Therese] sent Michael to Stein with 5 florins to buy w**e and a fish. Michael was careless, lost the money, and returned to Gneixendorf after twelve o'clock, quite distraught. The landowner's wife immediately asked him where the fish was, and when he told her about the loss of the money, she sent him away. Ludwig Beethoven, when he came to the table, asked where Michael had been. When Johann's wife told him about the incident, he was very angry, gave her the 5 florins and ran to get Michael back. From that time on, he no longer went to his brother for breakfast, but had Michael make it for him. He never spoke to his sister-in-law, but quite often with his brother. No one was allowed to come into his room but Michael."
"He also always went out alone, never with his sister-in-law or his brother....If someone took off their cap in front of Beethoven and asked for something by gesture, he gave them something, but otherwise he paid no attention to anyone he met, hardly even returning a greeting.... People, especially at first, thought him a fool!"
