D-DGla, KK II Nr. 481, fols. 69–74 (Ludwig van Beethoven Employment Petition)

Bonn, 23–29 February 1784

Location: Duisburg, Landesarchiv Nordrhein-Westfalen (D-DGla), Abteilung Rheinland, Kurköln II Nr. 481, fols. 69–74

Extent: Three nested bifolia (69/74, 70/73, 71/72)

This series of documents represents Ludwig van Beethoven's first attempt to receive an official, paid position as second court organist.

Critical for understanding this source is consideration of the actual petition from 15 February — which, buried in a collective petition elsewhere in the archive, has previously escaped scholarly notice — as well as the structure of the three documents that still survive, which is represented not entirely correctly in previous transcriptions:

1. An endorsement letter for Beethoven's hiring with comments on his financial situation and unspecific recommendation of a salary, signed by Siegmund Salm-Reifferscheid, Intendant of the Electoral Court Music (23 February, fol. 70r/v)
2. A summary of Salm's oral request for Beethoven to be given a salary (29 February, fol. 71r)
3. The court's ruling on Salm's salary recommendation (29 February, fol. 74r)

Transcription

[fol. 69 blank]

[70r]

Hochwürdigster Erzbischof und Kurfürst

gnädigster Herr Herr!

Ew. Kurfürstl.^e Gnad. haben gnädigst geruhet auf die
von dem Ludwig van Betthoven an Höchstdieselbe
unterm 15^ten dieses unterthängist überreichte Bitt-
-schrift meinen gehorsamsten Bericht abzuforderen.
Zu gehorsamster deßen Befolgung ohnverhalte unterthä-
-nigst, was gestalten des Supplikanten Vatter bereits 29.
und Groß Vatter in die 46. Jahr Ew Kurfürstl. Gnaden und höchst
dero Vorfahrn gedienet, Supplikant auch nach vorgegangener
gnugsamer Erprüfung und gefundener sattsamen fähig-
-keit zu der HofOrgel, welche er bei oft überkommender
Abweßenheit des Organisten Neffe bald zu der Comoedien
Prob, bald sonsten ohnehin öfters tractiret, und führohin in
solchem fall tractiren wird, Ew. Kurfürstl. Gnade auch für deßen
Besorgnis und etwaiger Subsistentz |: welche sein Vatter
ihm länger herzureichen ganz außer stand ist :| die gnädigste
Zusage gethan; alß bei des unterthänigst-ohnzielsezlichen

[70v]
dafürhaltens, daß in Rücksicht ob angeführten Ursachen
Supplicant wohl verdiene mit der Adjunction zu
der HofOrgel nebst einer kleiner von Ew. Kurfürstl.
ihm mildest beizulegender Zulage begnädiget zu
werden.
     Zu Ew. Kurfürstl.ⁿ Gnad. Höchsten Hulden
empfehle ich mich unterthänigst, und harre in tiefster
Erniedrigung

Ew. Kurfürstl^e Gnad.

Bonn den

Unterthänigst=trew gehorsamster

23^ten Feb.

Sigismund Altergraf zu Salm

1784

und Reifferscheid

[71r]
[right side]
Bonn den 29. Febr. 1784

Obristhofmeister Graf v. Salm, in
Betr. des um die adjunction auf
den Hoforganisten Neffe Supplici-
-renden Ludwig van Betthofen
ist der unmaßgeblichen Meinung,
daß ihm diese Gnade zu verleihen,
auf eine geringe Zulage zu
seinem einsweiligen Unterhalte
g[nädi]gst auszuwerfen seÿ.

[answer, left side]
beruhet

[fols. 72 and 73 blank]

[74r]
[left side]
adsup.
Ludw. van Betthoven.

[right side]
auf erstatteten g[e]h[orsam]sten Bericht,
beruhet des Supplicanten
unt[erthäni]gste Bitte. Urkund.
Bonn den 29. Febr. 1784

[74v]
[left side]
adsup.
Lud. van Betthoven.

[right side]
beruhet. Sig. Bonn
den 29. Feb. 1784

Translation

[fol. 69 blank]

[70r]

Most Reverend Archbishop and Elector

Most Gracious Lord Lord!

Your Electoral Grace has graciously
requested my most dutiful report on the petition
which was most obediently submitted by Ludwig
van Betthoven to His Highness on the 15^th.
In the most obedient observance thereof without any
hesitation, [I submit] that the supplicant's
father has served Your Most Reverend Electoral Grace
and Your Highness' predecessor for 29 years, his grandfather
for 46, that the supplicant has previously been amply tested
and found sufficiently capable at the court organ,
in which he has often substituted during Organist
Neefe's frequent absences, sometimes at comedy rehearsals,
sometimes elsewhere, and will continue to substitute
in the future, also that Your Electoral Grace has graciously
agreed to provide for his care and subsistence (his father
having long been quite incapable of doing so); it is
therefore my humble, impartial judgment that,

[70v]
in view of the above, the supplicant well deserves
the assistant organist position together with a
small allowance to be mildly granted by
Your Elector[al Grace].
     To the highest indulgence of Your Electoral Grace,
I commend myself most humbly and await in deepest
abjection

Your Electoral Grace's

Bonn den

most humble, faithful, and obedient

23^ten Feb.

Sigismund Altergraf zu Salm

1784

und Reifferscheid

[71r]
[right side]
Bonn, 29 February 1784

Obristhofmeister Graf v. Salm,
with regard to the supplicant
Ludwig van Betthofen's assistance
to Court Organist Neffe, is of
the humble opinion that he
should be bestowed this mercy,
that a small stipend should graciously
be paid to him as an addition to his
provisional support.

[answer, left side]
beruhet

[fols. 72 and 73 blank]

[74r]
[left side]
Addition.
Ludw. van Betthoven.

[right side]
on submission of the most obedient report,
the supplicant's most humble request
has been put to rest. Certified.
Bonn, 29 February 1784

[74v]
[left side]
Addition.
Lud. van Betthoven.

[right side]
beruhet. Sig. Bonn
29 February 1784

___

Commentary

The court's decision has been interpreted in two contradictory ways: Thayer believed the petition to have been granted, with the details on salary to be decided later, whereas Schiedermair believed the entire petition to have been rejected. Schiedermair's interpretation is unlikely, as it fails to take into account the petition from February 15, which itself already signals acceptance of the merits of the case while leaving the question of salary open pending review. Yet it is also true that Beethoven was not granted this salary until after the death of Maximilian Friedrich and the arrival of Maximilian Franz in June 1784. To some degree, the interpretation hinges on the ambiguous meaning of "beruhet," which sometimes could be meant as a rejection, other times meant in the sense of "let the matter rest (for now)." More to the point, the electoral court was currently in a state of crisis after the flooding of the Rhine on 27 February and the sudden death in January of State Minister Caspar Anton Belderbusch, who had near-absolute power over the court's hiring decisions and finances for over two decades. Count Salm, technically Belderbusch's successor as Obristhofmeister, was clearly not empowered to decide such matters, and received no guidance from above. Nevertheless, the timing of the petition, however unlucky given the natural disaster which had elapsed in the meantime, was not otherwise ill-chosen. Regardless of the current administrative limbo, a positive decision on Beethoven's employment would have been advantageous once matters of state were again being decided. And should there be a sudden change of leadership, as indeed would be the case, the decision to hire Beethoven would have already been made and only the salary would remain to be determined. As Thayer pointed out, in the Pro-Memoria from three months later, Beethoven is listed as a fully fledged member of the Hofkapelle who deserves a salary, not an Accessist or probationary member, and not a prospective member.

The endorsement also interestingly mentions that Beethoven had been substituting for Neefe at theater rehearsals, which must have provided valuable experience. Its stunning aside, that Johann van Beethoven had "long been quite unable" to provide for his family, somewhat mitigates against Maynard Solomon's rosy picture of the Beethoven family finances until 1787. Considered together with Beethoven's request in the collective petition, with its delicate reminder of a previous promise the elector made to help out in difficult financial circumstances, his granting of a salary must have been considered to a large degree a necessary measure to keep the Beethoven family solvent.