Adventures with Beethoven

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Beethoven’s Family

Beethoven came from a line of musicians. His grandfather and father were both prominent musicians in Bonn. Beethoven became the most celebrated part of this musical legacy. However, Beethoven’s family has many more interesting stories which shaped Beethoven’s life and relationships.

Ludwig the Elder (grandfather)

Beethoven was named after his grandfather. The elder Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1712 in what is now Belgium. Actually, two Ludwig van Beethovens were born in the Habsburg Netherlands in 1712, one in Mechelen in January and one in Antwerp in December. While the Beethoven born in Mechelen is usually listed as the ancestor, biographers at the time did not try to figure out which Ludwig was actually the grandfather.

Ludwig van Beethoven the elder was the son of Michael van Beethoven and Maria Louise Stuyckers. His father was the town master baker and also sold real estate, paintings, and antique furniture. At six, Ludwig the elder was recognized for the quality of his singing voice and he became a choir boy at the local cathedral, St. Rumbold’s. At age thirteen, Ludwig the elder began more in-depth musical studies with Anton Colfs, the organist and carillonneur at the cathedral, learning how to write in the musical notation of the day and learning to play the harpsichord and organ. Ludwig the elder continued studying and singing at the cathedral until 1727.

Ludwig the elder became a singer at St. Peter’s in Leuven in 1731. Documents also list him as the substitute Kapellmeister. The position of Kapellmeister signified the musician who was in charge of music making in a chapel. Eventually this term was also used for secular settings for the person in charge of music in a royal or noble household. Often this person was the senior musician in the establishment and the other musicians reported to them. Duties often involved writing music, conducting and rehearsing the choir or orchestra, and performing as a soloist or with a small group. Kapellmeister was a sought-after position and a sign of success.

Ludwig the elder’s next position was the following year in Liège at St. Lambert’s Cathedral. The following year Ludwig the elder was selected to come to Bonn by the Archbishop of Cologne and Prince-elector Clemens August of Bavaria. The archbishop had heard Ludwig the elder sing in Liège and wanted him to be part of the musical establishment in Bonn. Once Ludwig the elder had established himself in Bonn, his parents, who had fallen upon hard financial times, also moved to Bonn.

In November 1733, only eight months after moving to the city, Ludwig the elder married Maria Josepha Poll (sometimes listed as Ball). They had three children Maria (b. 1734), Mark (b. 1736), and Johann (b. 1740). The family moved several times throughout the city, eventually settling at Bonngasse 386, across the street from Bonngasse 515, Ludwig the younger’s birthplace.

Ludwig the elder had aspired to be the Kapellmeister for the archbishop; however, in 1760 the position went to a much younger man, Joseph Touchemoulin, a composer and violinist. Following the death of the archbishop the next year, his successor made changes to save money. Finally Ludwig the elder was given the position; however, due to the austerity changes, he was also required to sing and conduct as well. Ludwig the elder had a second job as a wine trader exporting wines from the Rhine and Moselle to Flanders. An unintended consequence of this business venture was his wife’s alcoholism, which required her to be confined to a clinic, where she died in 1775. Ludwig van Beethoven the elder died in 1773.

Those who knew him described Ludwig van Beethoven the elder as serious and honorable, but also as helpful and sociable. He was a diligent musician. Although his namesake grandson was only three years old at the time of his death, the younger Ludwig van Beethoven apparently had very clear memories of his grandfather. The artist Amelius Radoux painted a portrait of Ludwig the elder which Ludwig the younger inherited. Throughout all his moves in Vienna, the painting went into each new home and was always hung in a place of honor.

Johann van Beethoven (father)

Johann van Beethoven, the youngest son of Ludwig the elder, was born in Bonn in either 1739 or 1740. He showed musical ability at an early age, learning to play the violin and the zither, a string instrument with similarities to the guitar, although the instrument lacks a neck or frets. He also taught and played numerous keyboard instruments, including the clavichord and harpsichord. In 1764 Johann became a member of the choir at the court of the archbishop where his father was the Kapellmeister.

On a trip to Ehrenbreitstein, Johann met a young widow, Maria Magdalena Keverich. She was the daughter of the head chef for the Archbishop-Elector of Trier and was also related to several members of the court orchestra in Bonn. She and Johann were married November 12, 1767 at St. Remigius church in Bonn, in spite of Ludwig the elder’s opposition to the match. He thought that Maria’s status was too lowly and was unhappy that she had been married before. The couple eventually had seven children, only three of whom, Ludwig (b. 1770), Kaspar Anton Karl (b. 1774), and Nikolaus Johann (b. 1776), survived into adulthood.

Johann realized that his son Ludwig (the second child to bear the name, their first child Ludwig Maria was born in 1769, but died only a few days after birth) was immensely talented. Johann began teaching his son; however, his teaching style was draconian and abusive. A childhood friend reported that young Ludwig was beaten if he did not spend enough time practicing. A member of the court said that Johann sometimes locked Ludwig in the cellar. If Ludwig did not perform to his father’s expectations, he told Ludwig he was an embarrassment to the family.

Johann was an alcoholic, which further exacerbated the situation at home. He became increasingly unreliable and often the family had financial difficulties. Although he was capable of providing for his family, his alcohol abuse cost him the chance to succeed his father as Kapellmeister. By 1784 a report to the new Elector described Johann as having “a very stale voice.” Johann began having run-ins with the law. In one case he attempted to defraud the family of the late Count Belderbusch, a minister at the court. He forged the Count’s signature on some documents to try and gain some expensive gifts. Although the court found out his duplicity, he faced no legal charges, only public humiliation.

Beethoven as Family Caretaker

In 1787, while Ludwig was away on his first trip to Vienna, his mother, Maria, fell ill. Ludwig returned and his mother died of tuberculosis shortly thereafter. Johann’s drinking continued to worsen, forcing Ludwig to stay in Bonn for the next five years to help support the family and care for his young brothers. Johann could no longer perform his appointed musical duties, but the court kept him on the payroll as an act of charity. Occasionally Ludwig would have to intervene with the police to make sure his father wasn’t arrested for public intoxication. By 1789 Ludwig was taking care of the family and petitioned the Elector to have half of Johann’s monthly salary paid directly to Ludwig so that the family would actually see the money. The Elector granted the request and threatened to have Johann banished from Bonn, although this never actually happened. In 1792 Ludwig was finally able to return to Vienna to continue his musical education. Only one month after he left, Johann died.

Ludwig essentially became the sole provider and caregiver for his two surviving siblings when he was only 17 years old. Between the half of Johann’s salary that came directly to Ludwig and the money he was able to earn teaching lessons and performing, Ludwig was able to pay the bills and make sure his brothers had what they needed. Although he often acted as a surrogate father for his two brothers, Ludwig was only a few years older than them, and they often had disagreements and squabbles that caused friction in their adult relationships.

Karl van Beethoven (brother)

Kaspar Anton Karl van Beethoven, usually called Karl, was born in 1774. Karl followed his brother Ludwig to Vienna in 1794. Ludwig helped to establish Karl, paying rent and giving him a monthly income until Karl could find his own way. He began by teaching piano lessons, using the fact that he was Ludwig’s brother to entice students to study with him. Karl also wrote a few compositions of his own. Neither of these efforts were very successful since Karl did not have the same talents or abilities as his older brother. Karl gave up his musical ambitions and took a job with the government, working as a clerk in the Department of Finance. He also served as Ludwig’s part-time secretary, handling correspondence with publishers. However, Karl seemed to lack the necessary skills for this job as well. Many of the publishers found him difficult to deal with because of his arrogance and often he created problems by promising new compositions to one publisher when Ludwig had already made an agreement with a competing publishing house. One such incident led to a huge argument between the brothers that actually became a physical fight. After 1806 Karl did not represent Ludwig very often.

That same year Karl married Johanna Reiß (Reiss). Johanna was born in 1786 in Vienna. Her father was a prosperous upholsterer and her mother was the daughter of a local mayor and wine merchant. Her parents accused her of theft in 1804. At the time of their marriage, Johanna was already six months pregnant with their first child. Their son was born in September and was name Karl as well. Ludwig and Johanna never got along at all and the sibling’s relationship deteriorated drastically after Karl Senior’s marriage. Ludwig was horrified that his brother would marry someone so “unsuitable” because he was concerned about her “immorality.” In letters, Ludwig referred to her as the “Queen of the Night,” an allusion to the villainous character in the Mozart opera, The Magic Flute.

Karl received a promotion at work in 1809, becoming Deputy Liquidator which, along with the title, came with a pay raise and a subsidy for rent. Although this should have improved his financial standings, the Austrian government was in a bad way financially and the money did not go very far. Fortunately, Johanna had inherited a house from her father from which they received rental income that helped stabilize the family’s finances.

In July 1811 Johanna became involved in a plan to sell a pearl necklace, worth 20,000 florins. (This would have been the equivalent of several years-worth of salary. In 1809, Beethoven was paid an honoraria for the year of 4,000 florins.) Johanna would arrange the sale for the three owners and receive a commission in return. Once she received the necklace from one of the owners, Frau Kojowitz, Johanna staged a robbery at her home, hid the pearls in her bag, and then accused her former maid, Anna Eisenbach of the theft. After several days of interrogation, the police released Eisenbach due to lack of evidence. In August, Johanna was discovered wearing one of the three strands of pearls that made up the necklace. She was brought in for questioning and eventually confessed to selling the other two strands for 4,000 florins. Her husband helped secure her release from police custody and the necklaces were later recovered.

Johanna went on trial for her crimes in December 1811. The trial revealed that Karl and Johanna were deeply in debt and that Johanna owed thousands of florins to various people. On December 30, Johanna was convicted of embezzlement and false accusation. She was then sentenced to one year of “severe imprisonment.” Her punishment would include wearing leg irons, eating a meatless diet, sleeping on a bare floor, and not receiving any visitors. Her husband was able to eventually, through an appeal to the Emperor, to reduce her sentence to only the time served before her trial.

Apparently this run-in with the law did not change Johanna’s habits. The couple continued to spend lavishly and run up debts. In 1812 Karl Senior contracted tuberculosis. Ludwig stepped in to help support Karl and his family, writing to a friend that he was “obliged to completely support an unfortunate sick brother and all his family.” By the next year, Karl’s health had deteriorated so much that he set his affairs in order. In his papers, he wrote that Ludwig should be the guardian for Karl Junior, who was now six. That same day Ludwig granted the family a loan of 1,500 florins. Karl lived for another two years before dying in November 1815. The day before his death, Karl changed his will assigning guardianship of young Karl jointly to Johanna and Ludwig, perhaps in the hope the two would set aside their differences for the sake of the boy. Karl wrote “…the best of harmony does not exist between my brother and my wife. God permit them to be harmonious for the sake of child’s welfare. This is the last wish of the dying husband and father.”

Karl van Beethoven, Jr. (nephew)

Karl Senior’s wish was not fulfilled. Legal action over custody of Karl Junior began two days after his father’s death. The first court, the Imperial and Royal Landrechte of Lower Austria, a court that heard only cases for people of noble lineage, ruled on November 22 in Johanna’s favor that she be the main guardian, with Ludwig as co-guardian. On November 28, Ludwig challenged Johanna’s fitness as a parent. The court ruled again in January 1816, this time naming Ludwig as the child’s guardian. The next month, Ludwig enrolled Karl in a boarding school. Ludwig cared for Karl very much, addressing letters to Karl as “my son” and signing them, “your faithful father.” Ludwig never had anything good to say about Johanna and tried to keep Karl away from his mother as much as possible. The pair saw each other infrequently over the next two years.

In 1818 Johanna tried to regain custody of Karl again. The Landrechte realized that the “van” in “van Beethoven” was not a marker of noble status and transferred the case to a different court, which heard cases from the common classes. This time the Vienna Magistracy heard the case and was more sympathetic to Johanna’s plight, especially when it was revealed that Karl had run away from Ludwig’s home to see his mother and had been expelled from school. Johanna was awarded custody in 1819, however Ludwig was still the co-guardian. Although the tide seemed to have turned in Johanna’s favor, in 1820 the Court of Appeal awarded Ludwig permanent custody of Karl. Johanna’s last effort was an appeal to the Emperor directly, which was rejected in July 1820, finally settling the custody dispute after almost five years of brutal and ugly behavior.

Johanna gave birth to an illegitimate daughter in 1820. The girl, named Ludovika Johanna was the child of Johann Kaspar Hofbauer, who did acknowledge the girl and provide some financial support. Johanna requested financial assistance from Ludwig in 1824, although he did not pay Johanna himself, he directed that half of her governmental widow’s pension should go directly to her. Ludwig had been receiving it to pay for Karl’s education.

When Ludwig died in 1827, Karl, who was Ludwig’s sole heir, was not yet legally an adult. Jakob Hotschevar, a relative of Johanna and her lawyer during her custody fight, became Karl’s guardian. Hotschevar declined however to become the guardian of Johanna’s daughter, Ludovika in 1830. Although he had a familial and professional relationship with Johanna, he declined to have further contact with her due to her “far from praiseworthy moral conduct.” Johanna died in 1869, outliving her brother-in-law and son by years. Although Ludwig had never liked her and had made her life incredibly difficult, there are no writings or comments by Johanna about their relationship.

It’s confounding why Ludwig put up such a fight and why he disliked Johanna so much. Some, including preeminent Beethoven scholar Maynard Solomon, suggest the Ludwig had feelings for Johanna. Some have said the rumors of Ludwig’s infatuation with Johanna were spread by Johanna herself. Whatever the reason, Ludwig, Johanna, and Karl all suffered because of this prolonged and ugly family drama. Although Ludwig left behind letters with scathing remarks about Johanna, she apparently never wrote or said anything about Ludwig after his death.

Beethoven’s Guardianship of Karl Jr.

Young Karl suffered greatly during the custody battles. He was forced to testify at the trial in 1815, only days after his father’s death. Once Ludwig gained custody, he forbade Karl from seeing his mother at all. Nine-year-old Karl disobeyed these orders and snuck off to see his mother, but was returned to his uncle by the police. To make sure Karl was kept away from his mother, Ludwig instructed the school staff that Karl should not see her. Perhaps due to the unsettled nature of his home life, Karl struggled in school and was enrolled in various schools. Ludwig forced Karl to take piano lessons from the composer Carl Czerny (Chair-knee), who said that Karl did not have musical talent or ability, angering Ludwig.

Many of Ludwig’s friends tried to convince him that this drawn-out legal struggle was not worth his time and attention; however, Ludwig could not be dissuaded. Karl’s grades at school got even worse and so did his behavior as the lengthy legal procedure continued. Even as Karl became more unruly, Ludwig tried to provide a good education for his nephew, trying to fulfill another part of Karl Senior’s will. In the document Karl Senior wrote about Ludwig “…I trust that he (Ludwig) will do everything in his power for the mental education of my son and for his further career and I know that my brother will not refuse my request.” In 1818, during another set of petitions about his custody, Karl was accused of abusing one of the household servants and stealing money. He again tried to escape and stay with his mother. Johanna tried to use these incidents to show that Ludwig was not a fit guardian. However, during the proceedings, Karl, now twelve, was asked with whom he wished to live. He answered that his uncle treated him well, and if he could be provided with an interpreter, due to Ludwig’s increasing deafness, Karl would choose to stay in Ludwig’s care.

After another tumultuous couple of years, where Karl’s custody went back and forth between his mother and his uncle, in 1820 the matter was finally settled. Karl was once again under the guardianship of Ludwig, who sent Karl to school at the Blochlinger Institute. As soon as he arrived, Karl ran away again. Karl finally seemed to settle down as he reached his late teenage years. In 1825 the nineteen-year-old enrolled at the University of Vienna to study languages. He had an adept mind at business and Ludwig had Karl handle his financial dealings. Ludwig kept a close eye on Karl while he was at the university, sometimes even employing friends to spy on the boy. Karl planned to join the military, which made Ludwig very angry. Feeling distressed about the impossible situation, Karl bought a pistol in July 1826 and made plans to commit suicide. A few days later he bought a second weapon and headed for a set of ruins outside of Baden. Karl loaded both guns and aimed. The first shot missed Karl entirely; however, the second one grazed his temple. Karl was discovered the next day and asked to be taken to his mother.

The attempted suicide greatly troubled Ludwig and calls into question how much the legal wrangling over the boy affected his mental health. Karl received religious counseling and spent some time in the hospital. He also began combing his hair forward in an attempt to hide the scar from the suicide attempt. After he was released, he did join the military. Karl spent the last few months of 1826 with his uncle, whose health was rapidly deteriorating. In a will written the day after Karl left for his military service, Ludwig left his entire estate to Karl. Ludwig died in March 1827; Karl returned home for the funeral.

After five years of service, Karl retired from the military and married Caroline Barbara Charlotte Naske. Ludwig had never approved of the match, feeling, like his father before him, that Karl had chosen a spouse beneath his station. Perhaps that’s part of the reason that Karl and Caroline were not married until after Ludwig’s death. Karl and Caroline had five children, Karoline Johanna (b. 1831), Marie Anna (b. 1835), Ludwig Johann (b. 1839), Gabriele (b. 1844) and Hermine (b. 1852). The family enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle, due to the inheritances from Ludwig and Karl’s other uncle, Nikolaus. Karl died of liver disease in 1858 when he was 52. Caroline lived another three decades, dying at 83 in 1891.

Karl and Caroline’s four daughters all married and spent their lives in Vienna. The two oldest girls married brothers by the names of Franz and Paul Weidinger. Besides records of their births, marriages, and deaths, not much research can be found about these family members.

Ludwig van Beethoven III (great-nephew)

Karl and Caroline’s son, Ludwig has a more complete history. Born in 1839 and named after his favorite great uncle, young Ludwig received a good education and when he came of age, he joined the military. Throughout his life, Ludwig had numerous run-ins with legal authorities. The first incident happened in 1862 when he was accused of stealing money from his military regiment. In order to avoid arrest, his mother used the last of her inheritance money to bail out her son. After leaving the military, Ludwig began working as a journalist for the magazine Die Glocke (The Bell). In 1868, Caroline was forced to use her own money to save her son again. Ludwig fled Vienna for Munich to avoid creditors and possible criminal prosecution. In Munich Ludwig was introduced to Ludwig Nohl, a music scholar who published letters by Mozart and rediscovered the piano solo Für Elise and published it.

This friendship allowed Ludwig van Beethoven the third to meet the composer Richard Wagner (Ree-kard Vahg-ner). Wagner in turn introduced Ludwig the third to the King of Bavaria, Ludwig II. It was during this time frame that Ludwig the third began to pass himself off as the grandson of the famous composer, rather than the truth that he was the great-nephew. Impressed by these false credentials, King Ludwig II hired Ludwig the third with a hefty salary. While in Bavaria, Ludwig the third met and married Marie Nitsche, a talented pianist. Not content to falsify his lineage, Ludwig the third began telling people he was a Baron and used these false claims to cheat people out of money. Eventually the law caught up with him once again. Ludwig the third faced four years in jail for his crimes, while Marie would serve six months. Rather than face the consequences, the family, which now included a son, Karl Julius Maria (b. 1870), travelled first to Hamburg and later to America.

Once Ludwig the third arrived in America, he started using an assumed name, Louis von Hoven. Although he had capitalized on his famous name in Bavaria, he wrote to his sister that he wished to have his own identity and did not like “…being continuously faced with annoying questions.” Louis (Ludwig) and Marie eventually had six children, the two youngest born in the United States; however, only Karl survived to adulthood. While in America, Louis worked for the Michigan Central Railroad and also started businesses of his own. Marie taught piano lessons and toured as a concert pianist in the United States and Canada. The family moved back to Europe in 1878, although their whereabouts are hard to track once they returned. They appear to have spent time in Vienna and Paris, where a contemporary article, “Beethoven’s Grand-Nephew in America” was written by Paul Nettl, a musicologist and professor at Indiana University. In this article, Nettl claimed to have seen Louis/Ludwig in Paris, impoverished and ill.

The family moved to Brussels in 1907. Karl Julius took jobs writing for several different journals. Louis/Ludwig died in Brussels in October 1915. The next year Karl enlisted in the Austrian Army. The following year, Marie, who had been living alone, was no longer able to care for herself and was moved to a nursing home, where she died in May 1917. Karl, himself hospitalized with anemia and malnutrition, did not learn of his mother’s death until August. In September, Karl was able to receive his mother’s belongings which included an alarm clock, a ring, and a small amount of cash. In December 1917, Karl had surgery to repair an intestinal blockage. He died of complications from the surgery six days later. He was buried the following week beside his mother. Karl’s death was reported in Nueus Wiener Journal, “Yesterday the last bearer of the name Beethoven died in the Garrison Hospital. Karl Julius van Beethoven, a grandson of the great master’s brother…” A few relatives attended the funeral, descendants of his aunt, Karoline Wedinger.

Nikolaus Johann van Beethoven (brother)

Ludwig’s relationship with his other brother was much less tumultuous, although never exactly easy. Nikolaus Johann was born in 1776 and was the last child of Johann and Maria. He studied to become a pharmacist and in 1795 followed his two elder brothers to Vienna. He began going by Johann in memory of his late father. After working as a pharmacist’s assistant for a few years, Johann decided he was ready to own his own shop. In 1808 he moved to Linz, 96 miles away, and started his career there. His first year in business was disastrous; he was almost forced to declare bankruptcy. Two things helped save his business. First, Johann realized that all the containers in his shop were made of English tin, which were more valuable due to Napoleon’s trade embargo with England. Second, Napoleon invaded Austria in 1809 and established a medical camp for wounded French soldiers in Linz. Johann sold the French army necessary medical supplies, helping to increase his fortunes. Although Johann was now successful financially, it left him unpopular in town since he had aided the enemy.

Johann proposed to Thérèse Obermeyer, his housekeeper, in 1812. Ludwig, as with Karl before, was unhappy with Johann’s choice of bride and opposed the marriage. Ludwig went so far as to appeal to government officials and the bishop in Linz to stop the wedding. Despite his brother’s opposition, Johann and Thérèse were married in November 1812. According to some accounts the marriage was never happy, perhaps explaining why the couple never had children.

Thérèse did have a child from before their marriage. She was born as Thérèse Waldmann in Vienna and gave birth to an illegitimate daughter, Amalia, in Vienna in 1807. After giving up Amalia, Thérèse changed her name to Obermeyer, the name of Amalia’s godmother and moved to Linz where she later met and married Johann. Amalia worked as a housekeeper in Vienna and married Karl Stölzle in 1830. They had one son together, named Karl after his father. Amalia died the following year at the age of 31. Later in life Karl had at least ten children with his new wife.

With his financial affairs in a much better state, Johann bought an estate in the town of Gneixendorf in 1819. In a letter to Ludwig shortly after the purchase, Johann signed the missive, “From your brother Johann, landowner.” Ludwig in his reply closed, “From your brother Ludwig, brain owner.” In the fall of 1826, Ludwig and his nephew Karl visited Johann at the estate. While there, Ludwig completed the new finale for the String Quartet Op. 130. This work, completed in November 1826, was the last composition Ludwig completed before his death.

Thérèse died in 1828, one year after her famous brother-in-law. Johann lived for another twenty years. Although he had largely been apathetic to Ludwig’s career when he was alive, after his death Johann attended many concerts of his brother’s music, often sitting in the front row and loudly calling “Bravo” after every piece. Many of Ludwig’s friends thought Johann was rather pretentious and a “dandy.” Johann died in Vienna in 1848.