DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (June 22, 2020)

Beethoven had many admirers among the aristocracy. Some were musicians, and others were even amateur composers. Among them were Count Lichnovsky, Count Zmeskall, Count Rasumovsky, Count Lobkowitz, Baroness Therese Malfatti, Prince Galitzin, and Archduke Rudolph.

In the past, such blue-bloods often treated composers as mere hired help and not the innovators that they actually were. Mozart was made to sit with the kitchen staff at a banquet, and some of Beethoven's patrons, like Count Esterhazy, treated him just as badly.

However, for those who truly admired the genius of Beethoven, they had to accept who was the master of musical matters. It was not always easy for such people to give up their accustomed identity of class superiority, and sometimes, Beethoven had to address this head on. Beethoven broke at one point with Count Lichnovsky, who was a major supporter, saying:

"Prince, what you are, you are by accident of birth; what I am, I am of myself. There are and will be thousands of princes, but there is

only one Beethoven."

Lichnovsky loved Beethoven's music so much however, that after this, he would sneak up to Beethoven's apartment, and sit outside the door, listening.

Count Zmeskall, another supporter, was an amateur composer. Beethoven wrote this musical joke for him. The words are:

Graf Graf Graf Graf!

Liebster Graf, leibster Schaf.

Besrer Graf. Bestes Schaf,

Schaf Schaf.

Count count count Count!

Beloved count Beloved Sheep.

The Best of Counts. The Best of Sheep,

Sheep Sheep.

Here it is: https://youtu.be/wCrEgC5yVh0

Is this an insult, or is it loving? Folks had thicker skins back in those days, and anyone worth his salt knew that you cannot criticize others without being able to make fun of yourself. Crusty aristocrats probably needed it more than anyone. We count this as a loving intervention. Apparently it quotes one of Count Zmeskall’s works.

Does "best of sheep", mean that the count was unoriginal and stuck to the norm, or does it mean that he paid close attention to the Shepard, who might be Beethoven? The count became ill in 1820, and could no longer meet with Beethoven. Nevertheless, in 1825, he managed to attend the world premier of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.