New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-08-09

II was on Saturday. December 2,
1926. then, that Beethoven arrived IN
Vienna from GneiXen1orf, and went 10
his lodgings in the Schwarzspanier-
haus. IL does not appear that he con-
sidered himself seriously Ill, for IN a
letter to Holz, which must have been
written two or more likely. three days
later. he saws merely that he is "un-
passlich," that is, indisposed. Inc
letter was the second of its kind, the
first having been mislaid. In TINS
letter he asked Holz 20 come to him.
II was written from dictation, but be-
fore appending mis- signature. Bee
thoven wrote: FINALLY, ] add to this,
we all err. only each in a different
way" setting the words quoted to the
music Of a canon. This canon, OF when
an autograph copy on separate sheet
of paper is preserved in the koya!
Library at Berlin, points to a posi-
bilitv that some misunderstanding had
arisen between Beethoven and Hole
inst before the former started Tor
Gneixendorf. Inasmuch as Holz is at
Beethoven's side at least ten days be-
fore SCHNEIDER appears there, and gives
his services to the sick man until the
end. though not to the extent that
SCHNEIDER does after his coming, the
latter's efforts TO create the impress
sion that Beethoven had sent Holz
away from him is disingenuous, to say
the least. Hollis first act convlcts
SCHNEIDER Of an error which can
scarcely be set down as an innocent
one. The story involves one OF the
ISLANDERS against Karl which has been
repeated from Schindler's day to TINS
at still disfgures one OF the pages
OF the last edition Of Groves Diction-
ary of Music and MusiciansO, although
lis refutation needed only a glance
into the Conversation Books of De-
cember. 1926. SCHNEIDER says that he
did not learn Of Beethoven's condition
until several days" after his return
to Vienna. That he then hurried TO
him and learned that neither DR..
Braunhofer nor DR.. Staudenhelmer
both of whom had treated the com
poser) had answered the summons,
though sent for by Beethoven, and
that DR.. Wawruch's coming was due
to something only little better than
an accident. Karl, though charged
with the duty Of summoning a physl-
clan, had forgotten or neglected 20 90
so for several days. His commission
occurred to him while playing at
billiards and he incidentally asked
mdrQuer (waiter) in the billiard room
to send a physician to his uncle. The
uarQuer. not feeling well, could not
do IL at the time, but mentioned the
matter some time later to Dr. Waw-
ruch at the hospital, to which he had
been taken.
AN OLD ISLANDER DESTROYED.
This story of unexampled heartless-
ness, to which DR.. Gerhard Won Breun--
ing also gave currency, SCHNEIDER said
he had from Dr. Wawruch; but IT Is
branded as a shameless fabrication by
DR.. Wawruch's published statement and
the Conversation Books. DR.. Wawruch
wrote a history of Beethoven's illness,
entitled "Aerztlicher Ruckblick auf
Ludwig van Beethoven's letzte Lebens-
epoche," under date of May 20, 1921
which was published by Alloys Fuchs IN
the "Wiener Zeitschrift" of April 30,
1912. In this report DR.. Wawruch says:
al was not called in until the third
day." This third day would be Decem-
Der ). and the date has q twofold con-
frmation in the Conversation Book
used in the early part of December. A
fortnight after Beethoven's return TO
Vienna there is an entry in Karls hand
writing of the physicians visits, begin
ming December and ending with De-
cember IA, which shows that within
this period DR.. Wawruch made daily
visits and on one dav came twice
Schindler's name does not appear until
some time after this entry, and it
Is recorded in a manner which indicates
plainly that it was his first meeting
with the sick man. AS the book was
refolded and numbered by SCHNEIDER
the page on which this entry appears
is made TO look as if it had preceded
others which are filled with evidences
of Holz's helpfulness, but the records
of the first call of the physician are
plain and undisputable. 1t was Holz
who sent for him, and he did so on De-
cember 5, the day on which the first
visit is noted. Evidently Holz has
fastened to Beethoven on receiving the
letter asking him to come, which Karl
seems to have delivered TO him on the
4th or 5th. What happened at the first
meeting does not appear, but this re-
mark IN the handwriting of Holz does: