On 20 September 1807 after Beethoven had returned to Heiligenstadt from the premiere of the Mass, he wrote to Josephine Deym in despair:
How often have I wrestled with myself, beloved J, in order not to commit a breach of the prohibition which I have imposed upon myself — But it is all in vain. A thousand voices are constantly whispering to me that you are my only friend, my only beloved…. Oh, dear J, let us wander unconstrainedly along that path where we have often been so happy — Tomorrow or the day after I shall see you. May Heaven grant me one undisturbed hour to spend with you, so as to have just once that talk we have not had for a long time, when my heart and my soul may again be united with yours… (Beethoven Letters, No. 151)
Beethoven’s song “In Questa Tomba Oscura” (“In this Dark Tomb”) has an odd origin. In November 1805 in Baden, Italian poet Giuseppe Carpani and Countess Alexandra Rzewuska were having fun improvising together, she on the piano and he with poetry. Carpani imagined a man who had died of unrequited love, and as his lover hovers over his grave weeping, the ghost responds with the text of the poem. (The ghost is quite angry. Everything is her fault, of course. Why else would he have killed himself?)
Countess Rzewuska then solicited Viennese composers to contribute settings of this poem. The collection of 63 settings by 46 different composers (including Salieri, Karl Czerny, Mozart’s son Franz Xaver, and Beethoven) was published in 1808.
The lyrics of Beethoven’s song “In Questa Tomba Oscura” translate as:
In this somber grave
Leave me to rest!
You should have thought of me
When I was alive, ungrateful one.
Let this naked shade
Enjoy peace at least,
And do not bathe my ashes
With the idle venom of your tears.
#Beethoven250 Day 206
“In Questa Tomba Oscura” (WoO 133), 1807
Baritone Claudio Jung’s voice has a nice arising-from-the-depths-of-the-tomb sound.
#Beethoven250 Day 206
“In Questa Tomba Oscura” (WoO 133), 1807
A from-the-wings view of the wonderful American soprano, Barbara Hendricks.
After having been refused admittance to Josephine Deym’s house by her servants, Beethoven wrote her:
Since I must almost fear that you no longer allow yourself to be found by me — and since I do not care to put up with the refusals of your servant any longer — well then, I cannot come to you any more — unless you let me know what you think about this — Is it really a fact — that you do not want to see me any more — if so — do be frank — I certainly deserve that you should be frank with me — When I kept away from you, I thought I must do so, because I had an idea that you desired it — although when doing so I suffered a good deal — yet I controlled my feelings — but it occurred to me again later on that — I was mistaken in you — the letter I sent you a short time ago contains everything else. — Do let me know, dear J — what you think. Nothing shall bind you — In the circumstances I can and certainly dare not say anything more to you. (Beethoven Letters, No. 154)