Heiligenstadt Testament

The Heiligenstadt Testament is a letter the composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) to his brothers Karl and Johann Kaspar from 1802, in which he expressed his despair over the progressive deafness and the nearby believed death.

Formation

Beethoven sought from May to October 1802, the mineral-rich source of the spa in the Holy City in order to seek treatment for the gastric discomfort, which he combined with violent colic, often suffered. His doctor Johann Adam Schmidt also questioned the healing of his progressive deafness in view. Beethoven lived in a detached farmhouse outside of the Holy City on the way to Nussdorf in the Lord lane 6 (now Probusgasse 6). There, the 32 -year-old wrote on 6 October, a letter to his brothers, where he in emphatic words, the concern for his poor nascent ear, his social isolation, the resulting germinating and overcome suicidal thoughts describes and regulates his or her estate. Although he still wrote on 10 October, a transcript, the sheet of paper folded and sealed, he sent the letter, which was found in 1827 in the estate, not from. In addition to the letter "To the Immortal Beloved " he is one of the most personal documents of Beethoven.

Content

Cause for resignation of the will was the increasingly declining health of Beethoven, but especially the desperation due to his progressive deafness, which was already evident from 1796. The first two-thirds of Scripture accepts the justification Beethoven against his contemporaries one, which he gives to understand that he " störisch or misanthropic enemy Seelig " was not, but that: " I was ordered early me secrete lonely spend my life," he " pushed back " by his deafness was, because it was known to admit it impossible for him: " speak louder schreyt, for I am deaf ." " I once owned the bey to me ought to be as bey others in a full- Come formers degrees, a sense because in the grösten perfection in perfection, like him a few of my times certainly have have had yet " the loss of his sense of hearing to dispense excludes him from society and he asks: "drum forgive, when you see me draw back there where I like to mingle with you, double woe does me my misery ." He then recorded his experience in the presence of Ferdinand Ries, as he felt the shame on a hike, " but what humiliation when someone stood beside me and heard a flute in the distance and I heard nothing, or someone heard the shepherd singing, and I also heard nothing. " This plunged him into despair and " lacked little, and I even ended my life - it just art, they held me back ."

Only then goes to Beethoven testamentary part about - would have already used in this form by the given Austrian jurisprudence in Beethoven's mind. The later wills of 1823 and 1827 will no longer be provided for the division of the inheritance among the brethren. He asks his brothers a matter that they are " as soon as I am death and Professor Schmid is still alive, so ask in my name, that he was describing my illness ," she said then to his heirs, asks her " it divides fairly; bear and help each other, what you have done me contrary, ye wist, was long ago forgiven to you, brother Carl, I give thanks in 's peculiar for your leztern in this later period have shown me loyalty ". He still makes distinctions between the brothers, especially the fact that it ( he a "pseudo - brother " called on another occasion ) on the three corresponding points leaves an empty space Nikolaus Johann name is not mentioned, but. He also mentions the instruments which he had received from Prince Lichnowsky, then turns back to the community by writing: " with joy I hasten death contrary - he comes earlier than I had had the opportunity yet all my art skills to unfold, it will be me troz my Harten Schick hall still too early to come "before he, again turning to his brothers, concludes:" farewell, and forget me not quite the death, I deserve this from you, I in my life thinking of you often to make you happy, it Seyd - ".

The transcript of 10 October shows him back in a melancholy mood. It gives any hope, " they 've got to leave now entirely, as fall the leaves of autumn, are withered, then - they too become skinny for me, almost like I comb hither - I go away - even the high courage - the I am often inspired in Fine Sommertägen - he's gone " and concludes: " When o deity - I can feel him against the temple of nature and people - Never? - No - o it would be too hard. "

In the document, two owners find entries in another hand: by Jakob von Hotschevar, who accepted it on 21 September 1827 by Artaria, and Johanna van Beethoven, who received it from this.

Only after Beethoven's death in March 1827 the document was found, as well as the letters to the Immortal Beloved, and soon received the name " Heiligenstadt Testament ".

Source

The original is in the form of donations to the Swedish singer Jenny Lind since 1888 in the State and University Library Hamburg ( Signature :).