50. THE END OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BEETHOVEN AND HIS COPYIST

 
LETTER OF THE COPYIST WOLANEK To BEETHOVEN (without date) Wolanek was tired of the thankless job of putting into clear writing Beethoven's frequently illegible manuscripts. He wrote him this letter in which he reminded the composer of the work he had done for Mozart and Haydn, and in which he made some observations with regard to Beethoven and the voluntary termination of services. When Beethoven received the letter he was beside himself and furiously struck out the entire text, and in mammoth letters wrote "a stupid pretentious and asinine person." Then, at the bottom of the page, he remarked "one should pay no compliments to such an individual who only steals one's money, one should just pull his ass's ears." ( Beethovenhaus, Bonn)
 
BACKPAGE OF THE SAME LETTER WITH BEETHOVEN'S REPLY "You scratcher, you idiot! You had better correct your mistakes which are the results of your ignorance, your arrogance, your conceit and your stupidity. That would be better than trying to teach me. The latter is as though a sow wanted to instruct Minerva." And on the left: "I had already decided yesterday and even before that I would not allow you to copy anything for me any more." And at the right: "You should do Mozart and Haydn the honor of not abusing their names in this sort of thing." ( Beethovenhaus, Bonn)
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