Originally posted by Rod:
One has to begin with the logical position that if there were anything damning in the diaries then Beethoven would have either destroyed the offending pages himself or had someone close do it for him during the last days (presuming Schindlers intervention happened after B's demise). It occured to me long ago that whatever Schindler censored could, at least to some degree, have concerned Schindler himself! Or there could be other factors not so attractive to Mr Solomon's vivid imagination.
One has to begin with the logical position that if there were anything damning in the diaries then Beethoven would have either destroyed the offending pages himself or had someone close do it for him during the last days (presuming Schindlers intervention happened after B's demise). It occured to me long ago that whatever Schindler censored could, at least to some degree, have concerned Schindler himself! Or there could be other factors not so attractive to Mr Solomon's vivid imagination.
Logically this would seem to be true. However Thayer, even in 1867, holds that Schindler is totally unreliable even on the most mundane topics, so that cannot be the entire story. Thayer (who was not always correct either BTW) also relates that one of Beethoven's last wishes is that his biography be accurate no matter who was distressed by the truth, even if it be something bad about himself! So I do not know how this relates to the concept of Beethoven destroying evidence himself. I think he was actually more interested in truth than reputation, although those who followed after him have scarcely ever adhered to that.
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Adieu,
Franz
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[This message has been edited by Grillparzer (edited July 28, 2003).]
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