A friend named Brunig?

[Daniel Schifrin]

I'm trying to find the name of a friend of Beethoven's who may have been with him at his death, a Mr. Brunig. I'm unsure of the spelling. Does anyone know definintely who was with Beethoven when he died?

[v russo]

it is hard to tell exactly who he was with at that time in his dying bed. There are different versions, sensationalized versions etc...
was the "immortal beloved" there? blah, blah...

did he raise his fist to the lightning cloud....?....

etc,

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v russo

[Amalie]

Originally posted by Daniel Schifrin:
I'm trying to find the name of a friend of Beethoven's who may have been with him at his death, a Mr. Brunig. I'm unsure of the spelling. Does anyone know definintely who was with Beethoven when he died?

A description of the death scene as in the note-books of A.W.Thayer.

Early in the afternoon of March 26th, Huttenbrenner (a friend of Franz Schubert), hastened into the dying Beethoven's room.
He mentioned as persons whom he saw there, Stephen von Breuning and Gerhard, Schindler, Telscher and Karl's mother (this seems to be a mistake, ie, if Mrs v. Beethoven is right).
Beethoven had then long been sensless.
Telscher began drawing the dying face of Beethoven.
This grated on the Breuning's feelings, and he remonstrated with him, and he put up his papers and left.
Then Breuning and Schindler left to go out to Wahring to select a grave. (Just after five - I got this from Breuning himself - when it grew dark with the sudden storm, Gerhard Breuning, who had been standing at the window, ran home to his teacher).
Afterwards Gerhard v Breuning went home, and there remained in the room only Huttenbrenner and Mrs. van Beethoven. The storm passed over, covering the glacis with snow and sleet. As it passed away a flash of lightning lighted up everything. This was followed by an awful clap of thunder.
Huttenbrenner had been sitting on the side of the bed sustaining Beethoven's head - holding it up with his right arm. His breathing was already very much impeded, and he had been for hours dying. At this startling, awful peal of thunder, the dying Beethoven suddenly raised his head from Huttenbrenner's arm and majestically - like a general giving orders to an army. This was but for an instant; the arm sunk back; he fell back, Beethoven was dead.




[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited January 05, 2004).]