Immortal again!
Members of the forum will be aware that it is my view that Solomon's theories concerning the Immortal beloved and her identity are not correct. One of his main arguments hinged on Beethoven's remarks in 1816 that five years earlier he had met the great love of his life. As part of his research, Thayer had in 1872 requested through the American consul in Frankfurt a written statement from the then head of the Brentano family as to when Antonie first came to know Beethoven (Antonie had by then died). Thayer published the statement verbatim in German. It clearly states that Beethoven was acquainted with Antonie and her husband and children before Antonie moved from Frankfurt to Vienna to care for her father in 1809. By way of further confirmation of the Brentano family statement, Thayer quoted a further communication to him directly from the American consul and independent of the family statement, which read as follows: “I ascertained that [Antonie’s father] was a friend of Beethoven, that Beethoven was very often in the [father’s] house, and that the acquaintance of [Antonie] with [Beethoven] began before her marriage to Mr. Brentano [in 1798]."
Solomon disregarded this evidence suggesting Thayer was wrong and made his own translation to imply Beethoven only met Antonie in 1810.
In the 1840 edition of his biography of Beethoven, Schindler stated that Antonie had first met Beethoven in the company of Bettina in 1810 as claimed by Solomon. In a later edition (1860), Schindler, who had since moved to Frankfurt near to where Antonie then lived, and who had presumably interviewed her or members of her family, retracted his earlier statement, and stated that Antonie had known Beethoven since a child in the house of her father. Solomon simply stated that Schindler was “mistaken”.
Solomon disregarded this evidence suggesting Thayer was wrong and made his own translation to imply Beethoven only met Antonie in 1810.
In the 1840 edition of his biography of Beethoven, Schindler stated that Antonie had first met Beethoven in the company of Bettina in 1810 as claimed by Solomon. In a later edition (1860), Schindler, who had since moved to Frankfurt near to where Antonie then lived, and who had presumably interviewed her or members of her family, retracted his earlier statement, and stated that Antonie had known Beethoven since a child in the house of her father. Solomon simply stated that Schindler was “mistaken”.
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