Beethoven's contention all along was for an advance in price of
admission to the concert, owing to the heavy expense for theatre hire,
copying, etc. As the works to be performed had not yet been published,
it was necessary to copy out the separate parts for the members of the
orchestra and chorus,--an immense task. The manager objected to any
advance in prices, and insisted also that the concert be held on a
subscription night--a good arrangement for the patrons of the theatre
who would thus have free admission, but a bad one for the master. He
finally had to submit, however. "After these six weeks' squabbling," he
writes to Schindler toward the end of April, "I feel absolutely boiled,
stewed and roasted," a state of mind brought about by his conflict with
copyists, managers and performers.
The concert which took place on May 7, 1824, was the occasion for great
enthusiasm. The programme consisted of the Overture Weihe des Hauses, as
well as the Kyrie, Credo and Agnus Dei of the Mass in D, and the Ninth
Symphony. The solo parts were taken by Madame Sontag and Fraeulein Unger,
who protested more than once at the unsingable nature of some of the
parts in the Choral Finale when practising them at Beethoven's house.
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