Many months elapsed after the Mass was completed, before a clean
copy could be gotten for the Archduke even.
No doubt the copyists often misunderstood the master's instructions,
always given in writing in his later years. He was so careless with his
handwriting that some of his letters are undecipherable in part, to this
day. Schindler, with good common-sense made a practice of transcribing
Beethoven's words on the back of any letter received from him before
filing it away. The master's extraordinary carefulness in proof-reading
has already been mentioned. This was to him a matter of the utmost
importance, second to none. Press of work, illness even, was not allowed
to interfere with the careful revision of his work.
He might write about patience in his note book, but it was exercised
very little when dealing with his copyists. There were times in this
connection in which the situation became so strained that they refused
to work for him. In one such instance a man, Wolanck by name, returned
the manuscript which the master had sent him, writing him at the same
time an impertinent letter.
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