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Beethoven's death in the late afternoon of March 26, 1827 started an intense sequence of events which culminated in the burial service at 3:00 p.m. on March 29. The elapsed time between these two events was approximately sixty-nine hours. Church services were arranged, a burial site selected, a procession with torchbearers was organized, an obituary was written by Franz Grillparzer and recited by the well-known actor Heinrich Anschütz, appropriate funeral music was performed, and invitations (Einladungen) were printed and - the opportunity for a second version of the invitation was born. Details about all of these events, save the last, are well documented and need not be repeated here.
The Einladung (as it will be referred to henceforth) is a desirable collector's item. Many have survived and it is a fine souvenir that repeatedly shows up in auction and dealer catalogs. Though the price has climbed steadily, it still can be had in the $1,000-2,000 range, depending a good deal on its condition. Its appearance is familiar to many, since it is included in practically any book on Beethoven iconography. One can imagine that dealers, recognizing it instantly, would not bother to study it too closely as they would a letter or edition of printed music. They, as well as scholars and Beethoven students, might be surprised to learn that a second version of the Einladung exists. (I would like to express my appreciation to Sieghard Brandenburg of the Beethoven-Archiv for his most helpful background information.)
Information documenting the original printing is not easily uncovered, but must be reconstructed partly by inference. The Einladung text translates as follows: "Invitation to the Funeral of Ludwig van Beethoven on 29 March at...