To: Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig
Vienna, May 26, 1809

My Very Highly Honoured Sir!

       The dreaded moment which is approaching [Anderson footnote: “Beethoven means that the letter has to be taken to the post.”] allows me time to send you only a few hurried lines – and for the moment the uncertainty of the postal arrangements prevents me from despatching [sic] any manuscripts to you. – I am just letting you know a few points that have occurred to me in regard to the trios [Opus 70].  First of all, if the title has not yet been printed, I should now like you to make the dedication to the Archduke Rudolph. You could just have his titled copied from the concerto in G, engraved here by the Industriekomtor.  I have noticed once or twice that when I happen to dedicate to someone else a work which he likes, he seems to be slightly aggrieved.  He has become very fond of these trios.  So no doubt he would again feel hurt if they were dedicated to someone else.  But if this has already been done it can’t be helped –

       In the Eb trio please see whether after the 102nd bar in the second half of the last Allegro this passage in the violoncello and violin parts runs thus – If in the score this passage is written as in No. 1, then it should be altered to the passage as written in No. 2 – In the written out parts I found this passage like that; and this led me to assume that the copyist had perhaps made the same mistake in the score – If not, all the better – If there is anywhere a ritardando in several passages in the same movement, then remove this too wherever you find it;  there should be no ritardando in that whole movement – It would not be at all a bad thing if you were to indicate the fingering of the following passages in the same movement:

      
       You will easily find these passages without my quoting the bar numbers –

       The continually disturbed existence which I have been leading for some time has prevented me from letting you have these particulars at once – But I shall soon be quite myself once more – so this will not happen again – May Heaven but grant that I shall not again be disturbed in some other way by some terrible event – Yet who can feel anxious about himself seeing that at the present moment he is sharing the fate of so many millions?  -- All good wishes.  Write to me soon.  Until then our letter post at any rate should still be functioning –

                                             In haste,
                                                        Beethoven