My Most Highly Honoured Sir!
Replying to your letter of August 21st I beg to say that I am quite agreeable to your paying me in Viennese currency few of my postal expenses as well (but not very many) – The three works have already been sent off [Opus 72, 85, 86]. But now I would really like you to send me the fee for these three works before they arrive at Leipzig; and indeed it would afford me much pleasure if you could send the draft here immediately – We are short of money in Vienna, for we need twice as much as formerly – Curse this war – In the song in D mark the tempo Allegretto [WoO 136] – For if you don’t, people will sing it too slowly – Kindly let me know how much the editions of Schiller and Goethe cost in assimilated coinage, and also the complete works of Wieland in a small format – If I decide to buy them, I would rather purchase them in Leipzig, for all the editions here are garbled and expensive – I will write to you soon about quartets which I am composing [Opus 74] – I don’t like to spend much time composing sonatas for pianoforte solo, but I promise to let you have a few [Anderson footnote: “Since his F minor sonata, Op. 57, written in 1804-1805, Beethoven had composed no pianoforte sonatas.. But in October 1809 he wrote his sonata in F sharp major, Op. 78 …. Also in 1809 his sonatina in G major, Op. 79…”] – Have you heard that I have become a member of the society of fine arts and sciences? – So now have a title – Ha, Ha, that makes me laugh –
All good wishes.
I have little time to spare, no more than to tell you that I describe myself as
your most devoted
Beethoven