The texts of the opera and the oratorio [Opus 85] will be given to the mail coach next Tuesday. I have not yet received any numbers of the Musikzeitung – Recently I received from Leipzig a poem ‘Die Höllenfahrt des Erlösers’, which might serve as a sequel to ‘Christus am Ölberge’. It seems to me that the author has perhaps seen or heard something of that oratorio – It is a sound piece of work –
I will soon reply about Dr. Apel – I only wish that I had got through the winter, which depresses me greatly, and that my spirits could revive. The wretched summer I have spent and certain melancholy reminders of this German country which has so declined partly through its own fault, I admit, and yet is unique, haunt me the whole time – What do you say to that silly scrawl of Reichardt’s letters [Anderson footnote: “ …Reichardt, who had come to Vienna in November, 1808 and had heard Beethoven play”] ? But I must admit that so far I have seen only a few fragments --