To: Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig
Baden, August 21, 1810

       The enclosed letter has been drafted by one of my friends and I am sending it together with my remarks – I have by no means made arrangements with Paris or France for all these works.  You will find this in the written statement too, I mean, as soon as you have received everything from me and I from you –

       A copy on the Continent is absolutely out of the question; and I think it highly improbable that these works have now arrived in London.  For at the moment the blockade is even stricter than it has ever been; and an Englishman has to pay enormous sums for letters to Germany; and heavier parcels are even more expensive – In short, I am convinced that by September not a single note of the works I sent you will have been published – Besides, if you will only work out how much you would let me have for a concerto, a quartet and so forth, you will certainly realise that 250 ducats is a very low fee.  At the time when bank notes were worth very little less than silver or gold I used to get 100 ducats for three sonatas.  NB.  You yourself gave me 50 ducats for a quintet.  Instead of advancing am I now to retreat, although I trust that in my art this reproach will not be levelled at me – No matter how many gulden the ducat may fetch with us, yet there is nothing to gain.  For we now pay 30 gulden for a pair of boots, 160 and even 170 gulden for a coat and so forth.  The deuce take the economics of music – Last year, before the arrival of the French, my 4000 gulden were worth something.  This year they are not even worth 1000 gulden A.C. – Although you may think so, my purpose in life is not to become a profiteer in musical art, one who composes solely in order to become rich, God forbid!  But I like to live independently; and that I cannot do without a small income.  Moreover the fee itself must bring the artist some honour, such as ought to attend everything he undertakes.  I could never bring myself to tell anyone that Breitkopf & Härtel gave me 200 ducats for these works.  You as a more humane and far better educated person than all other music publishers ought also to set yourself the aim not to pay the artist a mere pittance, but rather to guide him and enable him to create in undisturbed surroundings what he is capable of expressing and what other people expect of him – I am not talking boastfully when I tell you that I give you the preference before all others.  Even publishers at Leipzig have very often approached me direct and in Vienna too through other agents commissioned to negotiate with me on their behalf; and a short time ago advances were made to me by a publisher in person, who was prepared to pay me what I demanded.  But I have rejected all those offers in order to show you that I much prefer to deal with you so far as your head is concerned (I know nothing about your heart) and that I am even willing to lose a little in order to preserve our connexion – But I cannot reduce my fee of 250 ducats.  I should be losing too much; and that you cannot ask me to do.  So it must stand –

       Now for a few words about the works you are going to publish. It is impossible for me to write to you about them any sooner. Make a note of the following dedications: the violin quartet [Opus 74] to Prince Lobkowitz; you can look up his unmusical titles in some other work: the sonata in F sharp major à Madame La Comtesse Therese Brunswick [Opus 78]; the fantasia for pianoforte solo à mon ami Monsieur Le Comte François de Brunswick [Opus 77]:  the six ariettas to the Princess Kinsky, née Countess Kerpen [Opus 75].   As for the two sonatas [Opus 78, 79], you must publish them separately; or if you want to publish them together, then you must describe the one in G major as sonate facile or sonatine; [Anderson footnote: “In the first edition published by Breitkopf & Härtel in November, 1810, Op. 79 is described as ‘sonatine pour le pianoforte’ ”]  and you may do this even if you do [not]  publish them together –– in the case of the violin quartet [Opus 74]  I remind you  that the turning over should be made easy. Furthermore add ‘Adagio ma non troppo’ to the heading of the second movement. In the third movement in C minor 3 / 4 time after the major Più presto quasi prestissimo, at the point where the minor is resumed –– the first part is played twice the first time, as is, moreover, indicated.  On the other hand you will notice an indication that the second part is to be repeated. This repeat mark must be deleted so that the second part may be played only once ––

        Should it not be sufficiently clear to you what I have noted in regard to the Song of the Flea from Faust, well, you need only look up Goethe’s Faust or send me a copy of the melody, so that I may check it. The last number of the last works published by your firm may serve as a guide to the correct numbering of these works. ––  if you want to have the numbers in chronological order, then the quartet is in earlier work than the others –– but the concerto isn’t even earlier work then the quartet [Opus 74] ––  since both were composed in the same year, the point is of little importance ––  There is something Else to be observed in the case of the quartet, namely, that in the third movement in C minor, where the Più presto quasi prestissimo begins, another NB. should be added, that is to say, NB. Si ha s’imaginar la Battuta di 5 / 8 –– In  any case, as I know that however correct the manuscript may be, there will still be misreadings, I should certainly like to see the copies beforehand, so that you’re fine additions maybe even more accurate –– And that reminds me that I should like to have four copies of each work for myself. I now give you my word of honour that I never sell a copy. But certainly there are here and they’re poor musicians whom I am glad to help; and my copies are intended for them –– Well, when are the Mass, the oratorio and the opera going to see the light of day [Opus 86, 85]?

       Kindly send me the titles of the songs you have already received, for I have forgotten which songs I sent you. Perhaps you will get some which are not being published in London –– Now you will soon receive everything belonging to the second consignment, except the three songs [Opus 83]. I am waiting for you to send me the titles of those you have already received –– In a few days the whole of the third consignment will be dispatched to you. But I am still waiting for reply from you –– The concerto is dedicated to the Archduke R[udolph] and the title is just ‘Grand Concerto dedicated to His Imperial Highness the Archduke Rudolph of, and so forth’ [Opus 73].  Egmont too is dedicated to the same person [Opus 84].   As soon as you have received the score of Egmont, you yourself will best be able to judge what use you can make of it and how you can interest the public in it –– I wrote it purely out of love for the poet; and, in order to prove this, I excepted nothing for it from the Theatrical Directors.   They agreed to this arrangement and, as a reward, they treated my music, as I usually do and as they have always done, very carelessly. There are no people more small-minded than are great ones. But I must make an exception in the case of Archdukes –– let me have your opinion about an edition of my collected works. It seems to me that the chief difficulty would be that I should certainly suffer in respect a fitting in the entirely new works which I am continually producing –– What my friend writes about Paris in connexion with a copy for the Bibliothèque Nationale amounts to this:  a French publisher himself wrote to me that that was how Pleyel’s lawsuit etc. arose, i.e. because he (Pleyel) had forgotten to let the Bibliothèque Nationale have copy.  This condition, is laid down definitely and clearly ––

        No doubt you may have to make some other arrangement for Vienna as well. Perhaps it will come to this that nobody here in loco will take the slightest interest in any works of mine which are engraved abroad ––

       In the music to Egmont see that there are copied into the violin parts all those passages where other instruments come in, even those passages with the violin place at the same time, such as, for instance, in the funeral music after Clärchen’s death where the kettledrum comes in

                                                     

        This is a necessary precaution in a century when there are no more conservatories of music and when, therefore, no more musical directors nor indeed any other people are being trained, but are simply left to chance –– At the same time we have money to spend on some emasculated fellow, from home arts gains nothing whatever, but thanks to whom the palates how Our so-called great ones, who, in any case, have lost their appetite and their capacity for enjoyment, are tickled. In the fantasia with choruses you could perhaps have the vocal parts engraved into the pianoforte part [Opus 80]. Perhaps you would like to have a different text, since both a text and the music were composed at top speed, so much so that I could not even copy out of score. But if a different text were used, the word ‘Kraft’ would have to be retained or replaced by some other exactly similar expression –– Satis est –– Now you have received a large supply of works – Be sure to keep as many of them as you require – Indeed I am delighted that all those works are now in your keeping, for I dislike having to write much on subjects of that kind – I hope to receive from you very soon a specimen of your spirited writing – and I remain, with my best regards,

                                              Your most devoted friend and servant
                                                                                                                 Beethoven

       Direct your letters to me, as usual, at Vienna.

       P.S.

        I have just found your letter written a fairly long time ago. In that there is a passage which says: ‘In the remaining n[umbers] of the oratorio [Opus 85] there are trombones, but these are missing in the chorus, and so are the trumpets and kettledrums’; but you do not specify which chorus it is. I should be very glad if you could let me know this at once. If it can’t be found, then, of course, I must make another search in order to recover it –– At the same time, please be so kind as to inform me immediately which of the three works you are publishing first –– Some time ago I wanted to send you another organ part. But since then I have been hard-pressed from so many other quarters that it has been impossible to let you have it. Should there still be time, I will send it to you –– I have found the following additional mistake in the C minor symphony [Opus 67], namely, in the third movement in 3 / 4 time we’re after the major  the minor comes in again.   The passage (I am quoting the bass) should run as follows:

                         
The two bars over which the mark X is written and are redundant and must be deleted, and, of course, in all the other parts as well, where there our rests ––