Your Imperial Highness!
It was my duty to remind you of my existence, and I should have done so long ago, but partly the pursuits necessitated by my health and partly my insignificance made me hesitate to do so – I missed Y.I.H. at Prague by exactly one night. For when I betook myself to you in the morning in order to wait upon you, I was told that you had left during the previous night – At Teplitz I heard Turkish music four times a day; that is the only musical report I can give you. I spent much time in Goethe’s company. But my doctor Staudenheim sent me from T[eplitz] to Karlsbad, then from Karlsbad to where I now am; and presumably I shall have to leave here and return to Teplitz – What trips! And withal there is little certainty as yet that there is going to be any improvement in my condition! So far I have always received the best reports about Y.I.H.’s health, and also about the continual favour and devotion which you bestow upon the Muse of harmony – Y.I.H. will have heard of a concert which I gave with the help of Herr Polledro in aid of the town of Baden that had been burnt down. We took almost 1000 gulden V.C.; and had I not been prevented from making better arrangements, we should easily have taken 2000 gulden – It was readlly a poor concert for the poor. All that I could find at the local publisher’s was some of my early sonatas for violin and pianoforte. AS Polledro insisted on performing one of these, I had to agree to play an old sonata – The whole concert consisted of a trio played by Polledro, of the violin sonata composed by me, of another piece played by Polledro, and finally of my extemporizing – At the same time I am truly delighted that the poor people of Baden have got something out of it – Please accept my wishes for your greatest happiness and give heed to my prayer that now and then you will think of me with favour.
Your Imperial Highness’s
Most humble
Ludwig van Beethoven