Your Excellency!
The unhappy event –– which has removed His Excellency the Prince von Kinsky, your late consort, from our Fatherland, from his dear relations and from so many people whom he magnanimously supported, and which has filled with profound sorrow every heart that is alive to what is great and good – has also affected me in a manner as singular as it is painful. The bitter duty of self-preservation compels me to present to Your Excellency this most humble petition which, as it is a fair one, will also, I trust, provide an apology for troubling Your Excellency with it at a time when you are busy with so many important matters – Your Excellency will permit me to recount the details of this question.
Your Excellency is no doubt aware that when I received in 1809 the offer of an appointment in Westphalia, His Excellency the Prince von Kinsky, your late consort, together with His Imperial Highness the Archduke Rudolph and His Excellency the Prince von Lobkowitz offered to grant me for life a yearly income of four thousand gulden if I would refuse the appointment and stay in Austria. Although even at that time this sum was not anything like the amount which would have been guaranteed to me in Westphalia, yet my preference for Austria and also my gratitude for this extremely liberal offer prevented me from hesitating for a moment to accept it. The share in this income which His Excellency the Prince von Kinsky undertook to pay amounts to 1800 gulden – which I have been receiving since 1809 from the Prince’s exchequer in quarterly instalments. True, conditions which arose later reduced his contribution to a trifling sum. Yet I was glad to contact myself with it until last year when the patent relating to the reduction of bank notes two bond payments was issued. I applied to His Imperial Highness the Archduke Rudolph requesting him to have his share of my income, i.e. 1500 gulden, paid to me in future in bond payments. His Imperial Highness immediately gave his consent and had a written undertaking drafted for me. Moreover, Prince von Lobkowitz agreed to the same arrangement for his share of 700 gulden –
As His Excellency Prince von Kinsky was then at Prague, I arranged for Herr Varnhagen von Ense, and officer in the Vogelsang Regiment, to hand him in may of this year my most humble petition to arrange for His Excellency’s share of my income, i.e. 1800 gulden, to be paid in bonds, like those of the other eminent participants. Her von Varnhagen, as is proved by his letter, the original document of which still exists, reported as follows:
‘I had a satisfactory interview yesterday with the Prince von Kinsky. While giving expression to the highest praises for Beethoven he immediately granted his request; and he will pay him from the time when redemption bonds were introduced, all arrears and all future sums in this form of currency. The cashier at Prague will be given the necessary instructions and Beethoven when passing through Prague can draw the whole amount there or, if he prefers, in Vienna after the Prince’s return.
Prague, June 9, 1812’
As I was passing through Prague a few weeks later on my way to Teplitz I waited on the Prince and was received from him full confirmation of his consent to this arrangement. Moreover His Excellency told me that he entirely admitted the justice of my petition and considered it to be absolutely fair. As I could not stay on at Prague until this matter had been completely settled, His Excellency was gracious enough to give me 60 ducats on account which, according to his statement, was to be a payment to me of 600 gulden V.C. On my return to Vienna the arrears were to be made up and in order given to the exchequer that in future my salary should be paid to me in bond payments. That was His Excellency’s intention as he declared it to me. My indisposition became worse at Teplitz and I was obliged to stay there longer than I had originally intended. So in September I arranged for Herr Oliva, one of my friends in Vienna, to deliver to His Excellency, who was then in Vienna, a most humble written reminder of his promise; and His Excellency was again so gracious as to repeat to that gentleman the promise he had given and, what is more, to add the remark that in a few days he would make the necessary arrangements with the exchequer.
He left Vienna shortly afterwards.
on my return to Vienna I caused enquiries to be made from the Prince’s Counsellor whether my salary had been remitted before the Prince’s departure. To my surprise I heard that His Excellency had made no arrangements to this effect.
The truth in fairness of my petition are approved by the depositions of Herr von Varnhagen and Herr Oliva, to both of whom His Excellency spoke and to whom he repeated his consent – Moreover I am convinced that the distinguished heirs and descendants of that noble Prince will certainly continue to act in the spirit of his humanity and magnanimity and will ensure the fulfilment of his promise.
Hence I confidently place in Your Excellency’s hands my most humble petition ‘to pay me the arrears of my income in redemption bonds tuition instructions to the Prince’s exchequer that future contributions be paid to me in the same currency’. Furthermore, bearing in mind Your Excellency’s sense of justice I expect to receive a favourable decision in reply to my petition –
I am wholly Your Excellency’s most obedient
Ludwig van Beethoven