My Honoured Fellow-Countryman!
I always hoped for the fulfilment of my desire to speak to you sometime in London myself and to hear you, but many obstacles of various kinds have always prevented me from carrying out this wish – And for that very reason, as I am now unable to do this, I trust that you will not refuse my request, which amounts to this, that you would be so kind as to have a word with some London publisher and offer him the following works of mine: ‘A grand trio for pianoforte, violin, and violoncello [Opus 97] (80 ducats), a sonata for pianoforte and one violin [Opus 96] (60 ducats), a grand symphony in A major [Opus 92] (one of my most excellent works), a smaller symphony in F major [Opus 93] – a quartet for two violins, viola and violoncello in F minor [Opus 95] – a grand opera in score [Opus 72], 30 ducats – a cantata with choruses and solo voices [Opus 136], 30 ducats – the score of the Schlacht von Vittoria auf Wellingtons Sieg [Opus 91], 80 ducats, and also the pianoforte arrangement of this work (provided that, as people here assure me, it has not already been published)’ – Incidentally, I have just added in the case of some works the fees which I consider to be fair for England. But in the case of these works as well as of the others I leave it to you to decide what you consider to be a fair fee.
By the way, I have heard that Cramer is also a publisher. But Ries, my former pupil, wrote to me a short time ago that Cramer had spoken in public against my compositions, for no other reason, I trust, than from a desire to promote the art of music. Hence I have no objection to raise. Should Cramer, however, wish to possess any of these pernicious works of art, I should like to have him as my publisher just as much as any other one – I merely reserve to myself the right to give these same works to my Viennese publisher as well, so that they would really appear in London and Vienna only and, what is more, at the same time –
Perhaps, too, it would be possible for you to inform me how I could obtain from the Prince Regent at any rate the cost of copying the Schlachtsymphonie auf Wellingtons Sieg in der Schlacht von Vittoria which was sent to him. For I have long ago abandoned the idea of obtaining anything more. I have not even been honoured with a reply stating whether I may dedicate this work to the Prince Regent, a work which I am now publishing. I have even heard that the work has already been published in London in a pianoforte arrangement – What bad luck for a composer ! ! ! While the English and German papers are full of the success of this work, which was performed at the Drury Lane Theatre, and the theatre itself has had a few good takings from it, the composer hasn’t even a friendly line to show about it, not even a refund of the expense of having the work copied; on the contrary, he has had to forgo all profit. For if it is true that the pianoforte arrangement has been engraved, no German publisher will now take it; nay more, it is probable that the pianoforte arrangement will appear pirated by some German publisher from the engraved London edition; and I shall lose my honour and my fee – Your well-known noble character leads me to hope that you are taking some interest in this matter and are strenuously exerting yourself on my behalf. The bad paper money of our State has once already been depreciated to a fifth of its value. Whereupon I was then treated according to the scale. After a prolonged struggle I have obtained, although at considerable loss, the full value. But now we are so placed that the paper money has been depreciated again far below a fifth of its value; and I am faced with the prospect of seeing my income being reduced to nothing for the second time, and without my being able to hope for any compensation – My only source of income is what I compose. If in this respect I could rely on the sale of my works in England, that would be very advantageous to me – Please count on my most unbounded gratitude. I hope to receive a reply from you soon, very soon.
Your admirer and friend
Ludwig van Beethoven