Ludwig van Beethoven, Brief an Johann Nepomuk Kanka in Prag, Wien, kurz vor dem 11. Januar 1815, Autograph

Beethoven's letter to Kanka centres exclusively on the lawsuit against Kinsky's heirs. Prince Kinsky was one of the three patrons who had bound themselves to pay Beethoven an annuity of 4,000 florins annually in 1809. Unfortunately the Prince was not very reliable as far as paying was concerned, which often led to arrears (the devaluation of the currency made the situation even worse for Beethoven, as the sum was thus lower than originally agreed). In 1812 the Prince died as the result of a riding accident. At first his heirs refused to continue paying Kinsky's part of Beethoven's annuity (nor the outstanding sums) which is why Beethoven took legal action against them.

Beethoven is disappointed with the steps taken by the lawyer Dr. Wolf, who represented Beethoven's interests. Beethoven discusses the facts of the case in detail and the testimony which he has collected from different people regarding the Prince's agreement to pay during his lifetime. He hopes that Kanka will get involved in the case to ensure that his annuity payments are continued and that sum remains the same.

Beethoven did not know at the time of writing that on 6 January 1815 the Prague court had decided that he would receive an annuity to the sum of 1,200 florins Viennese currency, backdated to 3 November 1812.