Ludwig van Beethoven, Brief an Adolph Martin Schlesinger in Berlin, Döbling, 7. Juni 1821, Autograph

The context allows us to conclude that Beethoven's publisher had sent him proofs of the Sonata op. 109 as well as the engraver's model for it, which had been done by Franz Lauska in Berlin. Schlesinger might also have sent him the autograph score, which the composer had originally sent as the engraver's model.

Beethoven is not really happy: Lauska's copy is almost without any mistakes, but the proofs contain a great many mistakes - they should have been corrected in Berlin using the copy. Beethoven promises to send the corrections in the coming week (Schlesinger only actually received them a month later). He also says he will "soon" send the other sonatas he has promised (op. 110 and op. 111). In reality he had not even begun work on them and only sent them in 1822. Beethoven stresses his bad health (in the summer of this year he had a bad bout of jaundice).

In a postscript Beethoven adds that he will ask Franz Lauska to also undertake the corrections for the Scottish Songs op. 108. He apologizes for the fact that his autograph score has proved to be unsuitable as an engraver's model, thus causing the publisher more work. He promises that in the future he will only send corrected manuscripts by copyists to serve as engravers' models.

In a second postscript he confirms his Viennese address, from where letters will also reach him at the place he is staying in the country. Finally he says once again that Schlesinger should not engrave the sonata before he has received the corrections.