This letter is part of the extensive correspondence Beethoven had with different publishers, to whom he tried to sell his Missa solemnis op. 123 as lucratively as possible. At the beginning of the 1820s Beethoven was in great financial straits, so asking a higher price for his greatest work at the time was also a question of survival. He offers the mass to almost all of the large publishers and tries to play them off against each other regarding the price. Beethoven thinks the sum offered by Simrock is too little. He now asks Simrock to think it over - not without putting pressure on him by mentioning other interested parties. He promises to send the score directly via Brentano in Frankfurt if the payment is right. Beethoven urges him to reply promptly and if he does not do so, he threatens to sell the mass to another publisher.
Beethoven writes he is taking the waters in Baden to cure a lengthy illness. However, letters will also reach him there.
