Ludwig van Beethoven, Billet an Ignaz von Gleichenstein, Wien, Januar 1809, Autograph
Beethoven-Haus Bonn, Sammlung H. C. Bodmer, HCB Br 128
© Beethoven-Haus Bonn
digitalarchive@beethoven.de
digitalarchive@beethoven.de
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Beethoven asks his friend Gleichenstein to get in contact with Countess Erdödy to draw up a plan of action with her so that she is prepared for possible questions.
Beethoven's negotiations concerning his annuity were probably the reason for this note. Late the previous autumn the Westphalian court had approached Beethoven with the offer of making him musical director in Kassel with an annual salary of 600 gold ducats. Understandably Beethoven was very tempted by this. To stop him from leaving, Prince Kinsky, Prince Lobkowitz and Archduke Rudolph joined forces and offered him an annuity. Anna Maria Countess Erdödy was involved in the negotiations for the annuity agreement (she might even have initiated them).