Beethoven asks his friend Bernard, to take care of his nephew Karl while he is away from Vienna (Beethoven was in Baden for the summer). He asks Bernard to occasionally visit Karl and to take him books. Beethoven is disappointed that he has not been able to establish a regular correspondence with Karl, who is otherwise also closed towards him. He puts this down to intrigues on the part of the mother of his nephew and his brother Johann.
Beethoven is also unsure whether the appointment of Reisser as co-guardian instead of Peters was right (Peters went abroad too often to be able to carry out his duties). The composer is concerned that he might be denied contact with Karl and that he will then only be required to pay for his upkeep.
He asks Bernard to get in contact with Reisser and to explain Beethoven's standpoint. Finally he pacifies Bernard regarding the Oratorio "Der Sieg des Kreuzes" ("The Victory of the Cross"): he will turn to him when the time is right (Bernard had written the libretto for the oratorio and Beethoven wanted to have major changes made to the text).
The letter is characteristic of those Beethoven wrote in his late years, both in its tone and in the accusations and fears it contains. Not least on account of his deafness Beethoven became increasingly distrustful of his surroundings and smelt betrayal and intrigues on all sides, even from friends and relations. His suspicions took on all too pathological characteristics.
