Moritz Trenck von Tonder, Brief an Antonia Brentano in Frankfurt am Main, Wien, 28. März 1827, Autograph

Grief-stricken, Trenck von Tonder delivers the news of Beethoven's death in this letter. He describes the attendant circumstances of his death, "The day was already awful because at the time he died there was a violent storm here with thunder and lightning and a snowstorm. It was as if the elements were raging against the death of the great mind!". He also describes Beethoven's state of mind in his last months, "Beethoven's suffering during his last months was more than just painful and made his death desirable. I often saw him but his ruined appearance, the result of his pain, his complete deafness, always touched me to the quick."

Trenck von Tonder bitterly complains that Beethoven was not truly appreciated during his lifetime. He is also outraged that money is being collected (subscription) for a memorial, "This is the way we learn that no Medicis live here".

Transcription: see "Drei Begräbnisse und ein Todesfall", Bonn 2002, S. 43f.