Ludwig van Beethoven, Brief an die Fürstin Josephine Sophie von Liechtenstein, Wien, kurz vor dem 13. November 1805, Autograph

Beethoven writes a letter of recommendation for his piano pupil Ferdinand Ries and asks Princess Liechtenstein for "charity" for him.

Ries was originally from Bonn. After the Rhineland had been annexed by the French he became a French citizen and was thus obliged to serve in the army. In autumn 1805 he was ordered to report in Koblenz. Beethoven explains the background to his request to the Princess, "Poor Rieß, my pupil must put a musket on his shoulder in this unfortunate war and - at the same time must leave here in a few days as a stranger - he has nothing, absolutely nothing - must undertake a long journey - under these circumstances the opportunity of having an academy has been completely taken away from him."

However, as Ries himself later reported, he never handed over the letter, but kept it as "proof of Beethoven's friendship and love for me" (Wegeler/Ries p. 135, see BGA).