Beethoven, Ludwig van.

containing several characteristic Beethovenian witticisms, including addressing Holz amusingly as an "excellent piece of Maho[g]any", copious and forthright abuse of the publishers Peters, Breitkopf & Härtel and others, progress reports on the composition of his string quartet Op.130 and complaints about stomach ache; Beethoven tells Holz that the Op.130 quartet will have six movements, which would be completed very soon were it not for his malady, reports on the complex business relations with the publishers Artaria, Peters, Breitkopf and Schlesinger,  including the "Hell-hound at Leipzig" (Peters), or "Mephistopheles" and "Beelzebub" (Breitkopf), "the chief of all the devils",  informing Holz that he has asked his nephew Karl to postpone letters to Peters and Schlesinger, as he is waiting for a letter from [Matthias] Artaria in Mannheim, and thanking him for his amusing letter about the publisher Tobias [Haslinger],  with autograph deletions and alterations; with three postscripts: one written above the beginning of the letter, one in the margin of the second page, and a third written in French on the address leaf 



...Gleichgültig dagegen welcher Höllenhund mein Gehirn beleckt oder zernagt, da es nun schon einmal seyn muß, nur daß die Antwort nicht zu lange ausbliebe, der HöllenHund in L[eipzig] kann warten, u sich derweil mit Mephistophiles...in Auerbachs Keller unterhalten, welchen lezteren nächstens Belzebub der oberste der Teufel bey den ohren nehmen wird.
Bester[,] das lezte quartett erhälte auch 6 Stücke, womit ich diesen Monath zu beschließen denke, wenn mir nur jemand was für meinen schlechten Ma[gen] geben wollte...



4 pages, 4to (c.25.5 x 21. 2cms), including the integral autograph address leaf with one of Beethoven's postscripts to the letter, watermark: "holland", Baden, 24 August 1825,  seal tears repaired and restored, with the loss of a few letters, a few careful repairs with tape to small tears at hinge and margins, [Anderson no.1415; S. Brandenburg, "Briefwechsel Gesamtausgabe", no.2043]



This letter was formerly in the celebrated collection of Louis Koch

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Beethoven in fact did not complete the B flat quartet Op.130 until November that year, since the fugal finale (the Grosse Fuge, that originally concluded the work), gave the composer great trouble.