Now my answer in quickest tempo—the lady can have a sonata from me, and I will follow her plan in respect of æsthetics in a general way—and without following the keys—price 5 ducats—for which she may keep it for her own enjoyment for a year, neither I nor she to publish it.
At the expiration of the year—the sonata will be mine to—i. e., I shall publish it, and she shall have the privilege—if she thinks it will be an honor—to ask me to dedicate it to her....
Now God keep you gentlemen.
My Sonata is beautifully printed [gestochen, i. e., engraved]—but it took you a pretty time—send my Septet into the world a little quicker—for the crowd is waiting for it—and you know the Empress has it and there are (scamps) in the imperial city as well as the (imperial court) I can vouch for nothing—therefore make haste.
Herr (Mollo) has again recently published my Quartets but full of faults and Errata—in large as well as small form, they swarm in them like fish in the sea, there is no end of them—questo è un piacere per un autore—that’s pricking music with a vengeance, in truth my skin is full of prickings and rips because of this beautiful edition of my Quartets....
Now farewell and remember me as I do you. Till death your faithful
L. v. Beethoven.
An engagement which Beethoven had obtained from Count Browne for Ries was one that gave him leisure to pursue his studies, and he often came to Vienna and Heiligenstadt for that purpose. Thus it happens that the “Notizen” also contribute to the history of these Sonatas. Ries writes:
Beethoven had promised the three solo sonatas (Op. 31) to Nägeli in Zurich while his brother Carl (Caspar) who, unfortunately, was always meddling with his affairs, wanted to sell them to a Leipsic publisher. There were frequent exchanges of words between the brothers on this account because Beethoven having given his word wanted to keep it. When the sonatas (the first two) were about to be sent away Beethoven was living in Heiligenstadt. During a promenade new quarrels arose between the brothers and finally they came to blows. The next day he gave me the sonatas to send straight to Zurich, and a letter to his brother enclosed in another to Stephan von Breuning who was to read it. A prettier lesson could scarcely have been read by anybody with a good heart than Beethoven read his brother on the subject of his conduct on the day before. He first pointed it out in its true and contemptible character, then he forgave him everything, but predicted a bad future for him unless he mended his ways. The letter, too, which he had written to Breuning was very beautiful.
The first two Sonatas (G major and D minor) appeared in the spring of 1803, as Op. 29, in Nägeli’s “Répertoire des Clavecinistes” as Cahier 5 (the third followed soon after as Op. 33, together with the “Sonate pathétique” as Cahier 11). Of Cahier 5 Nägeli sent proof-sheets. Ries reports on the subject as follows: