From the Time Capsule: Emilie's Admiration Reaches Beethoven's Vienna!
03 March 2026 | Emilie M. (Hamburg)
Hamburg, 1st March 1813
My highly esteemed Mr. van Beethoven!
Indeed, it is a discourtesy that I only take up the pen today to answer those kind lines that you were pleased to send to me, a mere child, from Teplitz last summer. But know, my dear Mr. van Beethoven, that your words shook my heart so deeply that I had to seek silence first to find the right answer. I now entrust this letter to the post in the earnest hope that it will reach you safely and in good health at your Vienna residence.
You wrote to me that I should not only pursue art, but “also penetrate its interior”, as only „art and science elevate man to divinity”. I have made these words my sanctuary. When I sit at my piano and play your divine tunes, it feels as if a gate opens to a world that reaches far beyond the earthly.
You spoke so humbly of the fact that the “true artist has no pride” has and “darkly feels how far he is from the goal”. How much this statement from your mouth shames me! If you, who rule the spirit world with your tones, still consider yourself far from the goal, how shall I ever prove myself worthy? But you gave me hope that if I only persevere, I may one day look deeper into those mysteries.
Forgive little Emilie her long delay. But be assured: “Perhaps others admire me”, you write, but I do not merely admire you, I revere in you the messenger of the Highest.
Official note from the logistics center Vienna-Center, 03.03.2026
Forgive little Emilie her long delay. But be assured: “Perhaps others admire me”, you write, but I do not merely admire you, I revere in you the messenger of the Highest.
I remain in deepest gratitude and reverence, as your ever-dedicated student.
Emilie
Official note from the logistics center Vienna-Center, 03.03.2026
Subject: Delivery of a historical postal item
The present letter was discovered during renovation work in the foundation of the former Imperial and Royal Post Office in a sealed leather capsule. Due to the precise addressing to a "Mr. L. van Beethoven" and the philatelic classification in the year 1813, the document was professionally secured and handed over to the Technical Museum Vienna for conservation.
Signed, on behalf of the Post Archive Commission 2026
Historical note:
This letter is the fictional response to a real historical document. Ludwig van Beethoven wrote on July 17, 1812, from Teplitz to the then eight- to ten-year-old Emilie M. from Hamburg, after she had given him a self-made wallet and an admiring letter. Beethoven's response is considered one of his most significant testimonies about his understanding of art. The composer's original letter can be viewed in the Digital Archive of the Beethoven House Bonn can be viewed.
Historical note:
This letter is the fictional response to a real historical document. Ludwig van Beethoven wrote on July 17, 1812, from Teplitz to the then eight- to ten-year-old Emilie M. from Hamburg, after she had given him a self-made wallet and an admiring letter. Beethoven's response is considered one of his most significant testimonies about his understanding of art. The composer's original letter can be viewed in the Digital Archive of the Beethoven House Bonn can be viewed.
(AI-generated image with ChatGPT)