In a late autumn 1802 letter to his friend Nikolaus Zmeskall, Beethoven wrote:
Dearest, victorious and yet occasionally blundering Count! I hope that you have had a good rest, dearest and most charming Count! — O most beloved and most unique Count! — Sweetest and most extraordinary Count!
Here followed some personalized vocal music:
The letter continued:
When can we go to Walter’s today? [Walter was a maker of pianofortes] So far as I am concerned that depends entirely on your being or not being able to do so. Your Bthvn
#Beethoven250 Day 162
“Graf, Graf, liebster Graf” for Unaccompanied Voices (WoO 101), 1802
Beethoven’s musical message to Nikolaus Zmeskall: “Count, Count, Count, dearest Count, dearest sheep, best of all Counts, best of all sheep! Sheep, sheep, sheep!”