The great C sharp minor Quartet is indelibly associated with Karl, through its dedication to Baron von Stutterheim, through whom the appointment came.  The decision to dedicate this work to the Baron, was arrived at only two weeks before the master’s death.  The work had been for some time in the hands of the publishers, Messrs. Schott of Mayence.  Beethoven, finally becoming aware that no more works could be produced by him, and wishing to reward the Baron in the only way possible, dictated an urgent letter to Messrs. Schott on the subject.  “The Quartet,” he said, “must be dedicated to Field-marshal von Stutterheim, to whom I am under great obligations.  Should the first dedication by any possibility be already engraved, I beg of you, on every account, to make this alteration.  I will gladly pay any extra expense connected with it.”

The last Quartet, opus 135, is dedicated to Johann Wolfmayer, a merchant of Vienna with whom he had much friendly intercourse.  Wolfmayer showed his interest in the master’s work in many ways.  It may be mentioned that he offered him a sum equal to several hundreds of dollars to carry out his project of writing a Requiem Mass.  “Write to Stumpf and Smart,” he said to Schindler a few days before his death, when already too weak to speak above a whisper.  His consideration for others was paramount even in the face of approaching death.

Notwithstanding the hopeful tone which characterized the letters written during his last illness, there were times when he knew that he was making a losing fight.  Already on January 3, a month after his return from Gneixendorf, he wrote a letter to his attorney, Dr. Bach, in the form of a will, in which as may be supposed, his nephew is his sole heir.  No conditions were imposed on the young man, who, had the will remained in this form, might have squandered the entire amount. (The estate netted $5000).  This was pointed out to Beethoven by his counsellor, Dr. Bach, and also Von Breuning, who urged on him the necessity of adding a codicil to the will, in which the principal would be tied up for life, leaving only the income available.  This he resisted to within a few days before the end, but finally gave in, and, not without great difficulty, wrote with his own hand a codicil, consisting of but three lines, in which the income only was to be enjoyed by the nephew, the principal to revert to his natural or testamentary heirs, after Karl’s death.  Breuning, true to his sense of duty, not satisfied with having gained his point, endeavored, at the risk of antagonizing the master, to change the words “natural or testamentary heirs,” to “legitimate heirs.”  Beethoven was obdurate on the point, however, saying, “the one term is as good as the other.”  Von Breuning, good faithful friend that he was, survived Beethoven but one year.

Schindler dwells on the perfect tranquillity of Beethoven in the face of approaching death.  “Plaudite amici, comoedia finita est,” he said on the day when the codicil was written.  On the following day at noon, he received the last rites of the church.  The event was no doubt a solemn one.  Soon after, the death-struggle began, and continued without interruption for two days.  Huettenbrenner was a faithful attendant during these last days.  His friend Schubert also called, at least once, and, it is said, was recognized by Beethoven, although he was unable to speak to him.