Heiligenstadt Testament

It reflects his despair over his increasing deafness, even his contemplation of suicide, and his continued desire to overcome his physical and emotional ailments to complete his artistic destiny.

It was discovered in March 1827, after Beethoven's death, by Anton Schindler and Stephan von Breuning, who had it published the following October.

There have been several suggestions for this, ranging from Beethoven's uncertainty as to whether Johann's full name (Nikolaus Johann) should be used on this quasi-legal document, to his mixed feelings of attachment to his brothers, to transference of his lifelong hatred of the boys' alcoholic, abusive, deceased father, also named Johann.

Since 1888, the original document has been in the State and University Library Carl von Ossietzky at the University of Hamburg, a gift from the Swedish singer Jenny Lind and her husband, Otto Goldschmidt.

[1] Rodion Shchedrin composed a work inspired by the document which likewise bears the same name.