Stirling Newberry wrote:

>He was in dire financial straits, because of hyper-inflation brought on
>by the war, feeble copyright laws, and his own non-attention.

Huh? I am loathe to question Mr.  Newberry, but, in the several Beethoven
bios I have read, none mention him being in dire staits at the end of
his life.  Mozart on the other hand fits what Stirling describes above.
Granted, it took Beethoven a while to become the success he was, but I
am fairly certain that he died if not wealthy, at least secure.

Kevin Sutton