WoO 101 – “Graf, Graf, liebster Graf, bestes Schaf”, a musical joke, appended to the letter of autumn 1802: «Lieberer, Siegreicher und doch zuweilen Manquirender Graf!» apparently addressed to Zmeskall. First published by the Thayer catalogue in 1865; in the same year by L. Nohl (Briefe Beethovens, p. 107); then by Th.-R., II, 337; and more recently by W. Hess in the fifth issue of the Supplemente zur GA, 1962. B. 200 – H. 279 – KH. (WoO101 – T. 98).

This is a joke similar to those for Schuppanzigh, directed likewise to someone who could understand its true “friendly” meaning despite the less than flattering rhyme between the word Graf and Schaf. Nohl named Count Moritz Lichnowsky as the recipient, to whom Beethoven is said to have addressed, among other things about twenty years later, a canon with roughly the same playful words: “Bester Graf, Sie sind ein Schaf”. This view was also shared by Grove in his dictionary; however, the catalogues and studies by Kinsky-Halm, Thayer-Riemann, Sandberger, and Hess agree in identifying Zmeskall as the true addressee. Furthermore, as noted by Sandberger, the musical figuration from bar 5 onwards alludes to the Trio of the Scherzo from a G minor quartet by Zmeskall, which is another reason to consider him the letter’s recipient. As a curiosity, KH also observes that the last three bars hint at the closing of the first part of the opening Allegro con brio of the Septet.

 [By Biamonti Giovanni – Catalogo cronologico e tematico delle opere di Beethoven comprese quelle inedite e gli abbozzi non utilizzati, Torino, ILTE 1968]