DALLAS – An extremely rare letter written and signed by composer Ludwig van Beethoven sold for $275,000, including buyer’s premium, to lead Heritage Auctions’ Historical Manuscripts sale on November 12. The letter signed “Beethoven” roared past its estimate of $60,000 to reach its final result, which was the most paid for a Beethoven-signed document in the last decade. In a short letter to a von Bauman, Beethoven requests the return of a piano trio and writes he will return soon with a violin sonata. The letter was bought by a musician who has researched and given lectures on Beethoven, and intends to donate the letter to the music school where she studied. The buyer, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the letter was especially appealing to her because “it refers to a trio sonata, which I played, so I knew where he was coming from.” A more extensive sale recap will be featured in an upcoming issue.