It was in parallel with his work on the Fifth and Sixth symphonies (at a time when he was battling with increasing deafness) that Beethoven began composing the Sonata in A major, Op. 69, completing it in the autumn of 1808. He dedicated it to Baron Ignaz von Gleichenstein, an amateur cellist and one of his closest supporters, who had helped him in various business matters. Beethoven is supposed to have included a Latin phrase on the dedication copy: 'Inter lacrimas et luctum' ('Amid tears and mourning'). Although this inscription cannot be confirmed (the score in question is now lost), the possibility of its inclusion on that dedication score is intriguing: was it perhaps a reference to the political situation of the time, namely the siege of Vienna by French troops in 1809; or does it refer to something more intimate about the composer's own disposition?