A rare hand-written letter by German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven has been discovered in which he asks his friend to assist him in finding sponsors for his latest composition.

Valued at over $127000, the letter also contains other personal details about the composer's life like his financial situation and his deafness that was a major contributor to his monetary plight.

My low salary and my illness demand efforts to make a better fortune, mentioned Beethoven in the letter.

The Telegraph UK reported that the rare letter turned up in an estate that was bequeathed to the Brahms Institute of the Lubeck School of Music by Renate Wirth, Stockhausen's great-granddaughter.

According to the Brahms Institute in the northern city of Luebeck, this was an attempt by the composer to sell his well-known Missa solemnis mass which he completed in 1823 and which he considered to be one of his most important piece of work.

A notable point about the letter was that it was marked by many corrections and crossings-out.

Beethoven was not a composer with beautiful handwriting. It is spontaneous and he wrote things, then crossed them out, his thoughts changed as he went on and that is the impression the letter gives, Stefan Weymar, music researcher at the Brahms Institute told Reuters.

Lovers of the musical genius will now be able to get a first-hand view of the rare letter as it will be displayed by the Brahms Institute from next week.