Ludwig van Beethoven, Brief an Carl Czerny, Wien, 12. Februar 1816, Autograph

Before a journey to Russia, the violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh and the cellist Joseph Linke both gave farewell concerts. In Schuppanzigh's concert on 11 February 1816 only works by Beethoven were performed, including op. 16. Czerny had played the piano part and allowed himself much virtuosic freedom and had added things, "in the foolishness of youth" as he later admitted.

Beethoven attended the concert and was so angry with Czerny's high-handedness that he rebuked him in front of all the other musicians. The next day Beethoven apologized in this letter, "I burst yesterday. I was very sorry once it had happened, but you must forgive an author who would rather have heard his work as he had written it, however well you played it".

Beethoven promises to rectify his bad behaviour in Linke's concert. In Linke's farewell concert on 18 February 1816 Czerny was to play the piano part again - Linke played Beethoven's Cello Sonatas op. 102. Beethoven kept his promise and publicly voiced his goodwill towards Czerny.