Beethoven apologizes for his long silence due to the amount of work he has at the moment. He writes how one of Streicher's pupils (according to the BGA probably Elisabeth von Kissow) had moved him to tears with her piano-playing and stresses her extraordinary talent.
Beethoven writes of his decision, which had been brought about by the pianist, to write more for the piano from now on. The young girl's playing had shown him that it is only down to a pianist's technique whether an instrument sounds like a harp (a negative comparison as far as the composer is concerned) or whether it can be made to sing. Eloquently commenting on the sound of the instruments of the time, Beethoven hopes that, "the time will come when the harp and the piano will be two completely different instruments".
Beethoven stresses that he does not want to lecture Streicher but merely to praise him and encourage him. He cannot teach the young girl any more than Streicher.
