Ludwig van Beethoven, Brief an Charles Neate, Wien, Ende Januar/Anfang Februar 1816, Autograph

Beethoven asks Neate to maintain secrecy about the works which he wants to give him for publication in England (op. 61, op. 72, op. 92, op. 95, op. 102, op. 112, op. 113, op. 115, op. 117 and op. 136). He only wants to tell him the reasons for this in person. He hopes to soon see Neate and promises to go to him as soon as possible.

Charles Neate, an English pianist and cellist, was in Vienna between May 1815 and February 1816, and visited Beethoven several times. On his departure he took several of Beethoven's works back to England with him: some of them were to be performed by the London Philharmonic Society, and for others he was to try to find publishers in Beethoven's name.