Ludwig van Beethoven, Brief an Andreas Streicher in Wien, Preßburg, 19. November 1796, Autograph

Beethoven thanks the piano maker Johann Andreas Streicher for the piano. He praises the instrument but adds that it not suitable for him because he feels that he is limited in the freedom to be able to form the tone himself. However, he still recommends keeping this construction as his criticism is certainly an exception.

Beethoven refers to the planned sale of the instrument and thanks Steiner for his compromise. He stresses that he is interested in making the high quality of Streicher's instruments known.

Beethoven announces his academy and invites Matthäus Andreas Stein (Streicher's brother-in-law), saying that he can stay at Beethoven's apartment.

In 1796 Beethoven went on a concert tour as a pianist and made a stop in Preßburg. He remained in contact with the piano maker Streicher all his life, tested his instruments and time and again made practical suggestions for the improvement of the action and the mechanism. At the beginning of the nineteenth century Streicher was the leading piano maker in Vienna.