From the book Beethoven: Impressions by His Contemporaries by Oscar Sonneck

The following is an account of Liszt's reminiscences of his meeting with Beethoven in 1823, which he told his student, Ilka Horowitz-Barnay in 1875.

(In 1823, Liszt was 11 and Beethoven was 52)

" I was about eleven years of age when my venerated teacher Czerny took me to Beethoven. He had told the latter about me a long time before, and had begged him to listen to me play sometime. Yet Beethoven had such a repugnance objected to receiving me. Finally, however, he allowed himself to be persuaded by the indefatigable Czerny, and in the end he cried impatiently "In God's name, then, bring me the young Turk!". It was ten o'clock in the morning when we entered the two small rooms in the Schwarzspanier house which Beethoven occupied. I somewhat shyly, Czerny amiably encouraging me. Beethoven was working at a long, narrow table by the window, He looked gloomily at us for a time, said a few brief words to Czerny and remained silent when my kind teacher beckoned me to the piano. I played a short piece by Ries. When I finished Beethoven aske me if I could play a Bach Fugue. I chose the C-minor Fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavichord. "And could you also transpose the Fugue at once into another key?" Beethoven asked me. Fortunately I was able to do so. After my closing chord I glanced up. The great Master's darkly glowing gaze lay piercingly upon me. Yet suddenly a gentle smile passed over his gloomy features. And Beethoven came quite close to me, stoop down, put his hand on my head and stroked my hair several times. "A devil of a fellow." he whispered. Suddenly I felt quite brave. "May I play something of yours now?" I boldly asked Beethoven smile and nodded I played the first movement of the C major concerto. When I had concluded Beethoven caught hold of me with both hands, kissed me on the forehead and said gently: "Go! You are one of the fortunate ones! For you will give joy and happiness to many other people! There is nothing better or finer!"

Carl Czerny

Young Franz Liszt

Liszt told the preceding in a tone of deepest emotion, with tears in his eyes and a warm note of happiness sounded in the simple tale. For a brief space he was silent and then he said: "This event in my life has remained my greatest pride - the palladium of my whole career as an artist. I tell it but very seldom and only to good friends"

*It is a curious fact that occasionally those who began their career as prodigies, in the later years develop an aversion against "wunderkinder". This was true of Beethoven and it required considerable urging on the part of Schindler, as we know from an entry in Beethoven's conversation book by Anton Schindler on April 13, 1823, in which he was trying his best to persuade the master to attend a concert of Franz Liszt, then 11 years old, on the following day.

Here is what Schindler wrote in Beethoven's conversation book:

"Little Liszt has urgently requested me humbly to beg you for a theme on which he wishes to improvise at his concert tomorrow…The little fellow’s free improvisations cannot yet, strictly speaking, be interpreted as such. The lad is a true pianist, but as far as improvisation is concerned, the day is still far off when one can say that he improvises."

We also know from Beethoven’s conversation book that Beethoven did not attend the concert, according to his nephew Karl.

There is a chronological conflict between this authentic conversation and Liszt's reminiscences of his only visit to Beethoven. But if Czerny took Liszt to Beethoven on the morning of his concert, this discrepancy would disappear,

Interesting read : Beethoven through Liszt: myth, performance, edition