The story behind this work may be more interesting than the work itself. The French violinist Alexandre Boucher (1778 - 1861) came to Vienna to visit Beethoven in April, 1822. But he found difficulty in arranging a meeting with him, the composer apparently unimpressed by the violinist's reputation. When Boucher left a letter signed by Goethe, however, a figure much admired by Beethoven, he hurried to the violinist's hotel. Along the way he met Salieri, whom he asked to fetch Boucher to his residence.

Salieri quickly found and escorted him to Beethoven's house, where the two men then spent an afternoon discussing music, including some of the composer's latest works. Boucher asked Beethoven for a lock of his hair and for a short composition for violin. Beethoven complied with both requests, the latter one resulting in this slight work in A major. Composed in just a few moments, it is not a piece of great consequence. It consists of a mere seven measures and, not surprisingly, is a fairly simple, straightforward piece of no particular melodic distinction.

The work was obviously written as a memento, Beethoven never intending that such a creation should find its way to a publisher's desk. Nevertheless, the duet was published posthumously (Berlin, 1901).

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