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...the favourable reception of 'Suleika' gave me just pleasure, although I wish I could have had a sight of the criticisms myself, in order to see if something could not be learnt from them; for however favourable a verdict may be, it may at the same time be equally laughable if the critic lacks the required understanding, which is not altogether rarely the case

I played variations by Beethove, sang Goethe's Rastlose Liebe and Schiller's Amalia. Unanimous applause for the first, less for the second. Although I myself consider my Rastlose Liebe more successful than Amalia, it can't be denied that Goethe's genius for lyric poetry contributed much to the applause.

He told that he often wanted to compose his thoughts in music, but his father mustn't know about it, for he didn't want his son to dedicate himself to music.

I often had to console Schubert's worthy father about his son's future, and I dared to prophesy that Franz would surely win through, nay that a later world would give him his due, slowly though it came to him at first