Mozart's widow, when he played one of Mozart's concertos. The
beginning once made, he appeared rather frequently as a performer, not
only in Vienna, but extended his trips the next year as far as Berlin,
where he encountered Huemmel.

But Beethoven's mind was always turned toward composition. It had been
the aim of his life, even at Bonn, to become a great creative artist.
For this he had left his native city, and the larger opportunities for
musical culture afforded by his life in Vienna must have directed his
thoughts still more strongly into this channel. An important social
event of the period was the annual ball of the Artists' Society of
Vienna. Suesmayer, pupil and intimate friend of Mozart, the composer of
several of the "Mozart Masses," had composed music for this ball and
Beethoven was asked to contribute something likewise, with the result
that he composed twelve waltzes and twelve minuets for it. He also had
in hand at the same time piano music, songs, and studies in orchestral
composition. Nothing which he produced in these years, however, gave any
forecast of what he would eventually attain to. This is paralleled in
the case of Bach, who, up to his thirtieth year was more famous as a
performer than as composer.

Beethoven's earlier compositions were regarded as the clever product of
an ambitious young musician. Although later in life, he all but
repudiated the published work of these years, some of the thoughts from
the sketch-books of this period were utilized in the work of his best
years.

He acquired a habit early in life of carrying a note-book when away from
his rooms, in which he recorded musical ideas as they came to him. His
brain teemed with them; these he entered indiscriminately, good and bad,
assorting them later, discarding some, altering others, seldom retaining
a musical thought exactly as it was first presented to his
consciousness. Music became the one absorbing passion of his life. It
took the place of wife and children; it was of more importance to him
than home or any other consideration. His compositions show continual
progress toward artistic perfection to the end of his life, and this was
attained only by infinite labor.

It may not be out of place here to reflect on the essentially unselfish
character of the man of genius. He lives and strives, not for himself,
but for others; he pursues an objective end only. Among the forces
making for the regeneration of mankind, he is fore