was
really and truly Beethoven's attribute should have been so constantly
overshadowed and dominated by something else which, without being a
superior force, seemed by a strange perversity to be always to the
fore. Whilst, however, we would wish to give to every instance of his
goodness of heart its fullest weight, it would be useless, as well as
wrong, to endeavour to hide the fact that his conduct, even towards
those who desired to be his friends, and to whom he owed obligations
for acts of sympathy and kindness, frequently admitted of no excuse.
His anger, though sharp, was short, and left no sting behind; but his
unjust suspicions and scornful treatment of men whose confidence he
had won by his genius and force of character, were the cause of sorrow
and suffering to those whom he attacked, as well as of remorse to
himself, whereby his whole life was embittered, and his better nature
warped to ignoble ends.

The good people of Vienna must, indeed, have been somewhat at a loss
how to take the genius who had thus burst into their midst and laid
them under captivity. Attempts at conciliation were more often than
not frustrated by his variable temperament; for though none was apter
than Beethoven to take offence, there was no one quicker to resent any
effort at mediation by a third party, on whose unfortunate head it was
only too likely that the irate composer would empty the vials of his
wrath. Nevertheless, his erratic behaviour did not sensibly lessen the
circle of his admirers or diminish the popularity which his fame had
brought him. Many of the fashionable ladies of Vienna came to him for
lessons instead of requiring his attendance at their houses; but such
condescension made no difference to the man who held that mind and
character alone were the qualifications by which men and women were to
be weighed in the social balance. If, therefore, the young ladies
talked or showed inattention during their lessons, he became furious,
and would tear up the music and scatter it over the floor. His rage,
indeed, seems to have been quite ungovernable at times. On one
occasion he was playing a duet with his pupil Ries when his ear caught
some fragments of a conversation which a young nobleman was carrying
on with a lady at the further end of the room. Instantly he jumped up
from the piano in a rage, and, taking Ries's hands off the keyboard,
he bellowed, 'I play no longer for such hogs!' nor could either
apologies or entreatie