My father [Charles Halle] had always the greatest respect for his  audiences, of whatever sort they might be, and never gave them anything but the very best at his command, whether it was his own playing or the performance of his orchestra. My mother used to relate how on one occasion, soon after his arrival in England, he and Ernst the violinist, with whom he was touring in the provinces, arrived at a small town where amateurs of music were so few that scarce a dozen persons had assembled to hear them. From the artists' room they could see how small was the audience, and simultaneously exclaimed : 'Then we must play as we have never played before!' They kept their word, and at the close of the concert the impulsive, highly-strung Ernst threw himself into my father's arms, saying, 'Halle, we never played like that in all our lives!'