I have never known any " professional" gifted with so exhaustive a musical memory as that of Johann Herbeck...Whilst talking like this, in breaks, he would play through one motivo after another, exemplifying the methods of treatment, until he had more or less succinctly viscerated the entire work. Then, jerking his hair backwards and taking a pull at his cigar, he would continue, " What I consider to be a favourable specimen of Gurgebeisser's best manner is that Sonata of his, Opus 87, you know, for Tuba Mirabilis with harp accompaniments. Listen!" And off he would go into copious extracts from another long work, with which he probably possessed an unique acquaintance.