To me his [Johannes Brahms] playing was always intensely interesting. Its inaccuracy and slovenliness vexed my ear; but its descriptiveness and, still more, its suggestiveness were fruitful in exercise for the intelligence. One of the strongest impressions it made upon me — leaving, of course, its vigorous and subtle intellectuality out of the question — was that the great Hamburg composer never thoroughly studied any work selected by him for performance in public, but contented himself with mastering its plan and intention, as he understood them, and with imparting his view thereof to his hearers. This he succeeded in doing, as far as my experience of his playing enables me to pronounce an opinion, in a highly forcible and intelligible manner.