All my free hours were devoted to music, sometimes even those that ought not to have been free. The weekly meetings of the ' Gesang-Verein ' made me familiar with all the best choral works ; the practice for the subscription concerts, with orchestral works, while my father had many quartet parties at our house, when I was allowed to turn the leaves, and made my first acquaintance with Haydn's quartets. Then my father often played with me pianoforte duets, the sonatas of Mozart, and arrangements of the symphonies by the great masters ; also duets for piano and violin, as he was an excellent violinist, and my love for Mozart and Beethoven's violin sonatas dates from that early time. We also played trios with a friend of our family, Herr Elbers, a wealthy iron- merchant, a remarkable bass singer and good violon- cellist, and how I enjoyed Beethoven's wonderful trio in B flat. I cannot find words to express, nor can I describe the enthusiasm with which my father exclaimed.