My Fatherland Has Always The First Claim

Forgive Me, Majesty. I Am A Vulgar Man! But I Assure You, My Music Is Not.

Music, In Even The Most Terrible Situations, Must Never Offend The Ear But Always Remain A Source Of Pleasure.

It Is A Mistake To Think That The Price Of My Art Has Become Easy To Me.

I Am Not Thoughtless But Am Prepared For Anything And As A Result Can Wait Patiently For Whatever The Future Holds In Store, And I'll Be Able To Endure It.

Nor Do I Hear In My Imagination The Parts Successively, But I Hear Them, As It Were, All At Once (gleich Dies Zusammen). What A Delight This Is I Cannot Tell ! All This Inventing, This Producing, Takes Place In A Pleasing Lively Dream.