One day Beethoven’s pupil (and friend) Ferdinand Ries showed up at Beethoven’s residence during his summer break in Baden. As he entered the room he found him sitting on the sofa with an attractive young lady. Ries thought to leave and give them privacy, but Beethoven asked him to stay and play something.
He played a number of pieces from his master and some from his own. Beethoven was in good mood and pushed him to play something romantic, then something passionate, finally something melancholy. Then, suddenly, trying to impress the lady, jumped up and exclaimed: “Why, those are all things I’ve written!” The lady, for some reason felt offended and left.
Ries asked who the lady was, but he had no idea. She just knocked on his door, wanted to meet him, but in his surprise forgot to ask her. The two went on to follow her, but she disappeared into the night. Later Beethoven learned that she was the mistress of a prince in Vienna, something that was off limit to his highly idealized picture of a woman.
