The discerning intellect is always in advance of the creative.  His delight in Bach was great; he studied him to such purpose that, at twelve years, he was able to play the greater part of the Well-tempered Clavichord.  His wonderful interpretation of Bach, later, on his arrival in Vienna, immediately placed him in the front rank of virtuosi, according to Huettenbrenner, Schubert’s friend.

As a boy he was docile, shy and reserved, caring nothing for the ordinary games of boys, or at least not participating in them to any extent.  At an age when other boys begin learning their games, he began in composition, being forced to it, no doubt, by his father.  He is said to have written a cantata at the age of ten to the memory of an English friend of the family, who died early in the year 1781.  Some variations on a march in C minor bear the following statement:  Composees par un jeune amateur L v B age de dix ans.

From year to year he kept on in musical composition, feeling his way, not discouraged by his inability to produce anything great, although Mozart’s precocity and genius were no doubt frequently held up to him by others as an example to profit by.  When he was seventeen he went to Vienna, the funds for the trip probably being furnished by the Elector.  Here he met Mozart, then at the height of his fame, whose operas were frequently produced in Bonn and throughout Germany.  He probably had some lessons from him.  Mozart was very much occupied with the approaching production of Don Giovanni, which took place in Prague shortly after the young man’s arrival.  As Beethoven’s visit terminated in three months, it is not likely that he derived much benefit from these lessons.  On his first meeting with the master he extemporized for him on a subject given him by Mozart.  That this was a momentous occasion to the impressionable Beethoven is certain.  The emotions called up by the meeting enabled him to play with such effect that when he had finished, the well-known remark was elicited from Mozart:  “Pay attention to him.  He will make a noise in the world some day.”

Beethoven, however, was compelled to return to Bonn, owing to the serious illness of his mother, who died of consumption July 17, 1787.  He now took charge of the family and had a hard life from almost every point of view, his one enjoyment probably being in the exercise of his art.  The affection between mother and son was one of the few bright spots in a boyhood of toil and privation.  The father’s harshness served to accentuate the kindness of the mother, and he felt her death keenly.  He gave a few lessons, most unwillingly, the money from which, together with his salary as assistant organist and a portion of the father’s salary, kept the family together, affording them some degree of comfort.