Johannes Brahms could be insufferably sarcastic and rude - even to his friends. On one occasion, after he had upset several people with a series of offensive remarks, Brahms rose to his feet and, preparing to leave the room, paused briefly at the door. "If there is anyone here whom I have not insulted," he said, turning, "I beg his pardon!"
(Sources: P. Latham, Brahms; Leon Botstein, americansymphony.org
2 comments:
Mind, if he could dish it out he had to take it too, like the story about him shooting cats with his bow & arrow and incorporating their dying screams into his compositions. [Surely untrue, but the fact that it gained traction might say something about him.]
I hadn't heard that tale before. Must have been fake news spread by Wagnerites. ;-)
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