M U C H L I K E T H E M U S I C H E made, Beethoven himself harbored
stark
contradictions
and
moods
that
would
vacillate
w i l d l y . H e w a s o b s e s s i v e a b o u t b a t h i n g , for e x a m p l e , b u t i n his later years he s e e m e d to i g n o r e utterly t h e filthy clothes that he w o r e . H e b e l i e v e d i n t h e n o b i l i t y o f a r t b u t also w a s e n d u r ingly impressed by t h e rather paler nobility that was b e s t o w e d b y s o c i a l class. " Y o u w i l l see t h a t I h a v e b e c o m e a f i r s t - r a t e f e l l o w , " h e h a d b o a s t e d i n a l e t t e r t o F r a n z W e g e l e r , his b o y h o o d friend from B o n n w h o was then a medical student. " N o t only a s a n artist b u t also a s a m a n y o u w i l l f i n d m e b e t t e r a n d m o r e fully d e v e l o p e d . " B u t t h e f e l l o w w h o m W e g e l e r h a d e n c o u n -