ABSTRACT
Ludwig van Beethoven's dislike of restraint even led him to take lodgings of his own, while still retaining his rooms at the Lichnowskys' as a kind of headquarters. Perhaps the Prince—and even more the Princess —showed too openly their intention of taking care of him f and their hospitality may not have been free from a suspicion of "lionhunting". Beethoven's first public appearance in Vienna as a solo performer took place in 1793—three years after his arrival. Bearing in mind the high reputation he had at once achieved as a pianist, this concert appearance seems belated. Some commentators see in reference to the "nightcap" an invitation to stay the night. More probably it was a waggish allusion to the "Forty-eight" of Bach; for Schindler says that at the frequent musical evenings at Gottfried van Swieten's, the old man often persuaded Beethoven to remain after the departure of company, and "add a few fugues of Sebastian Bach as an evening blessing".
