By way of a debut I had selected Der Freischutz, so that he might
open his career with a well-known opera. Karl did not entertain
the slightest doubt of being able to master such a simple score,
but when he had to overcome his reserve in playing the piano
before me, as I wanted to go through the whole opera with him, I
was amazed at seeing that he had no idea of accompaniment. He
played the arrangement for the pianoforte with the characteristic
carelessness of an amateur who attaches no importance to
lengthening a bar by incorrect fingering. He knew nothing
whatever about rhythmic precision or tempo, the very essentials
of a conductor's career. I felt completely nonplussed and was
absolutely at a loss what to say. However, I still hoped the
young man's talent might suddenly break out, and I looked forward
to an orchestral rehearsal, for which I provided him with a pair
of large spectacles. I had never noticed before that he was so
shortsighted, but when reading he had to keep his face so close
to the music that it would have been impossible for him to
control both orchestra and singers. When I saw him, hitherto so
confident, standing at the conductor's desk staring hard at the
score, in spite of his spectacles, and making meaningless signs
in the air like one in a trance, I at once realised that the time
for carrying out my guarantee had arrived.

It was, nevertheless, a somewhat difficult and trying task to
make young Ritter understand that I should be compelled to take
his place; but there was no help for it, and it was I who had to
inaugurate Kramer's winter season under such 'exceptional
artistic auspices.' The success of Der Freischulz placed me in a
peculiar position as regards both the company and the public, but
it was quite out of the question to suppose that Karl could