In Italy a Milan newspaper critic wrote:
"He is an untrained musician. If he be a diamond, he is certainly
in the rough and unpolished."
There were two ways Ole Bull could have reacted to that criticism.
He could have let it make him angry, or he could learn from it.
Fortunately he chose the later. He went to the newspaper office
and asked to see the critic. The astounded editor introduced him.
Ole spent the evening with the 70-year-old critic, asked about his
faults, and sought the older man's advice on how to correct them.
Then he canceled the rest of his tour, returned home, and spent the
next six months studying under really able teachers. He practiced
hours upon hours to overcome his faults. Finally, he returned to his
concerts and, when only 26, became the sensation of Europe.
Author unknown
