"Gabriel lived entirely in an atmosphere of art, and if he seemed to take little interest in what was going on outside, probably his deafness may have contributed somewhat to that. That deafness, however, was a great obstacle to him in the daily companionship with friends and acquaintances, and put him in a relative loneliness in which he preferred to separate himself with art and his nightingales. I still remember very clearly that, during one of my visits, I showed him my surprise to find in his studio singing nightingales. Gabriel replied that he was so fond of those birds, because their singing clearly struck and caressed his sense of hearing. (translation from the Dutch original: Fons Heijnsbroek)"