a true artist's touch has besides its mechanical also its
spiritual aspect. With regard to this it is impossible to overlook the
personal element which pervaded and characterised Chopin's touch. M.
Marmontel does not forget to note it in his "Pianistes Celebres." He
writes:--

In the marvellous art of carrying and modulating the tone, in
the expressive, melancholy manner of shading it off, Chopin
was entirely himself. He had quite an individual way of
attacking the keyboard, a supple, mellow touch, sonorous
effects of a vaporous fluidity of which only he knew the
secret.

In connection with Chopin's production of tone, I must not omit to
mention his felicitous utilisation of the loud and soft pedals. It was
not till the time of Liszt, Thalberg, and Chopin that the pedals
became a power in pianoforte-playing. Hummel did not understand their
importance, and failed to take advantage of them. The few indications
we find in Beethoven's works prove that this genius began to see some of
the as yet latent possibilities. Of the virtuosi,

Moscheles was the first who made a more extensive and artistic use of
the pedals, although also he employed them sparingly compared with
his above-named younger contemporaries. Every pianist of note has,
of course, his own style of pedalling. Unfortunately, there are no
particulars forthcoming with regard to Chopin's peculiar style; and this
is the more to be regretted as the composer was very careless in his
notation of the pedals. Rubinstein declares that most of the pedal marks
in Chopin's compositions are wrongly placed. If nothing more, we know at
least thus much: "No pianist before him [Chopin] has employed the pedals
alternately or simultaneously with so much tact and ability," and
"in making constantly use of the pedal he obtained des harmonies
ravissantes, des bruissements melodiques qui etonnaient et charmaient."
[FOOTNOTE: Marmontel: "Les Pianistes celebres."]

The poetical qualities of Chopin's playingare not so easily defined as
the technical ones. Indeed, if they are definable at all they are so
only by one who, like Liszt, is a poet as well as a great pianist. I
shall, therefore, transcribe from his book some of the most important
remarks bearing on this matter.

After saying that Chopin idealised the fugitive poesy inspired by
fugitive apparitions like "La Fee aux Miettes," "Le Lutin d'Argail,"
&c., to such an extent as to render its fibres so thin and friable