he was doing, whether he
was working or sleeping, whether he was in good or bad humour. And when
he came in all eyes were directed towards him. If he happened to be in
good humour George Sand would lead him to the piano, which stood in
one of the two smaller apartments adjoining the salon. These smaller
apartments were provided with couches for those who wished to talk.
Chopin began generally to prelude apathetically and only gradually grew
warm, but then his playing was really grand. If, however, he was not in
a playing mood, he was often asked to give some of his wonderful mimetic
imitations. On such occasions Chopin retired to one of the side-rooms,
and when he returned he was irrecognisable. Professor Chodzko remembers
seeing him as Frederick the Great.

Chopin's talent for mimicry, which even such distinguished actors as
Bocage and Madame Dorval regarded with admiration, is alluded to by
Balzac in his novel "Un Homme d'affaires," where he says of one of the
characters that "he is endowed with the same talent for imitating people
which Chopin, the pianist, possesses in so high a degree; he represents
a personage instantly and with astounding truth." Liszt remarks that
Chopin displayed in pantomime an inexhaustible verve drolatique, and
often amused himself with reproducing in comical improvisations the
musical formulas and peculiar ways of certain virtuosos, whose faces and
gestures he at the same time imitated in the most striking manner.
These statements are corroborated by the accounts of innumerable eye
and ear-witnesses of such performances. One of the most illustrative of
these accounts is the following very amusing anecdote. When the Polish
musician Nowakowski [FOOTNOTE: He visited Paris in 1838, 1841, and 1846,
partly for the purpose of making arrangements for the publication of
his compositions, among which are Etudes dedicated to Chopin.]
visited Paris, he begged his countryman to bring him in contact with
Kalkbrenner, Liszt, and Pixis. Chopin, replying that he need not put
himself to the trouble of going in search of these artists if he wished
to make their acquaintance, forthwith sat down at the piano and assumed
the attitude, imitated the style of playing, and mimicked the mien and
gestures, first of Liszt and then of Pixis. Next evening Chopin and
Nowakowski went together to the theatre. The former having left the box
during one of the intervals, the latter looked round after awhile and
saw Pixis sitti