e description of the one mentioned by Karasowski. The
"Journal des Debats" of April 4, 1835, draws the public's attention to
it by the following short and curious article:--

The concert for the benefit of the indigent Poles [i.e.,
indigent Polish refugees] will take place to-morrow,
Saturday, at the Theatre-Italien, at eight o'clock in the
evening. Mdlle. Falcon and Nourrit, MM. Ernst, Dorus, Schopin
[sic], Litz [sic], and Pantaleoni, will do the honours of
this soiree, which will be brilliant. Among other things
there will be heard the overtures to "Oberon" and "Guillaume
Tell," the duet from the latter opera, sung by Mdlle. Falcon
and Nourrit, and romances by M. Schubert, sung by Nourrit and
accompanied by Litz, &c.

To this galaxy of artistic talent I have yet to add Habeneck, who
conducted the orchestra. Chopin played with the orchestra his E minor
Concerto and with Liszt a duet for two pianos by Hiller.

As you may suppose [says a writer of a notice in the "Gazette
musicale"] M. Chopin was not a stranger to the composition of
the programme of this soiree in behalf of his unhappy
countrymen. Accordingly the fete was brilliant.

In the same notice may also be read the following:--

Chopin's Concerto, so original, of so brilliant a style, so
full of ingenious details, so fresh in its melodies, obtained
a very great success. It is very difficult not to be
monotonous in a pianoforte concerto; and the amateurs could
not but thank Chopin for the pleasure he had procured them,
while the artists admired the talent which enabled him to do
so [i.e., to avoid monotony], and at the same time to
rejuvenate so antiquated a form.

The remark on the agedness of the concerto-form and the difficulty of
not being monotonous is naive and amusing enough to be quoted for its
own sake, but what concerns us here is the correctness of the report.
Although the expressions of praise contained in it are by no means
enthusiastic, nay, are not even straightforward, they do not tally
with what we learn from other accounts. This discrepancy may be thus
explained. Maurice Schlesinger, the founder and publisher of the
"Gazette musicale," was on friendly terms with Chopin and had already
published some of his compositions. What more natural, therefore, than
that, if the artist's feelings were hurt, he should take care that
they should not be further tortured by unpleasant rema