iss Fay has
brought a sonata." "Ah, well, let us hear it," said Liszt. Just
then he left the room for a minute, and I told the three gentlemen
they ought to go away and let me play to Liszt alone, for I felt
nervous about playing before them. They all laughed at me and said
they would not budge an inch. When Liszt came back they said to
him, "Only think, Herr Doctor, Miss Fay proposes to send us all
home." I said I could not play before such artists. "Oh, that is
healthy for you," said Liszt with a smile, and added, "you have a
very choice audience now." I don't know whether he appreciated how
nervous I was, but instead of walking up and down the room, as he
often does, he sat down by me like any other teacher, and heard me
play the first movement. It was frightfully hard, but I had studied
it so much that I managed to get through with it pretty
successfully. Nothing could exceed Liszt's amiability, or the
trouble he gave himself, and instead of frightening me, he inspired
me. Never was there such a delightful teacher! and he is the most
sympathetic one I've had. You feel so free with him, and he
develops the very spirit of music in you. He doesn't keep nagging
at you all the time, but he leaves you your own conception. Now and
then he will make a criticism or play a passage, and with a few
words give you enough to think of all the rest of your life. There
is a delicate point to everything he says as subtle as he is
himself. He doesn't tell you anything about the technique; that you
must work out for yourself. When I had finished the first movement
of the sonata, Liszt, as he always does, said "Bravo!" Taking my
seat he made some little criticisms, and then he told me to go on
and play the rest of it.

Now, I only half-knew the other movements, for the first one was so
extremely difficult that it cost me all the labor I could give to
prepare that. But playing to Liszt reminds me of trying to feed the
elephant in the Zoological Garden with lumps of sugar. He disposes
of whole movements as if they were nothing, and stretches out
gravely for more! One of my fingers fortunately began to bleed, for
I had practised the skin off, and that gave me a good excuse for
stopping. Whether he was pleased at this proof of industry, I know
not; but after looki