eft us a record of his defects. The Pole was ombrageux and
easily offended; he disliked democracies, in fact mankind in the bulk
stunned him. This is one reason, combined with a frail physique, of his
inability to conquer the larger public. Thalberg could do it; his
aristocratic tournure, imperturbability, beautiful touch and polished
mechanism won the suffrage of his audiences. Liszt never stooped to
cajole. He came, he played, he overwhelmed. Chopin knew all this, knew
his weaknesses, and fought to overcome them but failed. Another
crumpled roseleaf for this man of excessive sensibility.

Since told of Liszt and first related by him, is the anecdote of Chopin
refusing to play, on being incautiously pressed, after dinner, giving
as a reason "Ah, sir, I have eaten so little!" Even though his host was
gauche it cannot be denied that the retort was rude.

Chopin met Osborne, Mendelssohn--who rather patronized him with his
"Chopinetto,"--Baillot the violinist and Franchomme the 'cellist. With
the latter he contracted a lasting friendship, often playing duos with
him and dedicating to him his G minor 'cello Sonata. He called on
Kalkbrenner, then the first pianist of his day, who was puzzled by the
prodigious novelty of the young Pole's playing. Having heard Herz and
Hiller, Chopin did not fear to perform his E minor concerto for him. He
tells all about the interview in a letter to Titus: "Are you a pupil of
Field's?" was asked by Kalkbrenner, who remarked that Chopin had the
style of Cramer and the touch of Field. Not having a standard by which
to gauge the new phenomenon, Kalkbrenner was forced to fall back on the
playing of men he knew. He then begged Chopin to study three years with
him--only three!--but Elsner in an earnest letter dissuaded his pupil
from making any experiments that might hurt his originality of style.
Chopin actually attended the class of Kalkbrenner but soon quit, for he
had nothing to learn of the pompous, penurious pianist. The Hiller
story of how Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt and Heller teased this grouty
old gentleman on the Boulevard des Italiens is capital reading, if not
absolutely true. Yet Chopin admired Kalkbrenner's finished technique
despite his platitudinous manner. Heine said--or rather quoted
Koreff--that Kalkbrenner looked like a bonbon that had been in the mud.
Niecks thinks Chopin might have learned of Kalkbrenner on the
mechanical side. Chopin, in public, was modest about his attainmen