he became more cosmopolitan he also became more
artificial and for a time the salon with its perfumed, elegant
atmosphere threatened to drug his talent into forgetfulness of loftier
aims. Luckily the master-sculptor Life intervened and real troubles
chiselled his character on tragic, broader and more passionate lines.
He played frequently in public during 1832-1833 with Hiller, Liszt,
Herz and Osborne, and much in private. There was some rivalry in this
parterre of pianists. Liszt, Chopin and Hiller indulged in friendly
contests and Chopin always came off winner when Polish music was
essayed. He delighted in imitating his colleagues, Thalberg especially.
Adolphe Brisson tells of a meeting of Sand, Chopin and Thalberg, where,
as Mathias says, the lady "chattered like a magpie" and Thalberg, after
being congratulated by Chopin on his magnificent virtuosity, reeled off
polite phrases in return; doubtless he valued the Pole's compliments
for what they were worth. The moment his back was presented, Chopin at
the keyboard was mocking him. It was then Chopin told Sand of his
pupil, Georges Mathias, "c'est une bonne caboche." Thalberg took his
revenge whenever he could. After a concert by Chopin he astonished
Hiller by shouting on the way home. In reply to questions he slily
answered that he needed a forte as he had heard nothing but pianissimo
the entire evening!

Chopin was never a hearty partisan of the Romantic movement. Its
extravagance, misplaced enthusiasm, turbulence, attacks on church,
state and tradition disturbed the finical Pole while noise, reclame and
boisterousness chilled and repulsed him. He wished to be the Uhland of
Poland, but he objected to smashing idols and refused to wade in
gutters to reach his ideal. He was not a fighter, yet as one reviews
the past half century it is his still small voice that has emerged from
the din, the golden voice of a poet and not the roar of the artistic
demagogues of his day. Liszt's influence was stimulating, but what did
not Chopin do for Liszt? Read Schumann. He managed in 1834 to go to
Aix-la-Chapelle to attend the Lower Rhenish Music Festival. There he
met Hiller and Mendelssohn at the painter Schadow's and improvised
marvellously, so Hiller writes. He visited Coblenz with Hiller before
returning home.

Professor Niecks has a deep spring of personal humor which he taps at
rare intervals. He remarks that "the coming to Paris and settlement
there of his friend Matuszynski