But it is needless cruelty to pick at Madame Sand's
criticisms. She had no technical education, and so little
appreciation of Chopin's peculiar genius for the piano that she
could write, "The day will come when his music will be arranged
for orchestra without change of the piano score;" which is
disaster-breeding nonsense. We have sounded Chopin's weakness
when writing for any instrument but his own, when writing in any
form but his own.
The E minor Concerto is dedicated to Frederick Kalkbrenner, the F
minor to the Comtesse Deiphine Potocka. The latter dedication
demonstrates that he could forget his only "ideal" in the
presence of the charming Potocka! Ah! these vibratile and
versatile Poles!
Robert Schumann, it is related, shook his head wearily when his
early work was mentioned. "Dreary stuff," said the composer,
whose critical sense did not fail him even in so personal a
question. What Chopin thought of his youthful music may be
discovered in his scanty correspondence. To suppose that the
young Chopin sprang into the arena a fully equipped warrior is
one of those nonsensical notions which gains currency among
persons unfamiliar with the law of musical evolution.
Pages:
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323