While few men have dared to unlock their hearts thus, Chopin is
not so intimate here as in the mazurkas. But the pulse beats
ardently in the tissues of this composition. As art for art, it
is less perfect; the gain is on the human side. Nearing his end
Chopin discerned, with ever widening, ever brighter vision, the
great heart throb of the universe. Master of his material, if not
of his mortal tenement, he passionately strove to shape his
dreams into abiding sounds. He did not always succeed, but his
victories are the precious prizes of mankind. One is loath to
believe that the echo of Chopin's magic music can ever fall upon
unheeding ears. He may become old-fashioned, but, like Mozart, he
will remain eternally beautiful.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Frederic Chopin as a Man and Musician, by Frederick Niecks.
London, Novello, Ewer & Co.
Frederic Chopin, by Franz Liszt. London, W. Reeves.
Life and Letters of Frederic Chopin, by Moritz Karasowski,
translated from the Russian by Emily Hill. London, W. Reeves.
Chopin and Other Musical Essays, by Henry T.
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