ermany, Russia, and Poland, produced at every matinee a new
pianoforte concerto by one of the best composers--sometimes one of
his own--and was assisted by the quartet party of Bielawski, a good
violinist, leader in the orchestra, and professor at the Conservatorium.
Although Arnold's stay was not of long duration, his departure did not
leave the town without good pianists. Indeed, it is a mistake to suppose
that Warsaw was badly off with regard to musicians. This will be evident
to the reader as soon as I have named some of those living there in
the time of Chopin. Wenzel W. Wurfel, one of the professors at the
Conservatorium, who stayed in Warsaw from 1815 to 1824, and afterwards
went to Vienna, where he became conductor at the Karnthnerthor Theater,
was an esteemed pianist and composer, and frequently gave concerts, at
one of which he played Field's Concerto in C.

[FOOTNOTE: Wenzel Wilhelm Wurfel, in most dictionaries called Wilhelm
Wurfel (exceptions are: E. Bernsdorf's "Neues Universal-Lexikon
der Tonkunst", and Dr. Hugo Riemann's "Opern-Handbuch"). A Warsaw
correspondent of a German musical paper called him Waclaw Wurfel. In
Whistling's "Handbuch der musikalischen Literatur" his Christian names
are only indicated by initials--W. W.]

If we scan the list of professors at the Conservatorium we find other
musicians whose reputation was not confined to the narrow limits of
Warsaw or even Poland. There was, for instance, the pianist and
composer Franz Lessel, the favourite pupil of Haydn; and, further, that
interesting character Heinrich Gerhard Lentz, who, born and educated at
Cologne, went in 1784 to Paris, played with success his first concerto
at the Concert Spirituel, published some of his compositions and taught
in the best families, arrived in London in 1791, lived in friendly
intercourse with Clementi and Haydn, and had compositions of his
performed at Solomon's concerts, returned to Germany in 1795, stayed
with Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia till Dussek supplanted him, and
so, wandering about, reached Warsaw, where he gave lessons, founded
a pianoforte manufactory, became professor of the organ at the
Conservatorium, married twice, and died in 1839. The only other
professor at the Conservatorium about whom I shall say a few words is C.
E. Soliva, whose name and masters I have already mentioned. Of his works
the opera "La testa di bronzo" is the best known. I should have said
"was," for nobody now knows an