cannot fill a slender purse, still less can a badly-attended concert do
so, and Chopin was loath to be a burden on his parents who, although in
easy circumstances, were not wealthy, and whose income must have been
considerably lessened by some of the consequences of the insurrection,
such as the closing of schools, general scarcity of money, and so forth.
Nor was Paris in 1831, when people were so busy with politics, El Dorado
for musicians. Of the latter, Mendelssohn wrote at the time that they
did not, like other people, wrangle about politics, but lamented over
them. "One has lost his place, another his title, and a third his money,
and they say this all proceeds from the 'juste milieu.'" As Chopin saw
no prospect of success in Paris he began to think, like others of his
countrymen, of going to America. His parents, however, were against this
project, and advised him either to stay where he was and wait for better
things, or to return to Warsaw. Although he might fear annoyances from
the Russian government on account of his not renewing his passport
before the expiration of the time for which it was granted, he chose
the latter alternative. Destiny, however, had decided the matter
otherwise.[FOOTNOTE: Karasowski says that Liszt, Hiller, and Sowinski
dissuaded him from leaving Paris. Liszt and Hiller both told me, and
so did also Franchomme, that they knew nothing of Chopin having had any
such intention; and Sowinski does not mention the circumstance in his
Musiciens polonais.] One day, or, as some will have it, on the very day
when he was preparing for his departure, Chopin met in the street Prince
Valentine Radziwill, and, in the course of the conversation which the
latter opened, informed him of his intention of leaving Paris. The
Prince, thinking, no doubt, of the responsibility he would incur by
doing so, did not attempt to dissuade him, but engaged the artist to go
with him in the evening to Rothschild's. Chopin, who of course was asked
by the hostess to play something, charmed by his wonderful performance,
and no doubt also by his refined manners, the brilliant company
assembled there to such a degree that he carried off not only a
plentiful harvest of praise and compliments, but also some offers of
pupils. Supposing the story to be true, we could easily believe that
this soiree was the turning-point in Chopin's career, but nevertheless
might hesitate to assert that it changed his position "as if by
enchantment.