egins in the major key of the
dominant; the seventh measure comes to a stand before a
fermata on C major. The easy handling of these seven measures
Tausig interpreted thus: 'The piece has not yet begun;' in his
firmer, nobly expressive exposition of the principal theme,
free from sentimentality--to which one might easily yield--the
grand style found due scope. An essential requirement in an
instrumental virtuoso is that he should understand how to
breathe, and how to allow his hearers to take breath--giving
them opportunity to arrive at a better understanding. By this
I mean a well chosen incision--the cesura, and a lingering--
"letting in air," Tausig cleverly called it--which in no way
impairs rhythm and time, but rather brings them into stronger
relief; a LINGERING which our signs of notation cannot
adequately express, because it is made up of atomic time
values. Rub the bloom from a peach or from a butterfly--what
remains will belong to the kitchen, to natural history! It is
not otherwise with Chopin; the bloom consisted in Tausig's
treatment of the Ballade.

He came to the first passage--the motive among blossoms and
leaves--a figurated recurrence to the principal theme is in
the inner parts--its polyphonic variant. A little thread
connects this with the chorale-like introduction of the second
theme. The theme is strongly and abruptly modulated, perhaps a
little too much so. Tausig tied the little thread to a doppio
movimento in two-four time, but thereby resulted sextolets,
which threw the chorale into still bolder relief. Then
followed a passage a tempo, in which the principal theme
played hide and seek. How clear it all became as Tausig played
it! Of technical difficulties he knew literally nothing; the
intricate and evasive parts were as easy as the easiest--I
might say easier!

I admired the short trills in the left hand, which were
trilled out quite independently, as if by a second player; the
gliding ease of the cadence marked dolcissimo. It swung itself
into the higher register, where it came to a stop before A
major, just as the introduction stopped before C major. Then,
after the theme has once more presented itself in a modified
form--variant--it comes under the pestle of an extremely
figurate coda, which demands the study of an artist, the
strength of a robust man--the most vigorous pianistic health,
in a word! Tausi