pin taught, and spent the
vacations at Nohant, to which charming retreat Liszt, Matthew Arnold,
Delacroix, Charles Rollinat and many others came. His life was
apparently happy. He composed and amused himself with Maurice and
Solange, the "terrible children" of this Bohemian household. There,
according to reports, Chopin and Liszt were in friendly rivalry--are
two pianists ever friendly?--Liszt imitating Chopin's style, and once
in the dark they exchanged places and fooled their listeners. Liszt
denied this. Another story is of one or the other working the pedal
rods--the pedals being broken. This too has been laughed to scorn by
Liszt. Nor could he recall having played while Viardot-Garcia sang out
on the terrace of the chateau. Garcia's memory is also short about this
event. Rollinat, Delacroix and Sand have written abundant souvenirs of
Nohant and its distinguished gatherings, so let us not attempt to
impugn the details of the Chopin legend, that legend which coughs
deprecatingly as it points to its aureoled alabaster brow. De Lenz
should be consulted for an account of this period; he will add the
finishing touches of unreality that may be missing.

Chopin knew every one of note in Paris. The best salons were open to
him. Some of his confreres have not hesitated to describe him as a bit
snobbish, for during the last ten years of his life he was generally
inaccessible. But consider his retiring nature, his suspicious Slavic
temperament, above all his delicate health! Where one accuses him of
indifference and selfishness there are ten who praise his unfaltering
kindness, generosity and forbearance. He was as a rule a kind and
patient teacher, and where talent was displayed his interest trebled.
Can you fancy this Ariel of the piano giving lessons to hum-drum
pupils! Playing in a charmed and bewitching circle of countesses,
surrounded by the luxury and the praise that kills, Chopin is a much
more natural figure, yet he gave lessons regularly and appeared to
relish them. He had not much taste for literature. He liked Voltaire
though he read but little that was not Polish--did he really enjoy
Sand's novels?--and when asked why he did not compose symphonies or
operas, answered that his metier was the piano, and to it he would
stick. He spoke French though with a Polish accent, and also German,
but did not care much for German music except Bach and Mozart.
Beethoven--save in the C sharp minor and several other sonatas--was n