Frederick’s first musical instruction and music-master, Adalbert
Zywny.—­His debut and success as A pianist.—­His early
introduction into aristocratic society and constant intercourse
with the aristocracy.—­His first compositions.—­His studies and
master in harmony, counterpoint, and composition, Joseph Elsner.

Our little friend, who, as we have seen, at first took up a hostile attitude towards music—­for his passionate utterances, albeit inarticulate, cannot well be interpreted as expressions of satisfaction or approval—­came before long under her mighty sway.  The pianoforte threw a spell over him, and, attracting him more and more, inspired him with such a fondness as to induce his parents to provide him, notwithstanding his tender age, with an instructor.  To lessen the awfulness of the proceeding, it was arranged that one of the elder sisters should join him in his lessons.  The first and only pianoforte teacher of him who in the course of time became one of the greatest and most original masters of this instrument, deserves some attention from us.  Adalbert Zywny [footnote:  This is the usual spelling of the name, which, as the reader will see further on, its possessor wrote Ziwny.  Liszt calls him Zywna.], a native of Bohemia, born in 1756, came to Poland, according to Albert Sowinski (Les musiciens polonais et slaves), during the reign of Stanislas Augustus Poniatowski (1764—­1795), and after staying for some time as pianist at the court of Prince Casimir Sapieha, settled in Warsaw as a teacher of music, and soon got into good practice, “giving his lessons at three florins (eighteen pence) per hour very regularly, and making a fortune.”  And thus teaching and composing (he is said to have composed much for the pianoforte, but he never published anything), he lived a long and useful life, dying in 1842 at the age of 86 (Karasowski says in 1840).  The punctual and, no doubt, also somewhat pedantic music-master who acquired the esteem and goodwill of his patrons, the best families of Warsaw, and a fortune at the same time, is a pleasant figure to contemplate.  The honest orderliness and dignified calmness of his life, as I read it, are quite refreshing in this time of rush and gush.  Having seen a letter of his, I can imagine the heaps of original MSS., clearly and neatly penned with a firm hand, lying carefully packed up in spacious drawers, or piled up on well-dusted shelves.  Of the man Zywny and his relation to the Chopin family we get some glimpses in Frederick’s letters.  In one of the year 1828, addressed to his friend Titus Woyciechowski, he writes:  “With us things are as they used to be; the honest Zywny is the soul of all our amusements.”  Sowinski informs us that Zywny