Whereupon Chopin replied:  “We have each our genre.”

M. Rollinat then proceeds to tell his readers that Chopin, believing he had eclipsed Liszt that evening, boasted of it, and said:  “How vexed he was!” It seems that the author felt that this part of the story put a dangerously severe strain on the credulity of his readers, for he thinks it necessary to assure them that these were the ipsissima verba of Chopin.  Well, the words in question came to the ears of Liszt, and he resolved at once to have his revenge.

Five days afterwards the friends were again assembled in the same place and at the same time.  Liszt asked Chopin to play, and had all the lights put out and all the curtains drawn; but when Chopin was going to the piano, Liszt whispered something in his ear and sat down in his stead.  He played the same composition which Chopin had played on the previous occasion, and the audience was again enchanted.  At the end of the piece Liszt struck a match and lighted the candles which stood on the piano.  Of course general stupefaction ensued.

“What do you say to it?” said Liszt to his rival.  “I say what everyone says; I too believed it was Chopin.”  “You see,” said the virtuoso rising, “that Liszt can be Chopin when he likes; but could Chopin be Liszt?”

Instead of commenting on the improbability of a generous artist thus cruelly taunting his sensitive rival, I shall simply say that Liszt had not the slightest recollection of ever having imitated Chopin’s playing in a darkened room.  There may be some minute grains of truth mixed up with all this chaff of fancy—­ Chopin’s displeasure at the liberties Liszt took with his compositions was no doubt one of them—­but it is impossible to separate them.

M. Rollinat relates also how in 184-, when Chopin, Liszt, the Comtesse d’Agoult, Pauline Garcia, Eugene Delacroix, the actor Bocage, and other celebrities were at Nohant, the piano was one moonlit night carried out to the terrace; how Liszt played the hunting chorus from Weber’s Euryanthe, Chopin some bars from an impromptu he was then composing; how Pauline Garcia sang Nel cor piu non mi sento, and a niece of George Sand a popular air; how the echo answered the musicians; and how after the music the company, which included also a number of friends from the neighbouring town, had punch and remained together till dawn.  But here again M. Rollinat’s veracity is impugned on all sides.  Madame Viardot-Garcia declares that she was never at Nohant when Liszt was there; and Liszt did not remember having played on the terrace of the chateau.  Moreover, seeing that the first performance of the Prophete took place on April 16, 1849, is it likely that Madame Pauline Garcia was studying her part before or in 1846?  And unless she did so she could not meet Chopin at Nohant when she was studying it.