Among the pianist-composers who have had the immense advantage of taking lessons from Chopin, to impregnate themselves with his style and manner, we must cite Gutmann, Lysberg, and our dear colleague G. Mathias.  The Princesses de Chimay, Czartoryska, the Countesses Esterhazy, Branicka, Potocka, de Kalergis, d’Est; Mdlles.  Muller and de Noailles were his cherished disciples [disciples affectionnees].  Madame Dubois, nee O’Meara, is also one of his favourite pupils [eleves de predilection], and numbers among those whose talent has best preserved the characteristic traditions and procedures [procedes] of the master.

Two of Chopin’s amateur and a few more of his professional pupils ought to be briefly noticed here—­first and chiefly of the amateurs, the Princess Marcelline Czartoryska, who has sometimes played in public for charitable purposes, and of whom it has often been said that she is the most faithful transmitter of her master’s style.  Would the praise which is generally lavished upon her have been so enthusiastic if the lady had been a professional pianist instead of a princess?  The question is ungracious in one who has not had the pleasure of hearing her, but not unnaturally suggests itself.  Be this as it may, that she is, or was, a good player, who as an intimate friend and countrywoman thoroughly entered into the spirit of her master’s music, seems beyond question.

[Footnote:  “The Princess Marcelline Czartoryska,” wrote Sowinski in 1857 in the article “Chopin” of his “Musicien polonais,” “who has a fine execution, seems to have inherited Chopin’s ways of procedure, especially in phrasing and accentuation.  Lately the Princess performed at Paris with much success the magnificent F minor Concerto at a concert for the benefit of the poor.”  A critic, writing in the Gazette Musicale of March 11, 1855, of a concert given by the Princess—­at which she played an andante with variations for piano and violoncello by Mozart, a rondo for piano and orchestra by Mendelssohn, and Chopin’s F minor Concerto, being assisted by Alard as conductor, the violoncellist Franchomme, and the singers Madame Viardot and M. Fedor—­praised especially her rendering of the adagio in Chopin’s Concerto.  Lenz was the most enthusiastic admirer of the Princess I have met with.  He calls her (in the Berliner Musikzeitung, Vol.  XXVI) a highly-gifted nature, the best pupil [Schulerin] of Chopin, and the incarnation of her master’s pianoforte style.  At a musical party at the house of the Counts Wilhorski at St. Petersburg, where she performed a waltz and the Marche funebre by Chopin, her playing made such an impression that it was thought improper to have any more music on that evening, the trio of the march having, indeed, moved the auditors to tears.  The Princess told Lenz that on one occasion when Chopin played to her this trio, she fell on her knees before him and felt unspeakably happy.]

G. Chouquet reminded me not to omit to mention among Chopin’s pupils Madame Peruzzi, the wife of the ambassador of the Duke of Tuscany to the court of Louis Philippe:—­