The Manchester Guardian of August 19, 1848, contained the following advertisement:—­

Concert Hall.—­The Directors beg to announce to the Subscribers that a Dress Concert has been fixed for Monday, the 28th of August next, for which the following performers have already been engaged:  Signora Alboni, Signora Corbari, Signer Salvi, and Mons. Chopin.

From an account of the concert in the same paper (August 30), the writer of which declares the concert to have been the most brilliant of the season, we learn that the orchestra, led by Mr. Seymour, played three overtures—­Weber’s Ruler of the Spirits, Beethoven’s Prometheus, and Rossini’s Barbiere di Siviglia; and that Chopin performed an Andante and Scherzo, and a Nocturne, Etudes, and the Berceuse of his own composition.  With regard to Chopin we read in this critique:—­

With the more instrumental portion of the audience, Mons. Chopin was perhaps an equal feature of interest with Alboni, as he was preceded by a high musical reputation.  Chopin appears to be about thirty years of age. [Footnote:  Chopin, says Mr. Hipkins, had a young look, although much wasted.] He is very spare in frame, and there is an almost painful air of feebleness in his appearance and gait.  This vanishes when he seats himself at the instrument, in which he seems for the time perfectly absorbed.  Chopin’s music and style of performance partake of the same leading characteristics—­ refinement rather than vigour—­subtle elaboration rather than simple comprehensiveness in composition—­an elegant rapid touch, rather than a firm, nervous grasp of the instrument.  Both his compositions and playing appear to be the perfection of chamber music—­fit to be associated with the most refined instrumental quartet and quartet playing—­but wanting breadth and obviousness of design, and executive power, to be effective in a large hall.  These are our impressions from hearing Mons. Chopin for the first time on Monday evening.  He was warmly applauded by many of the most accomplished amateurs in the town, and he received an encore in his last piece, a compliment thus accorded to each of the four London artists who appeared at the concert.

From the criticism of the Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser (August 30, 1848), I cull the following remarks:—­

We can, with great sincerity, say that he delighted us.  Though we did not discover in him the vigour of Thalberg, yet there was a chasteness and purity of style, a correctness of manipulation combined with a brilliance of touch, and delicate sensibility of expression which we never heard excelled.  He played in the second act [part]...and elicited a rapturous encore.  He did not, however, repeat any part, but treated the audience with what appeared to be a fragment of great beauty.

Mr. Osborne, in a paper on Chopin read before the London Musical Association, says:—­