The list of Chopin’s acquaintances is as yet far from being exhausted.  He had conversations with old Abbe Stadler, the friend of Haydn and Mozart, whose Psalms, which he saw in Ms., he admired.  He also speaks of one of the performances of old, sacred, and secular music which took place at Kiesewetter’s house as if he were going to it.  But a musician of Chopin’s nature would not take a very lively interest in the historical aspect of the art; nor would the learned investigator of the music of the Netherlanders, of the music of the Arabs, of the life and works of Guido d’Arezzo, &c., readily perceive the preciousness of the modern composer’s originality.  At any rate, Chopin had more intercourse with the musico-literary Franz Kandler, who wrote favourable criticisms on his performances as a composer and player, and with whom he went on one occasion to the Imperial Library, where the discovery of a certain Ms. surprised him even more than the magnitude and order of the collection, which he could not imagine to be inferior to that of Bologna—­the manuscript in question being no other than his Op. 2, which Haslinger had presented to the library.  Chopin found another Ms. of his, that of the Rondo for two pianos, in Aloys Fuchs’s famous collection of autographs, which then comprised 400 numbers, but about the year 1840 had increased to 650 numbers, most of them complete works.  He must have understood how to ingratiate himself with the collector, otherwise he would hardly have had the good fortune to be presented with an autograph of Beethoven.

Chopin became also acquainted with almost all the principal publishers in Vienna.  Of Haslinger enough has already been said.  By Czerny Chopin was introduced to Diabelli, who invited him to an evening party of musicians.  With Mechetti he seems to have been on a friendly footing.  He dined at his house, met him at Dr. Malfatti’s, handed over to him for publication his Polonaise for piano and violoncello (Op. 3), and described him as enterprising and probably persuadable to publish Elsner’s masses.  Joseph Czerny, no relation of Charles’s, was a mere business acquaintance of Chopin’s.  Being reminded of his promise to publish a quartet of Elsner’s, he said he could not undertake to do so just then (about January 26, 1831), as he was publishing the works of Schubert, of which many were still in the press.

Therefore [writes Chopin to his master] I fear your Ms. will have to wait.  Czerny, I have found out now, is not one of the richest publishers here, and consequently cannot easily risk the publication of a work which is not performed at the Sped or at the Romische Kaiser.  Waltzes are here called works; and Lanner and Strauss, who lead the performances, Capellmeister.  In saying this, however, I do not mean that all people here are of this opinion; on the contrary, there are many who laugh at it.  Still, it is almost only waltzes that are published.

It is hardly possible for us to conceive the enthusiasm and ecstasy into which the waltzes of the two dance composers transported Vienna, which was divided into two camps:—­