It was not till 1833 that Chopin became known to the musical world as a composer.  For up to that time the “Variations,” Op. 2, published in 1830, was the only work in circulation; the compositions previously published in Warsaw—­the “Rondo,” Op. 1, and the “Rondeau a la Mazur,” Op. 5—­may be left out of account, as they did not pass beyond the frontier of Poland till several years afterwards, when they were published elsewhere.  After the publication, in December, 1832, of Op. 6, “Quatre Mazurkas,” dedicated to Mdlle. la Comtesse Pauline Plater, and Op. 7, “Cinq Mazurkas,” dedicated to Mr. Johns, Chopin’s compositions made their appearance in quick succession.  In the year 1833 were published:  in January, Op. 9, “Trois Nocturnes,” dedicated to Mdme. Camille Pleyel; in March, Op. 8, “Premier Trio,” dedicated to M. le Prince Antoine Radziwill; in July, Op. 10, “Douze Grandes Etudes,” dedicated to Mr. Fr. Liszt; and Op. 11, “Grand Concerto” (in E minor), dedicated to Mr. Fr. Kalkbrenner; and in November, Op. 12, “Variations brillantes” (in B flat major), dedicated to Mdlle.  Emma Horsford.  In 1834 were published:  in January, Op. 15, “Trois Nocturnes,” dedicated to Mr. Ferd.  Hiller; in March, Op. 16, “Rondeau” (in E flat major), dedicated to Mdlle.  Caroline Hartmann; in April, Op. 13, “Grande Fantaisie sur des airs polonais,” dedicated to Mr. J. P. Pixis; and in May, Op. 17, “Quatre Mazurkas,” dedicated to Mdme. Lina Freppa; in June, Op. 14, “Krakowiak, grand Rondeau de Concert,” dedicated to Mdme. la Princesse Adam Czartoryska; and Op. 18, “Grande Valse brillante,” dedicated to Mdlle.  Laura Horsford; and in October, Op. 19, “Bolero” (in C major), dedicated to Mdme. la Comtesse E. de Flahault. [Footnote:  The dates given are those when the pieces, as far as I could ascertain, were first heard of as published.  For further information see “List of Works” at the end of the second volume, where my sources of information are mentioned, and the divergences of the different original editions, as regards time of publication, are indicated.]

The “Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung” notices several of Chopin’s compositions with great praise in the course of 1833; in the year after the notices became more frequent.  But the critic who follows Chopin’s publications with the greatest attention and discusses them most fully is Rellstab, the editor of the Iris.  Unfortunately, he is not at all favourably inclined towards the composer.  He occasionally doles out a little praise, but usually shows himself a spendthrift in censure and abuse.  His most frequent complaints are that Chopin strives too much after originality, and that his music is unnecessarily difficult for the hands.  A few specimens of Rellstab’s criticism may not be out of place here.  Of the “Mazurkas,” Op. 7, he says:—­