The sight of the Viennese public did not at all excite me, and I sat down, pale as I was, at a wonderful instrument of Graff’s, at the time perhaps the best in Vienna.  Beside me I had a painted young man, who turned the leaves for me in the Variations, and who prided himself on having rendered the same service to Moscheles, Hummel, and Herz.  Believe me when I say that I played in a desperate mood; nevertheless, the Variations produced so much effect that I was called back several times.  Mdlle.  Veltheim sang very beautifully.  Of my improvisation I know only that it was followed by stormy applause and many recalls.

To the cause of the paleness and the desperate mood I shall advert anon.  Chopin was satisfied, nay, delighted with his success; he had a friendly greeting of “Bravo!” on entering, and this “pleasant word” the audience repeated after each Variation so impetuously that he could not hear the tuttis of the orchestra.  At the end of the piece he was called back twice.  The improvisation on a theme from La Dame blanche and the Polish tune Chmiel, which he substituted for the Krakowiak, although it did not satisfy himself, pleased, or as Chopin has it, “electrified” the audience.  Count Gallenberg commended his compositions, and Count Dietrichstein, who was much with the Emperor, came to him on the stage, conversed with him a long time in French, complimented him on his performance, and asked him to prolong his stay in Vienna.  The only adverse criticism which his friends, who had posted themselves in different parts of the theatre, heard, was that of a lady who remarked, “Pity the lad has not a better tournure.”  However, the affair did not pass off altogether without unpleasant incidents:—­

The members of the orchestra [Chopin writes to his friend Titus Woyciechowski] showed me sour faces at the rehearsal; what vexed them most was that I wished to make my debut with a new composition.  I began with the Variations which are dedicated to you; they were to be followed by the Rondo Krakowiak.  We got through the Variations well, the Rondo, on the other hand, went so badly that we had to begin twice from the beginning; the cause of this was said to be the bad writing.  I ought to have placed the figures above and not below the rests (that being the way to which the Viennese musicians are accustomed).  Enough, these gentlemen made such faces that I already felt inclined to send word in the evening that I was ill.  Demar, the manager, noticed the bad disposition of the members of the orchestra, who also don’t like Wurfel.  The latter wished to conduct himself, but the orchestra refused (I don’t know for what reason) to play under his direction.  Mr. Demar advised me to improvise, at which proposal the orchestra looked surprised.  I was so irritated by what had happened that in my desperation I agreed to it; and who knows if my bad humour and strange mood were not the causes of the great success which my playing obtained.