as well as of his ensemble playing with the orchestra.  He received much applause, and was repeatedly called back....At the close Mr. Chopin played to-day the Variations on a theme of Mozart’s, which he had already performed with so much bravura and felicity at his first concert.  The pleasing and yet substantial variety of this composition as well as the fine, successful playing obtained also to-day loud applause for the pianist.  Connoisseurs and amateurs manifested joyously and loudly their recognition of his clever playing.  This young man...shows in his compositions a serious striving to interweave by interesting combinations the orchestra with the pianoforte.

In conclusion, let me quote one other journal, this time a purely musical one—­namely, the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (No. 46, November 18, 1829).  The notice, probably written by that debauched genius F.A.  Kanne, runs thus:—­

Mr. Chopin, a pianist from Warsaw, according to report a pupil of Wurfel’s [which report was of course baseless], came before us a master of the first rank.  The exquisite delicacy of his touch, his indescribable mechanical dexterity, his finished shading and portamento, which reflect the deepest feeling; the lucidity of his interpretation, and his compositions, which bear the stamp of great genius—­ variazioni di bravura, rondo, free fantasia—­reveal a virtuoso most liberally endowed by nature, who, without previous blasts of trumpets, appears on the horizon like one of the most brilliant meteors.

Still, the sweets of success were not altogether without some admixture of bitterness, as we may perceive from the following remarks of Chopin’s:—­

I know that I have pleased the ladies and the musicians.  Gyrowetz, who sat beside Celinski, made a terrible noise, and shouted “Bravo.”  Only the out-and-out Germans seem not to have been quite satisfied.

And this, after having a few days before attributed the applause to the Germans, who “could appreciate improvisations.”  Tantae animis coelestibus irae?  But what was the reason of this indignation?  Simply this:  a gentleman, who after the second concert came into the coffee-room of the hotel where Chopin was staying, on being asked by some of the guests how he liked the performance, answered laconically, “the ballet was very pretty”; and, although they put some further questions, he would say no more, having no doubt noticed a certain person.  And hinc illae lacrimae.  Our sensitive friend was indeed so much ruffled at this that he left the room in a pet and went to bed, so as not to hinder, as he explains, the outpouring of the gentleman’s feelings.  The principal stricture passed on the virtuoso was that he played too softly, or, rather, too delicately.  Chopin himself says that on that point all were unanimous.  But the touchy artist, in true artist fashion—­ or shall we be quite just and say “in true human fashion”? adds:—­