G. HILL, STEAM PRINTER,
WESTMINSTER BRIDGE ROAD,
LONDON.
CONTENTS.
| PAGE. | |
| Preface | [vii]. |
| CHAPTER I. | |
Nicholas Chopinʼs Family and Friends. Zywny. Elsner. | [1]. |
| CHAPTER II. | |
Fredericʼs Childhood. His First Appearance in Public.Polish National Songs. | [17]. |
| CHAPTER III. | |
Chopinʼs Early Manhood. His First Journey. HisRelations with Prince Anton Radziwill | [33]. |
| CHAPTER IV. | |
The Journey to Berlin. Chopinʼs Letters. An Incidentof the Return to Warsaw | [40]. |
| CHAPTER V. | |
Journey to Vienna, Prague, Teplitz, Dresden. ChopinʼsPerformance at two Concerts in Vienna | [59]. |
| CHAPTER VI. | |
Influence of the Last Journey on Chopin. Letters toTitus Woyciechowski. Farewell Concert in Warsaw.Chopin leaves his Native City | [87]. |
| CHAPTER VII. | |
The Classic and Romantic Elements in Polish Literature.Influence of the Romantic School on Chopin. HisFirst Compositions | [123]. |
| CHAPTER VIII. | |
German and Italian Music in the years 1827—1831.Johann Matuszynski | [140]. |
| CHAPTER IX. | |
Chopinʼs Stay in Breslau, Dresden, Prague, and Vienna | [152] |
| CHAPTER X. | |
The Insurrection in Warsaw and its disastrous effecton Chopinʼs sojourn in Vienna | [170]. |
| CHAPTER XI. | |
Further sojourn in Vienna. The journey to Munich. | 193. |
| CHAPTER XII. | |
Destruction of Chopinʼs letters and other mementos inWarsaw. Stay in Munich. Departure for Paris. | 212. |
| CHAPTER XIII. | |
Stay in Paris. Chopin proposes to receive instructionfrom Kalkbrenner. Correspondence about thiswith Elsner. Letter to Titus Woyciechowski.Chopinʼs desire to go to America not realized.He resolves to return to Warsaw. Soirée atRothschildʼs | 219. |
| CHAPTER XIV. | |
Improvement of Chopinʼs position in Paris. Elsnerʼsletter. Moschelesʼs and Fieldʼs opinions ofChopin. Trip to Aix-la-Chapelle, Carlsbad,Marienbad, Dresden, and Leipsic. Visit toMendelssohn and Schumann | 241. |
| CHAPTER XV. | |
Chopinʼs Acquaintance with George Sand. His lifeamong his friends. Winter sojourn in theIsland of Majorca (1838-1839.) | 259. |
| CHAPTER XVI. | |
Return to Paris. Moscheles and Liszt. Chopin as aPianoforte Teacher | 274. |
| CHAPTER XVII. | |
Domestic Sorrows. Two Letters of George Sand. Breachwith George Sand. Journey to England. Returnto Paris. Chopinʼs illness and death | 295. |
| CHAPTER XVIII. | |
Chopin as a Man | 323. |
| CHAPTER XIX. | |
Chopin as a Composer | 334. |
| Appendix | 350. |
To HERMANN SCHOLTZ.
Our frequent conversations on Chopin have taught me to respect you as an admirer of this great master, and as a true and faithful interpreter of his glorious productions. It is to you, therefore, that I dedicate this work, which, without vanity, I may call a monument raised with care and devotion to his memory.
Accept it as a proof of my sincere friendship and appreciative esteem for your talents.
Moritz Karasowski.
Dresden, January, 1877.
PREFACE.
Several years of friendship with the family of Frederic Chopin have enabled me to become acquainted with his letters and to place them before the public. Just as I had finished transcribing the first series (letters of his youth) and was on the point of chronologically arranging the second (Paris correspondence) the insurrection of 1863 broke out in Poland, and the sympathy aroused by the political condition of the Fatherland weakened public interest in its literary and artistic productions. I therefore deemed it advisable to abstain from the publication of Chopinʼs letters.