The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-04
LIST, THE GREAT PIANIST.
Incidents Illustrative of the Masters
Dealings with His Pupils.
His Friendship with the Princess Wittgenstein
ELUSIVE Nature of the Abbe-IIis Sum-
mer Home-A Wonderful Requiem.
Daniel Paul, in San Francisco Chronicle.

Speaking, in former paper of the favoritism
shown by the professor of the Musical Conserva-
tory in Stuttgart to pretty girls, reminds me of
an incident in the life of the great List, of
which was eyewitness. 1t proved that, no
matter how great-aye, proverbal-be the ad-
miration of the maestro for the fair sex, it count
ed for naught when the claims of his favorite
mistress, art, were at issue. 1t was once away
back in 1874, and in the good city of Rome,
my honor and good fortune to be entitled
to the enviable predicate "a pupil of Liszt'-
not in the art Of piano playing, but
in the science of harmony and the aesthetics of
melody. The Able, with a patience which was
Jobitic and the gentleness of the Gentleman
Saint him of Sales, had just finished the correc-
ton of puerile effort Of NINE when his servant
entered, bearing a card He looked at it, pursed
his lips after his wont when he is bit 'hipped !"
and said LET them come in. "A pupil of
Sgambati, he said to me, wishes to call herself
my pupil" Sgambati, by the way, is by all
odds, the Benjamin of Liszt-not as to his
years, but his merits. The servant
ushered in stout lady Of the bourgeoisie
type. She was followed by petite creature,
who was garnshed with considerable
beauty and pair of EYEGLASSES, which made her
look real smart" $50 your daughter wishes
to play before me! Well, let her play" and he
escorted the little Hebe to the grand Pleyel.
She sat down and unrolled one of Beethoven's
sonatas. He sat at her left. Before beginning
to play she essayed to enthrall him by the usual
womans art and she gave the old lion the full
benefit of an ogling glance from her really be-
witching eyes. 'Avantw 600 ahead"l
growled the maestro and she went just three
measures of the majestic andante, when he
stopped her. do you see that mark, made by
your teacher7 Why not follow his directons9 Da
capo.' She recommended.
Meanwhile saw that his choler was begin
ming to bubble, and made motion to leave
Stay" he said. She played the principal sub
ject of the movement fairly, and was just en-
barking on the secondary subject when he al
| most jostled her from the stool, sat down and
played the movement to the end-only as List
could. Then he tossed back his name and said:
There, that is what Herr Beethoven wished to
down upon her with his peculiar scowl. None
abashed, she looked up and said: 'Wells"
''WellN queried, or, rather. snorted he. "Shall
become a virtuosal" she asked. do
you know the nearest way to St; Peters'sr
he opned that if she studied it was
possible for her to become virtuosa
May consider myself under your direction. !"
asked the signorina. NO." said he. MAY
If she wishes .'When9' "Oh, next Christ
mas year" and he had closed the door upon
them with the polite deXterity of a court official
who is getting rid of with grievance
He then growled something in German, which
bore no remote reference to an enjoyable - in
our vernacular and lit cigar in very wicked
manner. | learned afterwards that the signo-
rna took to herself the title of "a pupil of List"
fiction in which she is initiated by thousands
ON the same grounds. Indeed, LISTS pupils at
present are almost as numerous the indisput-
able originals of Raphael, Titan and Rubens
have no object in view. beyond the telling of
how Fbecame "a pupil of Liszt." and what it led
to. Remotely it was through the kind offices of
Miss Anne Hampton Brewster, and Immediately
through the Princess Sayn Wittgenstein, one Of
the most remarkable characters in city of re-
lnarkable characters. On dit that she loved
List, even while the Polish Prince still lived
At all events she was his pupil in sober earnest.
The on dit goes on further to depose that, when
the prince died, she followed List to Rome to
press her suit List has always been the court
ed not the courtier-a happy member of
f fhh G a6ont Max Mner
Bulwer fls q Finding herself sorely
pressed, he got Plus TX to give him the monsure
and minor orders, whence the ecclesiastical habit
he wears, and his title of Able Here is where
rumor shows her ignorance of clerical discipline
Minor orders do not preclude marriage. 1t is
only at the reception of the first of the major
orders, namely, the subdeaconship, that the vow
of chastity is pronounced. However, the Prin.
cess raised the siege and and they became Pla-
tonic friends When List affected piety she
became pious in reality. Women do such things
by wholes. During the Vatican council. when
the German faction was conspiring headed by
the archconsprator the Count Won Arnm
the princess. was the greatest cabalist of them
! all. After the occupation Of Rome by the Itai-
lans, she began the writing of a voluminous
| work called 1.-THE Invisible Causes of the Visi-
| BILE Decadence of the Church" She published it
| at her own expense Each year quarto tome
of this wonderful work appears, which is soon fol-
| lowed by a solemn condemnation of the book by
| the Conglegation of the Index. And yet though
| the Index makes her hereto and though she
will not submit, and, to use a Roman phrase,
reprobate her work, she may be seen three times
week in the church of SAINT Andrea dele Fratte,
receiving communion with ecstatic pleasure
Into the salon of her Highness was one day
admitted and gracious reception she gave me.
She has beautiful, womanly presence Though
age has begun TO describe Hogarth's line upon
her shoulders, there is a flash in the dark eyes
STILL and the aristocratic face becomes quickened
with the animation of youth when she speaks.
She expressed supreme contempt for old Cheru-
binis Counterpart" which [ had been study
ing under Capocci, and parenthetically, de-
nounced Rossini's ''Stabat Mater as 'the abomi-
nation of desolation shrieking in the holy place
| She declared that LISTS ''Stabat" was the only
adequate expression of the sorrows of tine Mater
| Dolorosa ever composed What of PergolesiW
1 thought. She gave me a letter to
Liszt, said something about my being good, and
| the reward would be her protection, and gave
me her hand to kiss. The reception given me
by List was delightful. l brought with me a
| little song one of those driveing illusions of
which fellow delivers himself when he is in the
| novitiate of love, and when he looks away off
| with ambitious eye into the future and beholds
| bust of himself crowned with laurel 'Italian
STYLE" said he, contemptuously, as he looked it
over. Had he told me it was worthy of Bee
| thoven, / could not have been more pleased, for
it was my ambition at that time to write in that
style. Temporal mutantur, ct nos mutamur in
| ills!
| He then catechised me about my motives as
! vigorously as would an ancient father abbot a
young postula.it for the monastic gown, and, be-
| ing assured that loved the muse for her own
melodic sake. whether she ultimately brought
me pelf not, he told me to come again a week
| from that day. For weeks after visited him in