New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-31

.-ar slbeit his English IS as good as tnss :.
49, na,ority Of those who write on music ~ -
p.s.ssn He himself tells rs that his VOLUMES lep.
-. The researches Of ten years Inis 10 NOV
49, oomnared with Thayer's hDors ~
,SohaB Of Beethoven, but tho lSo'
s.h;sct Is smoter as wei az imes ,.
SO greater. In Wow Of the Onopin ou4O
.s.. has been raging SO long, and while bearing ~
,trd that he WINS representative OF the rolnanViO
.ns-i, IN music. creator Of new sve ~
,ianofoyte music and especially promoter :.
.ho, harynouic freedom which plays 30 lmporUNuo
a role IN latter-day music, the mos' srieVou'
Sssact IN the book seems 70 Us
prtheless to be disproporHon
be+ween jt and the subject. are ulo Law" .
Hbopin's life, is his influence sufficiently sreas
oarl for Tie pages of letter pressY we c"nhov "
lieve IL any more than we can persuade ourseiFeo
that 70 understand his music II Is necessary 80
fomiliar with Mr.. Hieclrss chapters on tne SOoi"i
and nolitical history Of Poland, and his eAnauS@'e
h,ooranhv of George Sand. But In TINS ana .
stviistjo difusiyeness which seems 70 nave hhu i0
origin. like the extraneous matter In the DooA' ~
a. conviction that it was necessary TO Ill S"o VOL
uyoes We have summed up the gravest charge 0iAO
can be brought against the new biography
Mr. Nieeks is 50 judicial that with oil ms en1nu-
siasn for his hero he himself furnishes the aninu
milton for many attacks upon him. IL Us lmpOssi,
hl for one 70 read his careful study OF tne soc"i
side Of Chopin. his devotion TO the hollow Salon
life OF Paris, paired with hts supercinousneSs an"
want Of courtesy, TO say nothing OF his deprecia-
tom of many fellow artists tsome OF them men IN
teroourse with whom would have wloened ms
artistic character and Strengthened MS mo,Si
naturel, without coming to the conciu-
e,on that the maryellously gifted musi-
clan was not entirely faithful 70 .he
mission which nature placed before NM
In fact Mr.. NieclZs has made 1t plain that Cnopln
was deficient in sincerity-a flower when was hOo
likely to flourish in the whited sepuichres VI
Paris In which be lived out the greater poeuou
of his career. he was, says our au'nol' noro
loved than loving" and he gives many instances
of ardent attachments begun and ended IN ex-
ceedinRly brief periods OF time. Speaking OF bus
iuSncerity and shsllowness OF heart hr. hieeks
says:
But he knew how to conceal his Deficiencies IN
this respect under the blandness OF ms mannerS anu
the ooaxfne afectionateness Of his language. Inere
s something really tragic, and comic too, IN Lne
fact that every friend Of Chopin thougnt that
he had more Of the composers love and conn
p nsoeeaares in friendship much may be learned
from his letters; in them Is 70 be seen something
Of his insinuating, caohng ways, Of his endeavoIs
TO make the person addressed peneve nlm llsra.
not only ungenerously and unlovingy, but even
nniustly, Of other persons with whom ne WeS
apparently on cordial terms. In fact u ie only
The faces and behind the backs Of people.
Taking . general view Of the letters wn,sen
by him during the last twelve years OF his me,
one IL struck by the absence OF generous iud menis
and the extreme rareness OF sympathetic senti-
ments concerning third persons.
The facilities which Mr.. Niecks provides for HIS
readers TO form distinct Gomez ption Of Chopin's
music as an expression Of the emotional life Of the
Poles win be hailed with pleasure; what he says
on this subject rs well rs on the general subject
Of Chopins style, shows the careful, and pene-
txating thinker. These pages are among the
best In the book. From the last chapter entitled,
Epilogue,S we take the following excerpts, con-
tanning the gst of the authors summing up Of
his study; they viii dispel the thought which
many may have formed from the previous ex-
tract that the author Is wanting in sympathy
and admiration for his subject, and at the saue
time serve as Illustrations OF Mr. Hiecks's judicial
manner. He says of Chopin the man
Poetic distinction, exquisite refinement and
q noble bearing are the characteristics which
strike one in all portraits Of Chopin, and which
struck the beholder more in the real Chopin, when
they were reinforced by the gracefulness OF his
movements and by manners that made people
lnvoluntarily treat him as n prince. and peryad
ing and uncturing every part OF the harmonious
whole OF Chopin's presence there was delicaey
which was indeed the cardinal factor In the
shaping, not only Of his outward conformation,
bat also Of his character, lite and art:pracuce.
Physical delicacy brought with IL pSychical deli,
manners which early and continued intercou rse
with the highest arlstccracy confirmed and de-
yeloped. Many OF the charming, qualities 2t the
man and artist derive from this dellcacy But ~
Is likewise the source Of some Of the deficiencies
and weaknesses IN the man and artist Ills e1-
clusiveness, for instance, ~ no doubt ehargeaole
10 the speculative senstVeness, which shrnnk from
everything that failed 70 satisfy his fasudious,
exncting nature and became more and more
morbid av delicacy, Of which II was q con
comItant degenerated into disease. Yet, not
Understanding the lack OF robustness, and al u
entails, Chopin might have been moderately
happy perhaps even haye continued 6 . 70 enjoy
well matched. This, however, was not the case,
His thoughts were too big, his passions TOO
Violent for the frail frame that held them and
the former grew bigger and more violent as the
latter grew Trailer and Nirailer. He could not
realize his Aspirations, could not compass MS
desires IN short could not fnlty assert himself.
Here indeed, we have liz upon the tragic motive
Of Chopin's nte-dramn, Hnd the key 10 much TINT
otherwise would be enignAtical, certainly not
explicable by dehcaey and disease alone.
OF Chopin as q pianist Mr. Necks says:
Chopin was not q virtuoso In the ordinary
sense Of the word. His sphere was the reunioE
intime,7 not the mixed crowd Of concert audiences
IN. however, human testimony Is worth any
thing, we may take 1t as proven that there never
was q pianist whose playing exercised q charm
equal TO that of Chopin. But, as LAsZt has said
it is impossible TO mako those who have not heard
him understand this subtle, penetrating charm Of
an inefable poesy IL words could give On ideg
of Chopin's playing 1t would be given by sucl
expressions as -legerete impalpa OLE palas aeri
ems de 10 Fata MorgAna,n "wundersam und maer
ohenhaft" and other similar ones used with regart
| W IL by men who may safely be accepted as au
thoritieA
Chopin the composer Is thus described:
The arstico-historieal Importance Of Chopin lie
In his having added new elements 20 music, origin
| ated means Of expression for the communicated
and discrimination Of moods and enodons, anC
shades OF moods and emotions TIM
| up TO his time had belonged 70 the realm Of tht
/ unuttered and unutterable Among the notabh
composers who have lived since the days o
Chopin there is not 70 be found one who has no
prohted more or less, consciously or unconsciousy
| directly or indirectly, by this truly creatv,
genius. Popular, In the comprehensive sens