The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-12
SOME CHOPIN LETTERS

among the rest. Chopin took all the-fatt tery and attendance as matter q course. He had enjoyed such things when he was a wonder child in Poland He writes Titus with the unpronounce. able name in natural manner of tin. success of the second concert. Humme
 Ierz, Moscheles and others were vien pese favorites; for the moment Chopi
 overshadowed them. He met and admiref F'raulein Blahetka QS11-1SSD, a ViennI born pianist, a daughter of the editor q the Wiener Zeitung and for a while tn situation looked serious. Was Chopin i danger of forgetting his beloved Constan tia Gladowska? Apparently not. He lei Vienna for Warsaw more than satisfie
 with his triumphs.
 The second sojourn at Vienna, from No
 vember, 1880, to July, 1881. was not so sat lsfactory. Poland was in the throes of l revolution. The Viennese did not like tn
 Poles, and Chopin writes that one nigh sitting in an Italian restaurant he hear some one loudly proclaim that "the goo God made a mistake when he created tn Poles.' Another wit followed this sail. with, 'In Pollen ist nichts gu holen Chopin employs the original Germai phrase in his letter to Jan Matuszynskf.l No wonder he quilted his table and cried "Dogs!'' Thoughts of the revolution fire. his blood He congratulated Jan on goinf into the fight and wished that at leass he could play the drums! Wurfel, con. ductor at the Karntnerthortheater wal amiable, and Dr. Malfatti a music friend and physician at the court, showered at tentions upon him. But he was moody troubled by thoughts of home. and in ad dition suffered from profound ennui, tho penalty he paid for his exquisitely strung neurasthenic temperament. He described to Jan Matuszynski his daily life. His apartment is high up, yet Hummel and other pianists visit him, also Joseph Czerny (not a relative of Karl Czerny Liszt's early teacher). He rises late takes his coffee, or lets 1t grow cold as h. plays Che has now Graf concert grand piano, beloved in those days). A friend enters. More music. The dinner and { promenade. The bored Chopin dresse. for the evening and further bores him self until midnight at soirees or balls where he meets Prince Dietrichstein, thu Abbe Stadler, Karl Maria Van Bockle Qriend of Beethoven and Schubert), tn, Schwarzenbergs, the Wrbnas and other aristocrats; home to dream, to weep, to play out upon the keyboard the world weariness and longing which torment him, or to thrum with slender fingers or the window panes-with those magca fingers which Balzac said had only to drum on table to make music. Chopin at 20 was more Byronic than Byron.
 Constantia Gladowska is on his mind He eagerly questions Jan about her de ings; whether she is meeting with success at her concerts, whether-and now tht jealousy of Frederic shows-the usua crowd of Russian officers Is hanging around her; Dresser, Besobrasow. Pisar zewskl--he knows their names. You again overhear his passionate cry "Dogs!" In Chopin the patriot kept pace with the poet. Listen to his polonaisei or to the overwhelming study in c minor, composed during the revolution in Var saw. These letters are very interesfng especially the one addressed to Jan. dated Christmas, 1s3o In the monumental work on Chopin by the Pole Ferdinand Hoesick now being translated by Jaraslow de ZielinskD we hope to see included these new letters, with proper editorial eipen' dations.