well-mannered musician?” Nothing, however, could be farther from the truth.  Chopin hated Mendelssohn’s D minor Trio, and told Halle that that composer had never written anything better than the first Song without Words.  Franchomme, stating the case mildly, says that Chopin did not care much for Mendelssohn’s music; Gutmann, however, declared stoutly that his master positively disliked it and thought it common.  This word and the mention of the Trio remind me of a passage in Hiller’s “Mendelssohn:  Letters and Recollections,” in which the author relates how, when his friend played to him the D minor Trio after its completion, he was favourably impressed by the fire, spirit, and flow, in one word, the masterly character of the work, but had some misgivings about certain pianoforte passages, especially those based on broken chords, which, accustomed as he was by his constant intercourse with Liszt and Chopin during his stay of several years in Paris to the rich passage work of the new school, appeared to him old-fashioned.  Mendelssohn, who in his letters repeatedly alludes to his sterility in the matter of new pianoforte passages, allowed himself to be persuaded by Hiller to rewrite the pianoforte part, and was pleased with the result.  It is clear from the above that if Mendelssohn failed to give Chopin his due, Chopin did more than apply the jus talionis.

Schumann, however, found still less favour in the eyes of Chopin than Mendelssohn; for whilst among the works which, for instance, Madame Dubois, who was Chopin’s pupil for five years, studied under her master, Mendelssohn was represented at least by the Songs without Words and the G minor Concerto, Schumann was conspicuous by his total absence.  And let it be remarked that this was in the last years of Chopin’s life, when Schumann had composed and published almost all his important works for pianoforte alone and many of his finest works for pianoforte with other instruments.  M. Mathias, Chopin’s pupil during the years 1839-1844, wrote to me:  “I think I recollect that he had no great opinion of Schumann.  I remember seeing the “Carnaval,” Op. 9, on his table; he did not speak very highly of it.”  In 1838, when Stephen Heller was about to leave Augsburg for Paris, Schumann sent him a copy of his “Carnaval” (published in September, 1837), to be presented to Chopin.  This copy had a title-page printed in various colours and was most tastefully bound; for Schumann knew Chopin’s love of elegance, and wished to please him.  Soon after his arrival in Paris, Heller called on the Polish musician and found him sitting for his portrait.  On receiving the copy of the “Carnaval” Chopin said:  “How beautifully they get up these things in Germany!” but uttered not a word about the music.  However, we shall see presently what his opinion of it was.  Some time, perhaps some years, after this first meeting with Chopin, Heller was asked by Schlesinger whether he would advise him to publish Schumann’s “Carnaval.”