Chopin and Liszt

Chopin

   After finishing the Beethoven biography, I immediately started a life of Chopin. No particular reason: (daughter) Ellie had the book and asked if I were interested. I was, but for quite different reasons from the Beethoven volume. I am not a Chopin buff, for better or for worse. My tastes are much more Germanic, with its pronounced structural features, brought to light in longer works and much less in what a musical uncle of mine called (of another composer) Ohrenschmalz. But I was interested in Chopin’s personal life, partly in  Poland, but mostly in Paris at the beginning of the 19^th century. The book, Chopin by Bernard Gavoty, is very rewarding in that regard and lavishes much attention to the Paris of Chopin’s days there.

   I’m not yet done with this volume and will probably want to say more about it later, but I now want to make some remarks just about the relationship of Chopin to Franz Liszt. Given my ignorance, I did not even know that those two piano giants knew each other, not to mention that they overlapped in Paris for quite a few years. They were friendly and much respected each other. It is made very clear in the book that while each greatly admired the other’s playing, they had very different styles, with Chopin much less flamboyant and virtuosic than Liszt. There is a brief account of a wonderful incident when the lights were shut on an upscale gathering. The piano was played. There was great surprise that the pianist turned out to be Liszt—who had most successfully performed in the quieter more subtle style of Chopin. It is unlikely that Chopin could have—or tried—to play being Liszt.   He politely but firmly protested when Liszt added an embellishment when performing one of his pieces.