Walker-My_Musical_Ex.. - Walter Cosand

MY MUSICAL EXPERIENCES
piece of Eaff's, arranged for a pianoforte solo. Liszt
had hardly heard her play through a page of the first
movement before he said, ' I don't care for this ; let
us go on to the next movement.' The young ' pianist
did not seem disconcerted by this first rebuff, and was
playing, as desired, the second movement of Eaff's
composition, and, to my thinking, in a most finished
and artistic manner, when Liszt, who must have been
in a very ungenial and altogether unaccountable mood
that day, lifted the piece from the desk, saying, 'I
don't care to listen to such music as that.' Miss
Goodwin had to leave the piano without having
received one softening word from the Meister.
She showed, however, admirable dignity and self-
possession ; but her aunt, who always accompanied
her on these occasions, was extremely angry,
and whispered to me, almost loud enough to be
heard, as we were going downstairs, ' Is the old man
doting?'
The whole thing had been manifestly the result of
a whim on his part, for I had been watching all
Liszt's looks and words during those weeks, and as I
walked with her to the hotel, I gave the aunt the
benefit of my observations. Liszt had a little bit of a
grudge against her niece for possessing an antiquated
edition of his studies; and, moreover, he was in a
capricious mood, and it seemed to me that he very
often made experiments on those who were playing to
him, to see of what stuff they were made.