Walker-My_Musical_Ex.. - Walter Cosand

HENSELT 183
better than any words, demonstrated to me that, in
seeking to give a warm and poetic reading to that
over which I had no real mastery, the result was but
' a complete caricature.' Still I had courage enough
left to ask him if I might try to play it to him just to
show him that I understood what he wished. ' No,
no,' was the angry reply, ' I won't listen to you ; you
have studied it all wrong, and you cannot in a
moment make it all at once right. I see, I see ! if I
were to give you thirty or forty lessons ' (his own
words), ' I should still have to begin afresh, for you
are not in my school.' At that moment I luckily
bethought me of Bach's fugues, some of which I have
always had under my fingers, and I asked him if he
would allow me to play one or two of these to him.
He consented, but it was only to say repeatedly in an
angry tone as he listened to me, ' To be able to play
these so well, and yet do so badly in the Concerto
I will now try what you can do with Cramer.' He
left the room for a moment, and returning with some
music in his hand, said, ' Here, take that,' and gave
me the first book of the Studies, and told me to come
to him again as soon as I was prepared to play three
or four of these to him. This whole scene had greatly
excited, harassed, and perplexed me, and on leaving
the villa of Von Henselt I carried the music up to my
rooms in the inn, and going off to take a walk, re-
mained out for hours, quite oblivious of the fact that
I had not eaten any dinner.
!