Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger (Editor) - Chopin: Pianist and Teacher - as Seen by his Pupils

Chopin: pianist and teacher

Chopin at the piano. Pencil drawing by J. Gtzenberger, Paris, October 1838.

Chopin: pianist and teacher

as seen by his pupils

JEAN-JACQUES EIGELDINGER

University of Geneva

Translated by

Naomi Shohet

with Krysia Osostowicz and Roy Howat

Edited by

Roy Howat

University Printing House, Cambridge CB2 8BS, United Kingdom

Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York

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Cambridge University Press 1986

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Originally published in French as Chopin vu par ses lves by Editions de la Baconnire, Neuchtel (Switzerland), 1970 and 1970 and 1979 Editions de la Baconnire

First published in English by Cambridge University Press 1986 as
Chopin: pianist and teacher as seen by his pupils
Third, English edition Cambridge University Press 1986

First paperback edition 1988

11th printing 2013

Printed by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY

British Library Cataloguing in Publication data

Eigeldinger, Jean-Jacques

Chopin: pianist and teacher as seen by his pupils.

1. Chopin, Frdric 2. Composers Poland
Biography

I.Title II. Howat, Roy III. Chopin vu par

ses lves. English

786.10924 ML410.C54

Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data

Chopin vu par ses lves. English.

Chopin: pianist and teacher as seen by his pupils.

Translation of: Chopin, vu par ses lves.

Bibliography.

Includes indexes.

1. Chopin, Frdric, 18101849. 2. Chopin,

Frdric, 18101849. Piano music. 3. Piano music

Interpretation (Phrasing, dynamics, etc.)

I. Eigeldinger, Jean-Jacques. II.Title.

ML410.C54.C4913 1986 786.10924 8515141

ISBN 978-0-521-36709-7 Paperback

Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

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Illustrations

Chopin at the piano. Pencil drawing by J. Gtzenberger, Paris, October 1838. Coll. of the late Andr Meyer (photograph: Roger Viollet, Paris)

Acknowledgements

It would be impossible here to thank individually every person whose kind co-operation has enabled the present study to come to fruition. My gratitude goes particularly to Dr Dalila T. Turlo and Mrs Hanna Wrblewska-Straus of the Fryderyk Chopin Society, Warsaw, who generously made their collections available and provided information with untiring good will; to M. Andr Clavier (Grivegne/Lige), whose dedication and whose linguistic competence in matters Polish have helped me enormously, and M. Jean-Michel Nectoux, of the Bibliothque Nationale, Paris, who amicably eased various tasks in the Department of Music. I dedicate a particularly affectionate thought to the late Ludwik Bronarski, the initial supporter of this enterprise, and extend especial thanks to Mme Marie-Jos Rieckel-Leroy, whose generosity has helped towards the costs of translating the book into English.

I should also like to thank Mmes Wanda Borkowska and Irena Gazowska (Bibliothque Polonaise, Paris), Antoinette Couturier-Andr (Paris) and the late Yvonne Faure-Andr (La Croix-en-Touraine); the late regretted Dr Zofia Lissa (University of Warsaw), Dr Hedwig Mitringer (Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, Vienna); Dr Micha Bristiger (Universities of Warsaw and Krakw), Dr Hellmut Federhofer (University of Mainz), Dr Franz Grasberger (Music Department of the National Library, Vienna), M. Jacques Horneffer (Library of the Geneva Conservatoire), Dr jeffrey Kallberg (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia), M. Franois Lesure (Music Department of the Bibliothque Nationale, Paris), M. Georges Lubin (Boulogne-sur-Seine), M. Laurent Pnicaud (Tonneins, Lot-et-Garonne), Mr Jerzy Stankiewicz (Krakw) and Mr J. Rigbie Turner (the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York).

To Roy Howat, the initiator of this English edition, I express special gratitude for having given unstintingly of his time and energy to see through all the necessary revision with a constant competence and dedication. My recognition extends equally to Naomi Shohet and Krysia Osostowicz for their translation of the major part of the book.

Finally I thank Franois Ditesheim for the warm sympathy with which he surrounded my work.

JEAN-JACQUES EIGELDINGER

Quebec, March 1978
Geneva, July 1983

Explanation of references

In referring to bibliographic sources, whenever an author is represented in the present book by more than one work, the source in question is identified by an added abbreviation (e.g., Lenz, B; Lenz, GPV; etc.), which prefaces the sources full entry in the Bibliography. When source references consist of two or more names separated by oblique strokes, the first name is that of the originator of the information, the last name that of the author whose publication is our source. For example, Dubois/Niecks means that Mme Dubois, Chopins pupil, passed her reminiscence (orally or verbally) to Niecks, who reproduced it in his publication; Mikuli/Bischoff/Federhofer means that Mikuli passed his information (orally) to Bischoff, who put it in writing in a text published by Federhofer; Czartoryska/Dziayska/Czartkowski-Jeewska means that the Princess Marcelina Czartoryska reported her information to a pupil, Cecylia Dziayska, who published it in an article reproduced in the book by Czartkowski and Jeewska; and so on.

Note markers in the Introduction and Appendices refer to footnotes on the same page; those in the main part of the book (pages 2389) refer to the body of notes on pages 90159. Some notes are referred to more than once; note markers therefore do not always follow an exact numerical sequence.