You see, Chopin's going to Paris was a strange journey. The boy was leaving his mother's country and going to the land of his father. Like Joseph Haydn, who went away at the age of six, Chopin never lived at home again.
But he did not reach Paris a stranger. The world of music had heard of him and some of its great ones welcomed his coming.
Let us always think of these men who knew each other well as a family.
Berlioz was a famous composer for the orchestra.
Meyerbeer was best known as an operatic composer.
Heine was a great poet whose verses were set to music by many song composers.
Berlioz was the only one of the group who was born in France.
During his boyhood Chopin played much in public, journeying to some of the great cities of Europe, among them Vienna, Berlin, and Munich.
Therefore, when he played in Paris it was as an artist. Here, as at home, he charmed everyone by the beauty of his music and the loveliness of his touch.
He possessed the true piano hand. It was somewhat narrow. The fingers were long and tapering. It seemed at once strong and vigorous, yet delicate and sensitive.
Indeed, Chopin's music is of just these qualities. It is strong in its nobility, delicate in its sentiment.
One would think that to arrive in Paris and to be welcomed by the great ones would make everything easy.
But it was not so for Chopin. Only a few people were present at his first concert and for quite a while he had no pupils.
Indeed, it was all so discouraging that he made up his mind to return to his beloved Poland.
His friend, Franz Liszt, begged him not to go. Others, too, urged him to stay in Paris. One friend, who met him in the street as he was about to leave, advised him as did the others to stay in Paris.
"But," said this friend, "first come with me to visit a true lover of music."
So Chopin went with him to the house of Baron Rothschild. Here he played, so charming the company with his music that ever so many of them begged him for the privilege of lessons.
And so, all in a moment, his troubles blew away, as troubles often do. Here is a picture of Chopin playing in the home of a prince.
[Illustration 11: CHOPIN PLAYING FOR THE PRINCE]
Do you wonder what kind of a man the little Polish boy became after he found success in Paris?