scattering the light passages from the top of the key-board. As to prestesse, fugue, eclat, brio, originality, his playing strikes from the first, dazzles, astonishes; and the infantine simplicity of his smiling caprices, the charming ease with which he renders simple things, seem to belong to a second individuality, distinct from that which characterizes his thundering energies. The success, also, of Mr. Gottschalk when he is in the presence of a civilized musical audience, is immense. There is applause, transport, which, far from causing one to feel that vexatious irritation caused by factitious, exaggerated, or ridiculous enthusiasm, of which we so often have the spectacle, one is happy to see and hear. At the concert which he gave last month in the Hall Bonne Nouvelle, the greater part of his pieces were encored. Further, Mr. Gottschalk, on that evening, merited a eulogy superior to those which I have already given to him; he executed in the most masterly manner the sonata in a of Beethoven, the style and form of which do not approach in any way the style or familiar forms of real piano music. It is impossible to play better the andante, to give more relief to the thousand arabesques of the variations, and to better direct the last course of the finale without letting it lose anything of its continual and vertiginous ardour.
Besides, to appreciate, as they should be, talents of this nature requires special critics—as is done by Liszt in his admirable study just published in the journal 'La Musique,' on Chopin.
(From the Feuilleton de l'Assemblée Nationale, Paris, 29 April, 1851.)
Immediately after the solemnities of Easter, the series of mundane concerts recommenced with more fury than ever. Mr. Gottschalk has given at Pleyel's a soirée for the benefit of the workmen who had sustained losses owing to the fire. Never was the reputation and vogue of an artist so promptly and generally established as that which Mr. Gottschalk enjoys to-day. And, nevertheless, there have been neither pompous puffs nor any sort of charlatanism. Mr. Gottschalk was born at New Orleans, and came to Paris to finish his studies. He received lessons on the piano from that excellent professor, Mr. Stamaty, and studied harmony and composition with an able theorist, Mr. Maleden. All these labours were, however, only those of an amateur; but, unknown to himself, the amateur was already an artist, a great artist. The memories of childhood recalled to him the negro airs to which he had been nursed, he translated them upon his key-board, and we have the 'Bananier,' the 'Bamboula,' the 'Mancenillier,' and those charming and simple melodies which art and science extract in the most distinguished way. Mr. Gottschalk has become the man à la mode, the indispensable pianist. But the public who idolize him are unmerciful to him. When Mr. Gottschalk has played a piece, they cry bis; through excess of courtesy the young pianist plays a new one, the audience, more and more enchanted, again demand bis, the performer plays again a new piece, which they again wish to hear repeated, and it would not be right because their demand would not stop before the inexhaustible complaisance of the author. We have seen this, exchange take place four or five times in succession.
Mr. Gottschalk has all the grace and charm of Chopin, with more decided character; less magisterial than Thalberg, he has, perhaps, more warmth; less severe than Prudent, he has more grace and elegance. And then, all his pieces are very short, and a great way always to please is not to wish to play too long.
Ad. Adam (de I'Institut).
