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M. Mathias remarks that his master had extraordinary vigour, but only in flashes. Mikuli's preface to his edition of the works of Chopin affords more explicit information. We read there: We may summarise these various depositions by saying with Lenz that, being deficient in physical strength, Chopin put his all in the cantabile style, in the connections and combinations, in the detail.
Mikuli's edition, like Klindworth's, is fingered, and, as the title-page informs us, "for the most part according to the author's markings." In addition to these advantages he enjoyed the advice of M. Mathias, another pupil of Chopin. Klindworth's is a purely pianoforte edition, and excludes the trio, the pieces with violoncello, and the songs.
The materials at my disposal are abundant and not less trustworthy than abundant. My account is based chiefly on the communications made to me by a number of the master's pupils notably, Madame Dubois, Madame Rubio, M. Mathias, and Gutmann and on Mikuli's excellent preface to his edition of Chopin's works.
In different degrees of tempo, strength and rhythmic accent it should be practised, omitting the thumb and first finger. Mikuli's metronome is 144 to the quarter, Von Bulow's, 114; Klindworth's, the same as Mikuli, and Riemann is 72 to the half, with an alla breve. The fingering in three of these authorities is almost identical. Riemann has ideas of his own, both in the phrasing and figuration.
But it is time that after this excursion which hardly calls for an excuse we return to the more important part of our subject, the master's method of teaching. One day he heard me say that I practised six hours a day. He became quite angry, and forbade me to practise more than three hours. This was also the advice of Hummel in his pianoforte school. To resume Mikuli's narrative:
I sighed grievously as I went back to the piano, and opened the volume of Mikuli's Chopin. Just as I was beginning to play, Rebecca came into the room.
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