Mendelssohn And Liszt

Liszt appcared in his Hungarian costnme, wild and magnificent. He told Mendelssohn that he had written something special for him. He sat down, and swaying right and left on his music stool played first a Hungarian melody, and then three or fonr variations, one more incredible than the other. We stood amazed, and after everybody had paid his complirnents to the hero of the daysome of Mendelssohn 's f riends gathered round hirn and said: "Ah, Felix, now we can pack up. No one can do that. It is over with us. " Mendelssohn smiled, and when pressed to play something in return he laughed and said that he never played now, and this to a certain extent was tnie. He did not givo much time to practicing then, but worked chiefly at composing and directing his concerts. However, Liszt would take no refusal, and so at last little Mendelssohn, with his own charming playfulness, said, "Well, 111 play, but you must promise me not to be angry. " And what did he play? He sat down and played flrst of all Liszt's Huugarian, nielody, and then one variation af ter another, so that no one but Liszt himself could have told the difference. We all trembled lest Liszt should be offended, for Mendelssohn could not keep himself from slightly imitating Liszt's movements and raptures. However, Mendelssohn managed never to offend man, woinan or child. Liszt laughed and applauded and admitted that no one, not he himself, could have perfornied such a bravura.