pain and misfortune in this world, it has not been possible for him to escape from the concert solicited from him by the thousand requests of the Genevese.
The grand duchess, sister-in-law of the Emperor Nicholas, as well as her daughter the Princess Weimar, and their suite, were present at the concert. They had forewarned Gottschalk, who had reserved for them in the first row of seats cushions and divans of red velvet. In the middle of the soirée, the grand duchess requested, through her chamberlain, Mr. le Baron de Vauthier, to felicitate him, and as the artist, whose modesty is equal to his talent, bowed his thanks, her imperial highness took him by the hand and made him promise to give a second concert at Geneva. From thence Gottschalk will go to Aix, in Savoy, and probably afterwards to Lyons, and will return from thence to Paris, to pass the winter season.
L. Escudier.
(From the Nouvelliste Vaudois, Geneva, 26 October, 1850.)
The gift of universality, such as is manifested among some chosen artists, is a rare gift. The domain of Art is so immense that to embrace it in its entirety, to be perfect in each of its branches, is a thing so phenomenal, that one can understand why men of talent take up a specialty.
Under this title, we must consider the talent of Mr. Gottschalk, the young and celebrated American pianist, as a musical event. Go see him before his Erard piano, which is, parenthetically, the grandest and most formidable which has issued from these famous workshops, and which Erard has presented to him! He will play for you the nocturne with its mysterious ways, the caprice with its eccentric bonds, the melody sadly insinuating, as Chopin or our friend Bovy-Lysberg might play it; ask him for the concert-stuck of Weber, the profound sonata in f minor of Beethoven, or a fugue of Bach, the metaphysician of Art, and he will play them in such a, manner that our learned and celebrated professor, Mr. Pierre Wollf, so competent a judge, shall salute him with the title of grand artist.
Grand artist truly, who knows no difficulty on his instrument, and whose playing recalls that of Liszt or Thalberg; who will touch you to tears in relating to you on his piano some dreamy legend of his distant country, the 'Bananier,' the 'Savane,' or in making you behold the African splendors of the 'Bamboula,' that negro dance.
En résumé, marvellous composer and pianist, the meteor of last winter's season at Paris, fondled and fêted everywhere. Mr. Gottschalk is twenty years of age.
J. E. (Julius Eichberg.)
(From La France Musicale, 27 October, 1850.)
GOTTSCHALK IN SWITZERLAND.
