Frederic Chopin as a Man and Musician, vol 2 | Page 4

My friends became also hers. Through
me she got acquainted with M. Lamennais, Pierre-Leroux, Henri Heine,
&c. Her salon, improvised in an inn, was therefore a reunion d'elite
over which she presided with exquisite grace, and where she found
herself the equal of all the eminent specialists by reason of the extent of
her mind and the variety of her faculties, which were at once poetic and
serious. Admirable music was performed there, and in the intervals one
could instruct one's self by listening to the conversation.
To reconcile Liszt's account with George Sand's remark that Chopin
was one of those whose acquaintance she made at Madame d'Agoult's
or through her, we have only to remember the intimate relation in
which Liszt stood to this lady (subsequently known in literature under
the nom de plume of Daniel Stern), who had left her husband, the
Comte d'Agoult, in 1835.
And now at last we can step again from the treacherous quicksand of
reminiscences on the terra firma of documents. The following extracts
from some letters of George Sand's throw light on her relation to
Chopin in the early part of 1837:--
Nohant, March 28, 1837.
[To Franz Liszt.]...Come and see us as soon as possible. Love, esteem,
and friendship claim you at Nohant. Love (Marie [FOOTNOTE: The
Comtesse d'Agoult.]) is some what ailing, esteem (Maurice and
Pelletan [FOOTNOTE: The former, George Sand's son; the latter,
Eugene Pelletan, Maurice's tutor.]) pretty well, and friendship (myself)
obese and in excellent health.
Marie told me that there was some hope of Chopin. Tell Chopin that I
beg of him to accompany you; that Marie cannot live without him, and
that I adore him.
I shall write to Grzymala personally in order to induce him also, if I can,
to come and see us. I should like to be able to surround Marie with all
her friends, in order that she also may live in the bosom of love, esteem,
and friendship.
[FOOTNOTE: Albert Grzymala, a man of note among the Polish
refugees. He was a native of Dunajowce in Podolia, had held various
military and other posts--those of maitre des requites, director of the
Bank of Poland, attache to the staff of Prince Poniatowski, General
Sebastiani, and Lefebvre, &c.--and was in 1830 sent by the Polish

Government on a diplomatic mission to Berlin, Paris, and London. (See
L'Amanach de L'Emigration polonaise, published at Paris some forty
years ago.) He must not be confounded with the publicist Francis
Grzymala, who at Warsaw was considered one of the marechaux de
plume, and at Paris was connected with the Polish publication Sybilla.
With one exception (Vol. I., p. 3), the Grzymala spoken of in these
volumes is Albert Grzymala, sometimes also called Count Grzymala.
This title, however, was, if I am rightly informed, only a courtesy title.
The Polish nobility as such was untitled, titles being of foreign origin
and not legally recognised. But many Polish noblemen when abroad
assume the prefix de or von, or the title "Count," in order to make
known their rank.]
Nohant, April 5, 1837.
[To the Comtesse d'Agoult.]...Tell Mick....[FOOTNOTE: Mickiewicz,
the poet.] (non-compromising manner of writing Polish names) that my
pen and my house are at his service, and are only too happy to be so;
tell Grzy. ..., [FOOTNOTE: Gryzmala] whom I adore, Chopin, whom I
idolatrise, and all those whom you love that I love them, and that,
brought by you, they will be welcome. Berry in a body watches for the
maestro's [FOOTNOTE: Liszt's] return in order to hear him play the
piano. I believe we shall be obliged to place le garde- champetre and la
garde nationals of Nohant under arms in order to defend ourselves
against the dilettanti berrichoni.
Nohant, April 10, 1837.
[To the Comtesse d'Agoult.] I want the fellows, [FOOTNOTE:
"Fellows" (English) was the nickname which Liszt gave to himself and
his pupil Hermann Cohen.] I want them as soon and as LONG as
possible. I want them a mort. I want also Chopin and all the
Mickiewiczs and Grzymalas in the world. I want even Sue if you want
him. What more would I not want if that were your fancy? For instance,
M. de Suzannet or Victor Schoelcher! Everything, a lover excepted.
Nohant, April 21, 1837.
[To the Comtesse d'Agoult.] Nobody has permitted himself to breathe
the air of your room since you left it. Arrangements will be made to put
up all those you may bring with you. I count on the maestro, on Chopin,
on the Rat, [FOOTNOTE: Liszt's pupil, Hermann Cohen.] if he does
not weary you too much, and all the others at your choice.

Chopin's love for George Sand was not instantaneous like that of
Romeo for Juliet. Karasowski remembers having read in one of those
letters of the