facility and a natural manner of making the parts sing, but
little originality and variety in his ideas. Elsner writes with
sufficient purity, although he shows in his fugues that his
studies have not been severe."]

For the pupils of the Conservatorium he wrote vocal pieces in
from one to ten parts, and he composed also a number of canons in
four and five parts, which fact seems to demonstrate that he had
no ill-will against the scholastic forms. And now I shall quote a
passage from an apparently well-informed writer [FOOTNOTE: The
writer of the article Elsner in Schilling's Universal-Lexikon der
Tonkunst] (to whom I am, moreover, otherwise indebted in this
sketch), wherein Elsner is blamed for certain shortcomings with
which Chopin has been often reproached in a less charitable
spirit. The italics, which are mine, will point out the words in
question:--

One forgives him readily [in consideration of the general
excellence of his style] THE OFFENCES AGAINST THE LAW OF
HARMONIC CONNECTION THAT OCCUR HERE AND THERE, AND THE
FACILITY WITH WHICH HE SOMETIMES DISREGARDS THE FIXED RULES
OF STRICT PART-WRITING, especially in the dramatic works,
where he makes effect apparently the ultimate aim of his
indefatigable endeavours.

The wealth of melody and technical mastery displayed in "The
Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ" incline Karasowski to think
that it is the composer's best work. When the people at Breslau
praised Elsner's "Echo Variations" for orchestra, Chopin
exclaimed: "You must hear his Coronation Mass, then only can you