"Debussy came near writing a violin piece for me once!" continued Mr.
Hartmann, and brought out a folio containing letters the great
impressionist had written him. They were a delightful revelation of the
human side of Debussy's character, and Mr. Hartmann kindly consented to
the quotation of one bearing on the _Poème_ for violin which Debussy had
promised to write for him, and which, alas, owing to his illness and
other reasons, never actually came to be written:
"Dear Friend:
"Of course I am working a great deal now, because I feel
the need of writing music, and would find it difficult
to build an aeroplane; yet at times Music is ill-natured,
even toward those who love her most! Then I take my
little daughter and my hat and go walking in the Bois de
Boulogne, where one meets people who have come from afar
to bore themselves in Paris.
"I think of you, I might even say I am in need of you
(assume an air of exaltation and bow, if you please!) As
to the _Poème_ for violin, you may rest assured that I
will write it. Only at the present moment I am so
preoccupied with the 'Fall of the House of Usher!' They
talk too much to me about it. I'll have to put an end to
all that or I will go mad. Once more I want to write it,
and above all _on your account_. And I believe you will
be the only one to play the _Poème_. Others will attempt
it, and then quickly return to the Mendelssohn Concerto!
"Believe me always your sincere friend,
"CLAUDE DEBUSSY."
"He never did write it," said Mr. Hartmann, "but it was not for want of
good will. As to other transcriptions, I have never done any that I did
not feel instinctively would make good fiddle pieces, such as
MacDowell's _To a Wild Rose_ and others of his compositions. And
recently I have transcribed some fine Russian things--Gretchaninoff's
_Chant d'Automne_, Karagitscheff's _Exaltation_, Tschaikovsky's
_Humoresque_, Balakirew's _Chant du Pechêur_, and Poldini's little
_Poupée valsante_, which Maud Powell plays so delightfully on all her
programs."