I really don't know whether any place contains more pianists than Paris, or whether you can find more asses and virtuosos anywhere.

I feel like a novice, just as I felt before I knew anything of the keyboard. It is far too original, and I shall end up not being able to learn it myself.

England is so surrounded by the boredom of conventionalities, that it is all one to them whether music is good or bad, since they have to hear it from morning till night. For here they have flower-shows with music, dinners with music, sales with music.

I really don't know whether any place contains more pianists than Paris, or whether you can find more asses and virtuosos anywhere.

Having nothing to do, I am correcting the Paris edition of Bach; not only the engraver's mistakes, but also the mistakes hallowed by those who are supposed to understand Bach (I have no pretensions to understand better, but I do think that sometimes I can guess).

I wish I could throw off the thoughts which poison my happiness, but I take a kind of pleasure in indulging them.

Bach is like an astronomer who, with the help of ciphers, finds the most wonderful stars.