190.—A DESERVED CHASTISEMENT.
Franz Liszt used to take great pleasure in relating various happenings of his youthful days, and none gave him more merriment than the recital of a trick he tried to play on Czerny, with whom be began to study when but nine years of age. Czerny was very kind and Liszt always spoke reverently of him, but he could not forget this prank of his childhood. Probably the consequences of it fixed it definitely in his memory.
It seems that Czerny had kept the youthful Liszt at work considerably longer on a certain Clementi sonata than the latter found agreeable; and so the boy, knowing that complaints to his father would be useless, as good Adam Liszt had great respect for Czerny's teaching abilities, resolved to try a little strategy. So he took the offending sonata and in a certain place marked an unreasonable fingering over some of the notes. Then taking it to his father he innocently said:—
"I think it's about time for me to stop my lessons with Czerny; just see this ridiculous fingering he has marked for me!"
Liszt, senior, was surprised at such work on Czerny's part, but thought he had best see the teacher before taking any action in the matter, and perhaps having had some experience with the youthful Franz before. So he took the book to Czerny and asked for an explanation. Czerny gave him one; and though the two old fellows may have had a hearty laugh at the youngster's ready invention, that did not deter Liszt, pere, from administering a lively thrashing to a certain young man when he reached home.