CHAPTER 914: CHAPTER 24 HASTINGS FRENZY_3

Great Dumas laughed heartily at this: "Heinrich, I told you, the publicity effect of your article is really quite good."

"What article?"

Arthur took the coffee-stained "Constitutional Newspaper" from Great Dumas’s hand, glanced at it, and immediately his expression changed: "Heinrich, isn’t this a bit too much? When did any lady pick up my cigarette butt?"

However, Heine responded nonchalantly: "Arthur, just because you didn’t see it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. At least, I personally saw a lady pick up a cigar butt that Liszt had smoked, so I think it’s certain that some lady has done the same for you. After all, your prominence in London doesn’t lose out to Liszt."

Arthur didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at these words.

Indeed, he had his followers in London, but it was absolutely not as exaggerated as Liszt in Paris. After all, as a pianist with only a few works, he only had one composition, besides "The Bell," he could only play the piece Chopin wrote for him, "To Hastings."

Two pieces could not support a solo concert, and not being able to hold a solo concert was the biggest weakness of a pianist. At least from the scenes Arthur saw at the concerts held by the Philharmonic Society, the supporters of Mendelssohn, Chopin, and others were far more than his own.

And among general music lovers, Arthur Hastings’s name was usually placed in an in-between position, not the most prominent, but not the most ignored either. However, his attention usually came not only from piano but from various aspects, for instance, his detective identity, or his status as a natural philosophy researcher, and the famous tale of him defeating the Paris Sword Saint, Francois Bertrand.

At least in Arthur’s view, among classical combat enthusiasts, the Bluestocking Society’s learned women, and gentlemen and ladies absorbed in knight and detective novels, they always showed him more preference for these reasons.

But that was after all in London’s home ground.

The current problem was, Paris was Liszt’s territory.

Arthur originally didn’t want to provoke this piano king, not to mention his legion of fanatical fans, even Liszt’s deep roots in Paris were something he, an outsider, couldn’t touch.

Whether in politics or academia, one must consider factions and lineage, and the music world was no exception.

Arthur, as an upstart from the wild roads, only had two friends in the music world, one was Chopin, and the other was Mendelssohn.

While these two gentlemen were big figures individually, the problem was that Liszt was also on good terms with both of them.

Moreover, Liszt was taught by Czerny, who was taught by Beethoven, and Beethoven was taught by Haydn. And among this lineage, there was also Mendelssohn and Chopin’s teacher, Mozart’s disciple—Hummel.

Therefore, in Arthur’s view, Heine’s article that seemed to be boosting his fame was actually putting him in hot water.

Arthur took out his pipe and lit it: "Heinrich?"

The Jewish German nationalist poet remained as proud as ever, not giving Liszt any regard: "What?"

Arthur took a deep puff and then slowly exhaled: "Are you trying to get me to ruin the entire classical music scene in Europe?"