p.1
Par 1
Wladimir de Pachmann, who liked and desired to be
called Papy, that means in Russian language "little father",
liked to recall and mention his life with his family,
his brothers' story, the adventurous history of his
country. So remembering, he was nearly in extasy, and
I think he could see again, before his eyes, as living, all the episodes
he was mentioning. Usually he sat down in
a comfortable French armchair, an authentic "Bergere",
having had the care of getting his precious
unfailing Havana into a cigar-holder, that ended with
a special adaptation made of a turkey feather (some of
which are left to me), as you can see from his
photos; these special cigar-holders were made
in Vienna and he was buying lots and lots of it for
he didn't like to remain without them during his
innumerable journeys all around the world; he
smoked constantly, but he looked after his
health too: he was convinced that the strongest
Havana will be innocuous, under the point of view
of toxicology, even maintaining his delicious flavour,
if some hydrophylus cotton would be put into the
cigar holder. He was putting the cotton with those
little sticks, feather-made, with the biggest care,
so that the free draught of the exquisite cigar
will not be spoiled.
Par 2
This little scrupulous operation (work, care) was
the most peculiar of his characteristics: this he did
ten times almost a day, for as many were
the cigars he usually smoked in a day.
p.2
It wouldn't seem to me to make living the personality of this magic
artist that fascinated the public of all countries, if I don't
describe exactly this mania of him.
Par 3
Now, as he arranged his cigar-holder, he put it on the little
table, then cautiously opened (looking all around fearfully,
dreading that someone could surprise him during one of
more delicate moments of his day-time) the cigar box
with all his care, touched (feeled) them one by one with an
authentical voluptuousness, smelt them, carried the cigar box
near the window in order to see cigar's colour; he chose one
or two of them after some hesitating, and then, the choice
done, he cut it with a special cigar-knife, and finally
he threaded the cigar into the prepared cigar-holder; then,
made sure that the cigar was firmly fixed to the cigar-holder,
he carried it to his eager lips and then he lighted
on the havannah and inspired the first mouthfuls of smoke with true voluptuousness.
Par 4
At this time De Pachmann was ready to the confidences,
and perhaps he was seeing again in the smoke spires
(clouds) the beloved visages of his parents and familiars,
between which his mother's face was prominent, always remembered
and tenderly loved by him till the last days
of his exceptional old age; he certainly saw again also
the picturesque Odessa, where he was born.
Par 5
In fact he spoke with me longwhile, meanwhile he
smoked greedily and was tormenting with his
hand his long peculiar black eyebrows.
Par 6
He was often talking in seven languages, and
if sometimes I interrupted him asking for explaining
some Russian words, he got vexed, saying to me:
"Cesco, vous ne comprennez rien!".
Then he got away and the rest of the episode
will be told perhaps in a moment he would
agree to repeat it in French or in English,
the languages I know besides Italian, that's
my maternal language.
Par 7
In order to be a perfect interpreter of
this legend-character, it would be necessary to
write in the seven languages he spoke, according
to the diverse humour of his very changeable
personality.
Par 8
He liked to recall the episodes of his childhood
in Russian, and when spoke with some friend
that could speak his language, then he gave
way to tenderness of his memories, to the warm
of the imaginations of his first years, of his
childhood, moved as all his life
had been. "Now, Cesco, voilà, I was
born in Odessa on July 27th 1848, a
year that was historic for the movements and
wars. I was used to repeat with pride
that his father Vincent was a deep student
and teacher at Odessa university; his
mother Anastasia, Turkish descendant, married Vincent
p.4
de Pachmann when she was only 14, and
the family had been blessed by 13 sons—Vladimiro
was the 13th, beloved, and was born
when his mother was forty five yet. She nursed
him during 18 months, and to
this de Pachmann attributed his really exceptional healthiness
and resistance.
Par 9
Since his first childhood, the little Wladimir
demonstrated a great interest in music and
told that his father, passionate violinist amateur
of great talent, participated to a exceptional
quartet with Mendelssohn, with whom he
longtime made friendship.
Par 10
"My father was my first teacher and, for
he was very severe, by him I learned the
first notions of this art, that would make me celebrated
all around the world.
Par 11
"My father was a tall thin man with rather
harsh air, but greatly good tempered and music
amateur. I remember that during the war against
the Turks, who bombed Odessa from the sea
, fearing
that the little clavichord could be damaged, he got it on
his shoulders and, to get it sure, he carried it into
a sort of cavern that we had under our house;
all we sons with my good mother stayed hours and hours
in that dark refuge, with only the light of an old-fashioned
lamp.
Par 12
"The way of life during those years were extremely
difficult and nobody spoke at all of sanitary or hygenic
implantations (? stocks, set); meanwhile we were all in good
health, so that my father and my mother joined a very old and
healthful age. I remember that my father was
rather covetous and generally hid his money in a sort
of cupboard inside the wall of his room. Once I
realized that Annuska, our young maid, stayed a
long while in my father's room; got curious and pushed
by an indefinite instinct, I began to watch, and so
one day I could see Annuska getting out from my
father's room hiding a flaming rouble (into) on her bosom.
Since that day I demanded continuously in my
childish mind, why Annuska could have roubles
from my father, meanwhile my mother laboriously
p.6
obtained only Kopekos to pay so many familiar
needs. Since that day, even maintaining the
secret, I had for Annuska a true, strong hostility.
Par 13
"Among the more painful souvenirs of my childhood there is
that of my brother Gregor, who was given to the alcohol
and often came back home drunk; then horrible scenes and
quarrels happened, so that I generally hid myself in
the more secret corner of my house, to not hear and
see what was happening. His return back home were
for me a true torture and even now my heart trembles
remembering of the noise of his steps on the staircase.
Par 14
"The music anyway dominated all my life;
after studying the violin with my father during some
years, I dedicated myself to the piano with true passion,
and, always under his guide, about twelve old,
I played quite well, so that one day, while I
was playing the Doppia Fuga in Mi minore (E flat)
by Handel,
a man, who was passing by my house,
stopped to listen, and then would know who was
the perfect player of a so difficult piece; great was the
wonder of doctor Morgan, this was his name, music
connoisseur, knowing that I, the little Wladimir, was the genial
player of it, and he prognosticated for me the most flattering success.
Par 15
"What a luck to have in your life so agreeable episodes,
that always accompany you and that spur you to pass all
obstacles. Artist's career is a vertiginous race with obstacles."