Liszt, who calls him "an enthusiastic student of Bach," speaks likewise of "les errements d'une ecole entierement classique." Now imagine my astonishment when on asking the well-known pianoforte player and composer Edouard Wolff, a native of Warsaw, [Fooynote: He died at Paris on October 16, 1880.] what kind of pianist Zywny was, I received the answer that he was a violinist and not a pianist.
That Wolff and Zywny knew each other is proved beyond doubt by the above-mentioned letter of Zywny's, introducing the former to Chopin, then resident in Paris.

The solution of the riddle is probably this.
Zywny, whether violinist or not, was not a pianoforte virtuoso--at least, was not heard in public in his old age.

The mention of a single name, that of Wenzel W.Wurfel, certainly shows that he was not the best pianist in Warsaw.

But against any such depreciatory remarks we have to set Chopin's high opinion of Zywny's teaching capability.

Zywny's letter, already twice alluded to, is worth quoting.