Here Falbe was not so easily moved to laughter; he was as severe with Michael as he was with himself, when it was the question of learning some piece with a view to really playing it.

There was no light-hearted hurrying on through blurred runs and false notes, slurred phrases and incomplete chords.
Among these pieces which had to be properly learned was the 17th Prelude of Chopin, on hearing which at Baireuth on the tuneless and catarrhed piano Falbe had agreed to take Michael as a pupil.

But when it was played again on Falbe's great Steinway, as a professed performance, a very different standard was required.
Falbe stopped him at the end of the first two lines.
"This won't do, Michael," he said.

"You played it before for me to see whether you could play.

You can.