ABSTRACT
When Hans Andersen set off on his tour of Europe in 1833, he believed his only hope for artistic survival was to leave Copenhagen. Many of the musical encounters Andersen had recorded in his diary came to life again as descriptive episodes in the novel. Occasionally, Andersen created fictional genres and experiences in an effort to promote his own ideas about creativity and musical genius. The most notable example involves the character Antonio and his talent and reception as an improvisatore. Andersen began to approach his discussions of music somewhat differently in the 1840s. Instead of merely commenting on the contemporary state of opera in Denmark in his fictional works, he took up the pen of a critic and regularly reprimanded his countrymen for their philistine approach toward music. At heart, Andersen truly was an improviser, and he refused to abandon the one quality that he believed most clearly defined his artistic genius.
