ABSTRACT
Erwin’s creative activity may be divided into two parts; improvizing and composing in the strict sense of the word. During the first period of his musical development, between his fifth and seventh year, Erwin improvized more than he composed. If a theme occurred to him, he at once went to the piano, and began to improvize on it. At this time he did not even know the first rules of the theory of composition, and had heard and learnt but little, and, therefore, could hardly base his improvizations consciously on any fixed musical form, but his performances were rich in significant and unsignificant, trivial and witty musical ideas. He was at the same time genuine and ungenuine, original and imitative.
