lin_. Debussy was my cherished friend, and they represent a labor of
love. Though Debussy was not, generally speaking, an advocate of
transcriptions, he liked these, and I remember when I first played _La
Fille aux cheveaux de lin_ for him, and came to a bit of counterpoint I
had introduced in the violin melody, whistling the harmonics, he nodded
approvingly with a '_pas bête ça!_' (Not stupid, that!)


DEBUSSY'S POÈME FOR VIOLIN

"Debussy came near writing a violin piece for me once!" continued Mr.
Hartmann, and brought out a folio containing letters the great
impressionist had written him. They were a delightful revelation of the
human side of Debussy's character, and Mr. Hartmann kindly consented to
the quotation of one bearing on the _Poème_ for violin which Debussy had
promised to write for him, and which, alas, owing to his illness and
other reasons, never actually came to be written:

"Dear Friend:

"Of course I am working a great deal now, because I feel
the need of writing music, and would find it difficult
to build an aeroplane; yet at times Music is ill-natured,
even toward those who love her most! Then I take my
little daughter and my hat and go walking in the Bois de
Boulogne, where one meets people who have come from afar
to bore themselves in Paris.

"I think of you, I might even say I am in need of you
(assume an air of exaltation and bow, if you please!) As