First class regardless

The composer Karol Szymanowski was born into a landowning class family.  Even, later in life, when short for money, he always retained the mindset of this class:

At one time in Vienna, Szymanowski discovered that he did not have enough money to travel to Cracow, so some friends of him lent him the required sum. A few moments later they could not find the Polish composer on the same train … Szymanowski traveled first class .. his friends – third!

Cited in Maciejewski, B. M. (1967) Karol Szymanowski: His Life and Music.  London: Poets’ and Painters’ Press, p.36.


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