“Chopin was the sweet
evening star, who shone only for a moment “
- Camille Saint-Saens
- Camille Saint-Saens
According to Franz Liszt
“ Chopin’s bearing had so much
distinction, and his manners such a cachet of good breeding that one naturally
treated him as a prince. “
- Franz Liszt
We recently bought a new
biography of Frederic Chopin called
“ Chopin - Prince of the
Romantics “ By Adam Zamoyski !
There are several
Chopin’s biography books.
We’ve read
several and we think this is the best biography of Chopin, because a lot of new
information has come to light in the last 30 or so years, and this book updates
a lot and shines new insight into Chopin.
The above house is Frederic Chopin's birthplace. And above it, the lady to the left is a portrait of his mother Justyna Chopin and to the right is a portrait of his father, Nicolas Chopin.
While reading this book, we felt transported back in time for an in depth look at this mysterious composer and his world.
While reading this book, we felt transported back in time for an in depth look at this mysterious composer and his world.
Adam Zamoyski, whose
ancestor Princess Marcelina Czartoryski was a friend and pupil of Chopin, has written this superb biography
which cuts through the mass of anecdotes and myth that have sprung up around
the composers’ life in search of the real Chopin.
He describes Chopin’s
personality in more detail than ever before.
Many of his fans have
described his personality as shy. But my impression from reading about him is
that although he could be shy at times, he was actually more like a chameleon,
and not that simple.
Here are some fascinating
stories, quotes and excerpts from the book.
When Chopin was 19 years
old, he was faced with an important hurdle, his final exams at the music
Conservatoire.
It is not known what form the exam took, but they were partly based on Chopin’s work for the past three years.
It is not known what form the exam took, but they were partly based on Chopin’s work for the past three years.
On the left page, at left, Jozef Elsner, Chopin's university music teacher, on the right page at top, a portrait of Chopin when he was 20 years old, and to the right, below him is a portrait of Konstancja Gladkowska, whom Chopin had a crush on, painted some ten years after they first met
As Jozef Elsner ( Chopin’s teacher at the music Conservatoire
) considered this, he noted in his diary
that
“ Chopin has opened a new era in piano music through his
astonishing playing and as well as in his compositions “
In the official verdict
on the exams at the Conservatoire register , Elsner wrote the following words,
“ Chopin, Fryderiyk - third year student -
Outstanding abilities, musical genius “
Soon after, Chopin joined
a party of friends from the university on a trip to Vienna, Austria.
The little party reached
Vienna on the last day of July in 1829.
Chopin immediately took a liking to the city.
Chopin immediately took a liking to the city.
A few days later, after
playing for the musical establishment there,
he wrote to his parents that
“ I
don’t know what it is, but all these Germans are amazed by me, and I am amazed
at them being so amazed by me “
Reviews of Chopin’s
playing began to appear in the newspapers as he was preparing to leave the
Austrian capital.
On the left side page, Chopin's three sisters, at top to the left is Ludwika Chopin and to the right Isabella Chopin and below is Emilia Chopin.
One of these reviews
explained that,
“Chopin surprised people, because they discovered in him not only a fine talent, but a very eminent talent, on account of the originality of his playing and compositions , and one might attribute to him already some genius, as far as unconventional forms and pronounced individuality are concerned “.
“Chopin surprised people, because they discovered in him not only a fine talent, but a very eminent talent, on account of the originality of his playing and compositions , and one might attribute to him already some genius, as far as unconventional forms and pronounced individuality are concerned “.
The reviewer went on to
exclaim that he is a “ true artist “.
Another newspaper review
wrote that Chopin is a “ master of the first rank “ declaring that his
compositions “ bore the stamp of great genius “ and comparing his appearance in
the musical world to that of " the most
brilliant meteors “.
Yet another reviewer wrote that
“ He is a young man who
goes his own way , and knows how to please in this way, although his style of
playing and writing differs greatly from that of other virtuosos, and indeed
chiefly in this - that the desire to make good music predominates noticeably in
his case over the desire to please “
Chopin arrived in Paris
in September 1831.
He gave his debut concert there on 26 Feruary of 1832.
He gave his debut concert there on 26 Feruary of 1832.
Many famous musicians
were in the audience, including Kalkbrenner, Hiller, Pixis, Felix Mendelsohn,
and Franz Liszt - who applauded furiously.
Except for their love of
music and the piano, the fiery, outgoing Liszt had little in common with the
reserved, delicate and fastidious Chopin.
However, Liszt valued him
for these very qualities, he admired his
refinement and musical intelligence.
For his part, Chopin was
impressed by Liszt’ virtuosity and his ability to draw sound out of the piano
like no one else.
In the next few months
Chopin and Liszt performed several concerts together, getting more and more
rave reviews.
It was Liszt who
introduced Chopin to many of the top
musicians and intellectuals in Paris , including some who would become very
important in Chopin’s life, including the famous lady Aurore
Dupin, better known as George Sand,
who would later have a ten year affair with Chopin.
By the beginning of 1833
Chopin was considered one of the brightest stars in Paris.
His piano playing had
developed greatly over the past couple years, and was now quite unlike any other.
Those who heard him play
were immediately captivated.
Charles Halle, a German
pianist who came to Paris, explained
that he was “ fascinated, beyond expression “ when he first heard Chopin.
“ I sat entranced, filled
with wonderment, and if the room had suddenly been peopled with fairies I
should not have been astonished “
he wrote,
“
the marvelous charm, the poetry , originality , the perfect freedom and
absolute lucidity of Chopin’s playing at
that time cannot be described . It was perfection in every sense. “
The first thing that
struck people when they saw Chopin playing was his elegance and control.
Another pianist observed
that
“ his delicate and slender hands cover wide stretches and skip with
fabulous lightness. “
Chopin’s personality
seems to have been quite complex, with different people seeing different sides
of him, depending on his mood.
This book seems to dispel
the myth that Chopin was all loneliness and sadness.
On the contrary, although
these feelings did happen at times in his life, and he was reserved, as noted,
he could also be quite jovial.
Especially in his youth
when he was much more healthy, he loved parties and often played the piano for
the people attending, and he would improvise for hours.
Chopin had other talents
as well, especially it was noted that he had a gift for mimicry that could
sometimes really astonish people.
Later, as a young man in
Paris he would have people at parties in stitches over his portrayals of other
famous pianists in Paris, mimicking their whole comportment as well as their
style of playing the piano, including Liszt, who took it all in good humor.
Chopin could also portray
imaginary characters on the piano, by how
he was playing, for example he would sometimes challenge the people in
attendance to guess what kind of character a particular music piece
represents.
He would then improvise a
piece of music out of his imagination from thin air, portraying all different
kinds of characters, for example, a drunk person walking, or an elegant
princess, or an army general, or a playful child.
Long before Chopin met
George Sand,
the book hints of other
possible affairs, although they are not certain.
One of these was in 1830
in Warsaw, when the singer Henriette Sontag came to perform in concert.
She had a reputation as a
beautiful woman with a magnificent voice.
She gave eleven concerts
in Warsaw, most of which Chopin attended .
He went into ecstasies
over her voice., the elegance and control to which he related with his own
touch on the piano.
Although he felt she
lacked a depth of expression.
In a letter to a friend
he wrote that
“ She seems to breathe
into the stalls a scent of the freshest flowers, and she caresses, soothes
deliciously, but rarely moves to tears “
Prince Radziwill
introduced them, and they took an immediate liking to each other.
And since Henriette was
besieged all day long by admiring dignitaries and aristocrats, she asked him to
come and see her in the mornings at her hotel.
And he soon became
infatuated with her.
Chopin wrote to his
friend
“ You cannot imagine how much pleasure I have had from a closer
acquaintance - in her room, on the sofa - with this envoy from heaven,
as some of the local hotheads call her “ he wrote. 
The book also goes into some detail about the possibility, although again uncertain, of an affair with the Countess Delfina Potocka.
She was famous as a great
beauty, with a seductive manner, and one
of the finest singing voices in Europe.
It is more than likely
that Chopin, who often saw her during his early years in Paris, fell under her
spell.
It is known that he
highly valued her talent for the piano
and her voice, and he dedicated several of his compositions to her.
As far as his everyday
life in the early years, when he woke up in the mornings he would get a cup of
coffee from a servant, then play the piano for about an hour or two, and then
he often visited coffee houses, for coffee in the daytime, and for punch at
night, spending time talking with friends.
In later years as his
fame grew, he would often have up to five piano students a day.
He became extremely well
off financially.
When he was in Paris he
would often meet with Liszt and Berlioz for dinner at a restaurant, either for
an evening of music at his place, or for a picnic lunch at Berlioz’s, or at
Liszt’s place for “ hours of smoky
discussion “, as they puffed at elegant pipes.
There is also a part in
the book describing Chopin’s friendship with the great French painter, Eugene
Delacroix.
They often chatted about
art and music, and Delacroix asked Chopin to explain about the theory of music,
which Delacroix later wrote down in his diary.
His diary constitutes
some of the only known statements by Chopin about music theory.
Top left is Maria Wodzinska, who at one time was engaged to Chopin, below is a portrait of Chopin and to the right at top is George Sand, below is her estate.
The book goes on to describe Chopin’s long stormy affair with the writer George Sand, their break up, his tour of England and Scotland, and his eventual passing away in Paris, in a beautiful apartment surrounded by family, musicians, friends and admirers.
One writer, Jules Janin
wrote that in the weeks and days until his passing he also had“ in his ante
room so many princesses, countesses, and bourgeoises, awaiting the hour “.
Overall, this is a
wonderful, in depth biography of Chopin.
One really gets to picture the person of Frederic Chopin,
One really gets to picture the person of Frederic Chopin,
his good points, his
shortcomings, his complex personality, and the various important events of his
life, and his enormous impact on music.
And the author notes
Chopin’s impact on music extends to not only in his birthplace of Poland, and
where he lived most of his life, France, but also in Europe as a whole, and
indeed around the world, in countries as distant as Japan, China, and
India, among many others, the
author noting that
“ his music is universal “.
“ his music is universal “.