Frank chopin biography
- Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano.
- A landmark biography of the Polish composer by one of the world's leading authorities on Chopin and his time.
- A lifelong agnostic, he — or at least his heart — is venerated like a relic in Poland.
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A Mysterious Envelope Arrives.
On 14 November 1849, Ludwika Jędrzejewicz opened an envelope.
Ludwika Chopin Jędrzejewicz
Ludwika Jędrzejewicz was having a bad month. Her marriage was in shambles because she had left Poland to be at her brother Frédéric Chopin’s deathbed.
She had just attended his final illness and funeral and was going through his papers and other personal effects.
She was even preparing to smuggle his heart in a cognac bottle underneath her coat so it could be buried in Poland.
It turns out that the envelope had been sent by no one other than Franz Liszt.
Inside was a questionnaire full of various inquiries about Chopin’s life. Liszt wanted the answers because he was interested in writing a book about Chopin’s life.
On top of the inconsiderate timing, Liszt had included personal questions about her brother’s love life, such as his multi-year liaison with authoress George Sand.
It is believed that the gesture irritated her – or at the least overwhelmed her. She didn’t know what to do with the envelope, so she gave it to Jane Stirling, the wealthy
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Fryderyk Chopin: A Life and Times
A Sunday Times Classical Music Book of the Year
A landmark biography of the Polish composer by one of the world’s leading authorities on Chopin and his time.
Based on ten years of research and a vast cache of primary sources located in archives in Warsaw, Paris, London, New York, Washington, D.C., Alan Walker’s monumental Fryderyk Chopin: A Life and Times is the most comprehensive biography of the great Polish composer to appear in English. Walker sets out to dispel the many myths and legends that continue to surround Chopin. Fryderyk Chopin is an intimate look into a dramatic life; of particular focus are Chopin’s childhood and youth in Poland, which are brought into line with Walker’s latest scholarly findings, and Chopin’s romantic life with George Sand, with whom he lived for nine years.
Comprehensive and engaging, and written in highly readable prose, the biography wears its scholarship lightly: this is a book suited as much for the professional pianist as it is for the casual music lover. Just as he did in his definitive biograph
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From the Inside Flap
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Chopin is one of the great originals of musical history and among the most universally beloved of all composers. Every one of his compositions involves the piano and his contribution to the development of the instrumentÃs potential cannot be overestimated.
This biography offers a clear perspective on ChopinÃs complex characteróhis innermost feelings were only fully expressed in his music. Generously illustrated, it draws widely on contemporary sources, with detailed commentary on all ChopinÃs works, making it both an engaging portrait of the composer and an important work of reference.
This multimedia biography also includes:
--2 CDs of music spanning ChopinÃs career
--Free access to a dedicated website with hours of extra music and other bonus material
Jeremy Nicholas is the author of three highly praised reference works on classical music and biographer of the pianist-composer Leopold Godowsky. He writes extensively for Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, Classic FM Magazine and International Piano. He has composed music for
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