Chopin: Pianist and Teacher: As Seen by his Pupils

Book Description

The accounts of Chopin's pupils, acquaintances and contemporaries, together with his own writing, provide valuable insights into the musician's pianistic and stylistic practice, his teaching methods and his aesthetic beliefs. This unique collection of documents, edited and annotated by Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger, reveals Chopin as teacher and interpreter of his own music. Included in this study is extensive appendix material that presents annotated scores, and personal accounts of Chopin's playing by pupils, writers, and critics.

Customer Reviews:

Chopin: Pianist and Teacher: As Seen by his Pupils.......2007-02-14

I satisfied with this book very much.

Must have for anyone seriously studying Chopin.......2006-07-14

To the general public Chopin is famous for his beautiful piano music. However, in his days he also was a renowned piano teacher with some revolutionary ideas (at least for his time) about piano technique. His students included rich, aristocratic ladies (he had to make a living) and some very talented students.
Luckily many of the things Chopin told his students during their lessons have been preserved in various diaries and notes by his students and have now been compiled in this book.
Also, Chopin made a start with a piano method (which he did not complete). This method is also included in this book.
If you are a piano student this book is simply a must-have.
If you are not a pianist, but seriously interested in Chopin's ideas about (his own) music and teaching you also should buy this book.
JJ Eigeldinger wrote more excellent books about Chopin which unfortunately are still only available in French.

A must have.......2004-06-06

AAA++++...a must have book if you are serious about playing Chopin. A wealth of valuable information. Very highly recommanded.

You need this if you play Chopin.......2004-02-15

You need this book if you play Chopin. There is a wealth of information on playing Chopin's music directly from the composer and his pupils. It has answered many questions and cleared up some misconceptions I had about this music.

great book on how to play Chopin.......2002-08-17

For those of us who bungle at the keyboard and can always use more guidance, this book offers a great start in understanding Chopin's music. Probably the most difficult piece to play in public is Chopin Ballade No. 4, and Chopin offers some incredible insight into how he wanted it played. As you know, the music notation on the sheet cannot cover every intention of the composer, much like writing cannot capture everything, but most of what we want to say. This book supplements your understanding of the music. I would not be surprised if your great piano teacher pulls material out of this book in order to advise you on how to play Chopin.

My First Book of Classical Music: 29 Themes by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and Other Great Composers in Easy Piano Arrangements

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Bringing Classics Into My Home
First classic Piano Book
Great Book
Great Supplement!
My daughter likes it!

My First Book of Classical Music: 29 Themes by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and Other Great Composers in Easy Piano Arrangements
Bergerac
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486410927

Book Description

Fun-to-play, pedagogically sound piano arrangements include themes from Beethoven's "Pathétique" Sonata and Haydn's Surprise Symphony, along with such favorites as Schumann's "Träumerei," Brahms's "Lullaby," Chopin's "Prelude," Tchaikovsky's "Marche Slave," Moussorgsky's "Promenade" (from Pictures at an Exhibition), and many more. Includes 20 piano arrangements.

Customer Reviews:

Bringing Classics Into My Home.......2007-10-11

Even the right hand only player, can enjoy classics from these simple arrangements. The left hand is coming along with practice. This book makes learning the classics less intimidating. I would pay more for a spiral bound version.

First classic Piano Book.......2007-09-11

The book arrived in perfect condition. I am anxious to have my granddaughter try it out. It is one of her upcoming birthday presents.
Thank you.

Great Book.......2007-09-03

This is a great book for beginners to get aquainted with the classics. I teach piano lessons and I'll use this one over and over for recitals! I usually like to see the music before I buy but I took and chance on this one and it paid off. I hope to try other Bergerac books.

Great Supplement!.......2007-05-12

I purchased this book some time ago as a "promise" to my little girl that she would one day have piano lessons. We now have a wonderful piano teacher who encourages us to explore other pieces besides what she assigns us and was happily surprised when we showed her this book that she hadn't seen before. The title is a little misleading; our teacher says that it's more appropriate for a level 3 child student, but it works well for us (a teenager and her middle-aged mom in their 2nd year of study.) What I really appreciate is the way that the pieces can dovetail with the material that we're studying. For example, while I was working on the 1st inversion of the C Major chords, I serendipitously found in this book "Beautiful Dreamer", an arrangement that utilizes the very chords I was studying. Our teacher calls this "an excellent little book" and I recommend it to those who would like to play something more than the pieces found in their lesson books.

My daughter likes it!.......2007-03-30

My daughter is a beginner -- but she loves classical music. This book is probably a bit advanced for her but she is already playing Fur Elise and Ode to Joy...

Fredric Chopin: A Guide to Research (Composer Resource Manuals)

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Fredric Chopin: A Guide to Research (Composer Resource Manuals)
William Smialek
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0815321805

Book Description

This essential guide considers the Chopin legend through studies of the performance tradition and a discography of recent and reissued recordings. The volume also features short essays on the historiography of Chopin research and the direction of scholarship.

Chopin - A Listener's Guide to the Master of the Piano: Unlocking the Masters Series (Unlocking the Masters)

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A most accessible way of understanding Chopin's music.
A marvelous series from Amadeus Press
A Small but Exquisite Book with CD of the Music Discussed
great for students

Chopin - A Listener's Guide to the Master of the Piano: Unlocking the Masters Series (Unlocking the Masters)
Victor Lederer
Manufacturer: Amadeus Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1574671480

Book Description

Frederic Chopin died a famous man with his place in the musical pantheon secure. Yet the works that were once most popular tended to be his lightest and least challenging, leading many listeners and critics to view him as a miniaturist and composer for the salon. The bold pieces now revered as his masterpieces-the epic and tragic structures of the ballades, scherzos, polonaises, and sonatas, and the compact but daring preludes and mazurkas-were rarely played and poorly understood. In fact, a larger proportion of Chopin's pieces are now in the active repertory than that of any composer. Chopin - A Listener's Guide to the Master of the Piano takes a detailed tour through the life and oeuvre of the sovereign master of the keyboard. The composer's metabolic adaptation of the melodic structures of Italian opera and the folk music of his native Poland for the resources of the piano are examined in detail, as are the originality and boldness he displayed throughout his tragically short, astonishing career. The book is accompanied by a CD containing 15 complete compositions (and one full movement from his Piano Sonata No. 2) performed by pianist Idil Biret, from her complete survey of the composer's music on the Naxos label.

Customer Reviews:

A most accessible way of understanding Chopin's music........2007-02-06

Pair a full-length classical cd from the classical music publisher Naxos with a book surveying Chopin's biography and influences and you have the perfect introduction to Chopin - and a pick recommended not just for public library holdings, but for schools seeking to introduce students to Chopin. Descriptions of his works, styles, and diversity come from a New York-based critical music writer whose addition to the 'Unlocking the Masters' series provides newcomers with a most accessible way of understanding Chopin's music.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

A marvelous series from Amadeus Press.......2007-01-15

Amadeus Press has filled a underserved niche in the classical music literature with these marvelous little guides to the great composers and their greatest compositions. They fill the gap between the highly detailed, scholarly volumes of the lives of the great composers ... and the too-superficial tiny guides that offer too little program notes on the music or the composer. It gives you a compelling "play-by-play" description of each composition without venturing into musicology that would lose a beginner. The entire series is extremely well written and make a great guides to new discoveries. It should appeal to beginners as well as classical veterans alike. This Chopin volume is proving to be a valuable guide as I explore in depth Chopin's music and the great performances on disc.

Every major category is covered in satisfying depth to give you solid understanding of what is behind each work - and what in particular is historically and musically significant in them. ALl major works are covered: the lilting Waltzes .. the pensive and sometimes turbulent Nocturnes ... the weighty Sonatas, Scherzos and Ballades ... the delicate miniatures ... the amazing early piano concertos ... the showpieces, Etudes, Preludes and even the few chamber pieces of Chopin are explored to reveal many curious historic details.

This volume on Chopin makes for compelling reading and is one of the only modern volumes of program notes on the piano music of Chopin I could find. The number of works covered is large and satisfying with enough detail to give you a deep appreciation of the significance, musical structures and impact of each work. In a way, it reads much like program notes in a CD, but covering the entire range of Chopin's life and works. Other reviews below outline the range covered. The volume, supplemented by classic volume like Schonberg's "Lives of the Great Composers" should give a high quality education to the music of Chopin. This book includes a Naxos CD containing performances by Idl Bieret which gives a quality intro to Chopin, but some listeners will surely want to explore the great Chopin performances of pianists like Rubinstein, Horowitz, Kissin, Perahia, Argerich and many others. Bottom line: these "Unlocking the Masters Series" are a great investment to deepening one's appreciation that will not go out of style any time soon. 5 stars.

A Small but Exquisite Book with CD of the Music Discussed.......2006-12-07

These small books from Amadeus concentrate on one composer, one of the masters. In these books a brief biography (25 or so pages) set the tone for a discussion of the man's music. In the case of Chopin, this can be summed up as a case of being considered a musical genius at a very early age, followed by increasing fame as a composer even as he was spending years dying from tuberculosis.

In the sections on the music, an expert author describes what the best consensus of our time is saying about the works. In the case of Chopin these are broken down into the types of works: Etudes and Preludes, Music for Piano and orchestra, The Waltzes, The Nocturnes, The Sonatas, Patriotism and Tragedy: The Polonaises, Individual works, The Impromptus and Scherzos, The Mazurkas, and The Ballades.

A CD included with the book contains fifteen complete compositions of Chopin's works. Having the CD with the book means that the author can refer to the music in his writing knowing that you will have exactly the music he is discussing. This is a great concept that adds imeasurably to the book.

great for students.......2006-10-31

This is a GREAT book for students studying Chopin! As a recent student myself, I wish I would have had this book for general information on Chopin, his life, and his works. The book is laid out in a simple format, making easy for anyone to use. It goes into the styles of his songs and what made them unique. It also includes a CD which the book tells you what and how to listen for things that are specifically Chopin. This book is a must-have for any student studying or performing the works of this master of the piano.

The Cambridge Companion to Chopin (Cambridge Companions to Music)

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The Cambridge Companion to Chopin (Cambridge Companions to Music)

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521477522

Book Description

This Companion is designed to provide the enquiring music lover with helpful insights into a musical style that recognizes no contradictions between the accessible and the sophisticated, between the popular and the significant.

Chopin at the Boundaries: Sex, History, and Musical Genre (Convergences: Inventories of the Present)

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Sand was a killer!!!
FINALLY

Chopin at the Boundaries: Sex, History, and Musical Genre (Convergences: Inventories of the Present)
Jeffrey Kallberg
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0674127900

Book Description

The complex status of Chopin in our culture--he was a native Pole and adopted Frenchman, and a male composer writing in "feminine" genres--is the subject of Jeffrey Kallberg's absorbing book. Combining social history, literary theory, musicology, and feminist thought, Chopin at the Boundaries is the first book to situate Chopin's music within the construct of his somewhat marginal sexual identity and to explore how this should figure in our understanding of his compositional methods. Through this novel approach, Kallberg reveals a new Chopin, one situated precisely where questions of gender open up into the very important question of genre.

Customer Reviews:

Sand was a killer!!!.......2007-04-18

For instance, Aurore Dupin, pseudonym George Sand, the French novelist - later Baroness Dudevant - who wrote in masculine genres, was grotesque in her absurd ideas of love and she tortured the Polish Chopin who mainly composed in feminine styles.
Chopin must have felt her mind was a region utterly difficult to penetrate under the best of circumstances (she was six years his senior) hence the approaches he made to her daughter Solenge.
Chopin, fearing to be in the shadow of the strong willed George Sand of aristocratic lineage (through her father) and a distant relative of Louis XVI, would have none of it. Both were unhappily powerless.

FINALLY.......2000-05-17

....we are all aware of the greatness of chopin. a few are privy to the greatness of george sand. here finally we learn a little of the chemistry which flowed between these two giants of the artistic paris in the 1840's. also importantly, the details, clearly presented, of the questions concerning chopin's music of the last years. this is a calm and reasoned book, showing the author's comprehensive knowledge of the subject. this is not a biography, rather a set of vignettes on particulars of chopin's life and gorgeous music. if you want some brilliant and clear-headed discussion of his gender ambiguity as a person and as expressed in his nocturnes, i encourage you to read this fine work.

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Chopin (Famous Children Series)
Ann Rachlin
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0812015436

Book Description

Frederic Chopin was born in Poland-a land far from Paris, London and Vienna, the music capitals of Europe. Even so, his pianistic genius and his gift for creating beautiful melodies were quickly discovered by his teachers. Lively, full-color illustrations on each page capture the spirit of the times.

CHOPIN: COMPACT COMPANIONS: A LISTENER'S GUIDE TO THE CLASSICS (Compact Companions)

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Brief and basic

CHOPIN: COMPACT COMPANIONS: A LISTENER'S GUIDE TO THE CLASSICS (Compact Companions)
Christopher Headington
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684813564

Customer Reviews:

Brief and basic.......2003-03-28

This is a wonderful little book which will be of great use to those who don't know but wish to learn about Chopin. This isn't a serious indepth biography.

Its a very basic biography covering Chopin's life. Included are many illustrations and photos of Chopin's birthplace, friends, parents, as well as some drawings by Delecroix, Chopin, George Sand and many sketches and drawings of Chopin himself. At the end are a complete list of works with recommended recordings by well known pianists. The real bonus is the CD which accompanies the book.

CD tracks:

Waltz No.1 in Eb major, Op.18
Minute Waltz
Piano concerto No.1, Adagio
Ballade No.1 in G minor, op.23
Étude No.1 in C major, op.10
Étude No.3 in E major, op.10
Nocturne No.8 in Db major, op.27/2
Prélude No.17 in Ab major, op.28
Fantasy Impromptu, op.66
Polonaise No.6 in Ab major, op.53
Mazurka No.1 in G minor, op.24
Mazurka No.4 in Bb minor, op.24
Piano Sonata No.2, March funèbre

Nikita Magaloff is the pianist on all tracks except for Piano Concerto second movement which is played by Claudio Arrau and London Philharmonic.

Magaloff's tone is bold and rich.

Amazon.com

Frederic Chopin was in many ways a contradictory figure: a passionately patriotic Pole, he left his country for good at the age of 21; frail and almost sexless, he was famous for a seven-year love affair with the novelist George Sand; shy, lonely, and retiring, he was inevitably surrounded by friends and admirers. In Chopin in Paris, biographer Tad Szulc has produced a dishy account of Chopin's most creative and tempestuous period, his 18-year sojourn in France. It's also a portrait of a unique time, when musical and artistic luminaries such as Chopin, Balzac, Hugo, Liszt, Berlioz, Delacroix, and Schumann ran in the same heady Parisian circles.

What it's not is a detailed study of Chopin's music. The author of critically praised books about Fidel Castro and Pope John Paul II, Szulc sets out in search of Chopin the man, "the human dimension" he finds missing in other, more musically oriented biographies. What he finds is not always attractive; tortured through much of his life by physical and psychological illness, Chopin emerges as an often fussy, distant, manipulative man, as well as something of a snob. It's a tribute to his genius as a composer, Szulc writes, that he was befriended by some of the greatest minds of his age, including the larger-than-life figure of George Sand: "Fryderyk Chopin gave the world a treasure in music. The world gave Chopin a treasure in human beings." Commendably, Szulc refrains from editorializing about the composer's life and habits, in particular Chopin's break with Sand. Instead, he allows his wealth of primary sources--including diaries, memoirs, letters, and Chopin's own brief journal--to speak for themselves.

Book Description

First time in paperback: The acclaimed biography of Chopin focusing on his 18 years in Paris at the center of a dazzling circle that included Hugo, Balzac, Stendhal, Delacroix, Liszt, Berlioz, and George Sand

Born in Poland in 1810, Chopin emigrated to Vienna at age eighteen-and then to Paris, where from 1831 to 1849 he would spend almost half of his brief and tumultuous life. In Paris his extraordinary powers would reach their height and he would shine among the immensely talented writers, painters, and musicians who were working there and defining their era. Chopin's other acquaintances ranged from Rothschild to Marx-and it was here that he began his long and stormy relationship with the novelist George Sand. In Chopin in Paris-a New York Times Notable Book-Tad Szulc brings to life this complex, contradictory genius, and re-creates an unsurpassed epoch of European history, culture, and music.

Download Description

Born in Poland in 1810, Chopin emigrated to Vienna at age eighteen -- and then to Paris, where from 1831 to 1849 he would spend almost half of his brief and tumultuous life. In Paris his extraordinary powers would reach their height and he would shine among the immensely talented writers, painters, and musicians who were working there and defining their era. Chopin's other acquaintances ranged from Rothschild to Marx -- and it was here that he began his long and stormy relationship with the novelist George Sand. In Chopin in Paris -- a New York Times Notable Book -- Tad Szulc brings to life this complex, contradictory genius, and re-creates an unsurpassed epoch of European history, culture, and music.

Customer Reviews:

It could have been better.......2006-08-31

I'm just reaching the middle of Chopin in Paris right now, and I already have a list of complaints that have become irritating. The book follows Chopin's life from childhood to his death, focusing primarily on the period of his self-selected Parisian exile. Other reviewers have noted the special place this moment holds in European cultural history and, if this is of interest to readers, they should peruse The Parisian World of Frederick Chopin by William Atwood. That work is an exhaustive socio-politico-cultural history of the period, interesting and colorfully written. While it only touches on Chopin peripherally, it explains the why's and how's of Paris as certainly the musical and probably the cultural center of Europe at that time.

Mr. Szulc's book does have its strong points. A recently written, authoritative account of Chopin's life is certainly overdue, and Szulc attempts this. He depends largely on textual sources, obviously, and much of what he says appears at first glance to be documented. For example, Szulc does treat George Sand very evenhandedly, letting the evidence speak for itself. Many, many writers have painted Sand as a depraved, blood-sucking harpy who robbed Chopin of his life, and Szulc resists the temptation. He relies heavily on the Andre Maurois biography of Sand and the correspondence in hand, and this presents a more fair and balanced picture of their relationship. On the plus side, Szulc manages to make it sound very dishy, heightening the interest.

Many things detract from the effort, however, firstly his use of purple ink. Szulc undercuts his own credibility with a turgid, wordy style and the use of hyperbole to describe every event. He often sounds like a partisan trying to convince the reader that Chopin's accomplishments are so great that they prove the superiority of Polish (or French, or I don't know whose) culture, and this is completely unnecessary and very distracting. Chopin did have his detractors early on in the 20th century, but today everyone accepts that Chopin was a genius, his works are masterpieces, and his influence can be felt and heard everywhere subsequently. Chopin carved out an international reputation for his playing alone on the basis of 30 public concerts he gave in his adult life, blowing almost all his peers out of the water in a couple of swift strokes and making Liszt his only serious competitor on the stage. I know of several concert artists alive today who do 30 concerts in 2-months' time as a part of their regular season, so by itself this would make Chopin's accomplishment extraordinary. All of the adjectival puffery just makes it harder to take seriously.

Szulc makes Chopin's sexuality an issue, and he handles the subject most unfortunately. To start with, Szulc bends over backwards to argue that Chopin wasn't gay in a fashion that borders on the offensive. He takes some early letters written to a male childhood friend and tries very lamely to explain that Chopin didn't really mean the epithets he larded the text with (can we say "latency period?"). Szulc is obviously uncomfortable by the profusion of physical affection described there, yet he doesn't bother to explain it in terms of the differing standards of propriety and convention of the day. Enough research has been done regarding this subject that these sentiments appear innocuous and entirely lacking in sexual intent when taken in context. Unless of course, Chopin had a secret, closeted life. The sexuality of many great cultural figures has been argued spuriously for a while now, notably Tchaikovsky and Schubert. If people are going to bring it up, then the subject now deserves a serious, scholarly treatment. Szulc avoids this, doing his readers a disservice by giving them an embarrassed shiver in its place when touching on any aspect of Chopin's love life. While it is doubtful that Chopin was even bisexual, myths and legends persist. Szulc does not explore the matter in any meaningful way that would lay the question to rest.

Then there is Chopin's mental state. Chopin had a number of personality quirks, especially his hesitancy, his aristocratic manner and certain prejudices prevalent in his letters, and Szulc brings these to the fore. He also spends a good deal of the page in a tiresome and unconvincing effort to analyze the soi-disant `link' between mental instability and creativity, quoting a couple of doctors and psychological experts. Was Chopin really schizoid or bipolar, as Szulc asserts? It's very, very hard to say without any clinical evidence (and there isn't any), yet Szulc takes it as a foregone conclusion that Chopin was, mostly because of his genius, and he concludes that other major artistic figures of the day were also, again because of their genius. I thought people had given that theory up along with the Oedipus Complex long ago! In his defense, Chopin had a diagnosis of consumption early in his life, and he spent the rest of it in indifferent or failing health because of his disease. I can't imagine anyone waking up in the morning in a good mood if they were facing that every single day of their lives. Additionally, the pressures of celebrity certainly heightened Chopin's characterological flaws, a reaction we see today in much-less-talented Hollywood celebrities unable to cope with their fame. Is this to say that Chopin' creativity pushed him to the "edge of madness"? I don't think so, and Szulc just seems to be guessing.

Lastly, Szulc's practice of citing sources is confusing and spotty. The book does have a bibliography, but Szulc dispenses with end- or footnotes in the text. He defends this practice in the preface, saying that the references are cited directly in the text and notes are therefore unnecessary. But I've been looking in the bibliography for two days now for a journal article he quoted as a medical reference, and I can't find it there.

Oh yes, I almost forgot. He doesn't talk about the music. Not really, and this is just a shame. Chopin was a leading exponent in the use of chromatic harmony and the evolution, transmogrification really, of formal rhythmic structures from the classical sonata of Haydn, Mozart and even Beethoven, into the very free yet harmonically complex forms that came about later in the 19th century. It is this use of chromatic harmony and coloring, and no other, that makes Chopin's music and that of his contemporaneous peers groundbreaking and as highly influentual as it turned out to be. It is not too much to say that, thanks to Chopin and his contemporaries, Debussy, Stravinsky and Schoenberg became possible. But we don't get that. Instead we are treated to an overblown and even lurid description of the subjective emotional content of the works, without any explanation of "why". Too bad, because an accessible discussion of the musical style would be of great benefit to anyone interested in music. I am reminded of how other non-musicians such as Will and Ariel Durant very succesfully present this subject in interesting yet non-technical terms, so there's no reason why anyone else can't.

Other reviewers have pointed out that there isn't a good, authoritative biography of Chopin available, and I'm sad to say the current effort falls short on several counts. I can't help thinking that this book would have been much better if it had been written by Maynard Solomon.

Chopin in Paris is for the Literate .......2005-02-27

The most fantastic level of detail, insight and analysis on Chopin! However, the depth and sophistication rendered by Tad Szulc is done so in a manner that the typical English reader (with a poor command of the language) will find difficult. If you are a literate reader this is the ultimate book for the Chopin enthusiast.

Flawed but STILL Fascinating.......2004-07-12

I'm glad I gave this book a chance because I enjoyed it quite a lot. Why only 4 stars? A good editor would have cut out some repetitious details. It's annoying, but don't let it stop you from reading it.

The tragedy of Chopin's short life was consumption (tuberculosis of the lungs). You'll marvel that he could give lessons and even perform in public when he seemed to be perpetually short of breath. In this sense, it's a story of triumphing over the odds.

In another sense, it's a love story, i.e., his 8 year affair with George Sand (aka Aurore Dudevant). These were years of extraordinary creativity for Chopin. Their breakup was like many another - faults on both sides, misplaced pride, lack of communication, friends taking sides, etc.

Your heart will break for Chopin in this final tragedy, particularly since we all know (with the benefit of hindsight) that his time was running short and his strength was failing. And he couldn't quite forget her, pathetically asking about her through her grown children. Was she at his bedside when he breathed his last? You'll have to read the book.

One test of a good book (for me) is whether it inspires and opens the door onto other books. This book easily passes that test. Not only does it make me want to read more about Chopin and his friends, but when I listen to his music, I am more moved than ever.

Interesting, but redundant, judgemental, and poorly paced..........2002-10-27

This book is well written from the standpoint of sustaining a narrative based purely on personal facts and historical data, and in making one person's life interesting to people now far removed from his time, but the book really begins to slow down and become pedantic somewhere near the middle. It is the fault of poor editing, I believe, and the inclusion of several strange passages where the writer interjects his own opinions or judgements both on Chopin's character and the times he lived in were just redundant, annoying, and superfluous. By the time you finish reading the book your respect for Chopin will probably be lessened noticeably, not only because the writer seems to always dwell on what he considers the "faults" of the musician's character, but also because the unending reiteration of their cataloguing becomes fatiguing by the end. Who cares, really? Does it matter when listening to this man's Nocturnes or Polonaises or the incredible Etudes that he was a good businessman, extremely "careful" with his money, and that he was anti-semetic, often verbally abusing his Jewish music publishers? Does it matter that Chopin was a hypochondriac, a gossip, a manipulative, immature, emotionally-inept recluse? Will it matter to you? You will have to decide after reading this book, as all the "sordid" details of his life are open to your perusal. When confronted by Chopin's "faults" and "sins" or "defects of character" I was not impressed in the least. In fact, even though the author goes out of his way to make one aware of these things, nothing he could say really surprised me, and the attempts on his part to prejudice the reader seemed clumsy and ill-handled. A better writer would have been persuasive, the would-be moralist Szulc ends up merely berating and nagging. There are better biographies out there.

good book on his life and love: music and George Sand.......2002-10-08

This book is a great read for anyone interested in learning more about Chopin and his love for music. You also get to learn about his love interest in George Sand. Szulc does a great job of keeping the material interesting as Chopin's contributions for all of time.

This is a great book to have for anyone that loves Chopin!

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