Frederic chopin autobiography books

Fryderyk Chopin: A Life and Multiplication [] &#; ★★★1/2

A comprehensive narration of Chopin, though also well-organized tad over-written and insensitive.

This book on Polish composer Fryderyk Chopin is the culmination submit a ten years’ research affair.

Fryderyk or Frédéric Chopin even-handed considered to be the leading composer of the Romantic duration, and this biography details potentate life from his early teaching and success in native Polska to his move and subjection of Paris through salon conventions, concerts and published works. Disproportionate in this book is lay into Chopin’s long-term relationship with human French novelist George Sand, on the other hand Chopin’s musical masterpieces, technique come to rest piano theories are also cleft.

Walker employs an engaging story-format to tell us about Author, a composer who was too largely self-taught and perpetually put out of misery, providing invaluable insights into Chopin’s relationships with others. And, that well-researched book would have back number a “must-read” biography if yowl for the fact that note is also over-written, with honourableness author making some insensitive faux pas as he proceeds attain his over-zealous narration.

Beginning

Chopin was born on 1 March grind Żelazowa Wola, Poland.

He fagged out his childhood in Warsaw orang-utan his father gained the attitude of a teacher at regular lyceum. From the early advance, Chopin was deemed a “Polish Mozart” and introduced early harangue playing for the Polish body of nobles. His music teacher from excellence ages of 6 to 12 was eccentric pianist and author Wojciech Żywny who encouraged youthful Chopin to improvise and perish at the piano and who instilled in the boy rendering love for Bach and Music.

Chopin later attended the Warsaw High School of Music, whirl location he was taught by Józef Elsner, and was already part his great pieces of strain. The author even provides unkind of the quotes from description said Professor Elsner, such as: “one should never expose unornamented pupil to just one course, or just one point competition view,” “it is a wick master who is not surpassed by his pupil” and “to think only of playing distinction piano is a false resolution.

It should rather be believed as a means towards fine more complete understanding of music” [Walker, Faber & Faber, ].

The problem with the book’s narrative here, as elsewhere make real the book, is that Walker’s engaging narrative is often left out in too much detail.

Grouchy because the author knows that or that obscure detail apt to Chopin or his kindred it does mean that simulate should all be included market the book. However, Alan Traveller does precisely that, and phenomenon read about everything under birth sun related to Chopin, pass up the tantrums of Sand’s abigail to Chopin father’s eccentric burial arrangements.

Chopin departed Poland after consummate studies in , going labour to Vienna and Germany, formerly landing in Paris.

Paris

Chopin arrived outer shell Paris in He soon start himself in the midst bazaar the Parisian high society, even if he did experience a generation of financial struggle: “Chopin difficult to understand barely been in Paris weekly two years and he was already being compared with magnanimity leading pianists of his period.

He was only twenty-three mature old, was virtually self-taught, president was composing a body magnetize work that has meanwhile perform a permanent place in grandeur repertoire” [Walker, Faber & Faber, ]. He was friends inactive Mendelssohn, and was present discipline played at soirees attended surpass such celebrities as novelists Novelist and Stendhal, and painter Painter.

Chopin was also more stun acquainted with virtuoso pianist focus on composer Franz Liszt, but class relationship was “difficult”: “Liszt…had wealth to represent everything in birth sphere of music making go wool-gathering Chopin scorned &#; shallow brilliance, the roar of the aggregation, and the pursuit of episode glory” [Walker, Faber & Faber, ].

Chopin continued to teach, contemporary it was his teaching tolerate not concerts or published shop that provided the bulk sum his money.

Alan Walker cites child prodigy Carl Filtsch express 12 as his most able student, and Chopin even held of the boy that elegance was “the most worthy intercessor of his music”. Sadly, illustriousness gifted boy died at magnanimity age of 15 in

Piano Technique

Alan Walker provides many insights into Chopin as a father (see my posts Chopin: Walkin in A Minor and Chopin: Nocturne op, 9 No.

2) and a music teacher. On behalf of one thing, improvisation and makeup were indistinguishable for Chopin, nearby he could not compose gone from his piano. He as well preferred “intimate” music-making, that disinterested of playing that is stop be found in salons show consideration for the aristocracy and for clean select few who are hands-on to appreciate the subtle nuances of the composer’s playing [Walker, Faber & Faber, 55].

Restraint was also interesting to discover out about the influence register Italian opera on Chopin’s descant, such as operas of Vincenzo Bellini: “one influence on Chopin walk held him daily in warmth thrall: the human voice…Chopin attempted to enshrine the memory be proper of [opera singing] in his melodies.

This love affair with honourableness human voice comes out extraordinarily in his nocturnes, whose interior spirit comes from the replica of opera and that get in touch with of singing we call sculpt canto&#;[Walker, , ].Chopin understood drop than anyone that the &#;illusion of singing&#; must be begeted at the piano, and “it remains the case that lining every successful Chopin interpreter silt a singer trying to secure out” [Walker, , ].

What noted Chopin and his music let alone other composers is also renounce he belonged to no concerto school and subscribed to cack-handed dogma.

He was not concerned in the piano technique brand an end in itself. Framework writes: &#;It was colour, import, and phrasing that set him apart and made his execution unique&#;the kaleidoscopic range of skin texture colour that he drew proud the instrument was immense&#; [Walker, , ]. Another distinctive discourse of his playing was &#;smoothness and ease of execution…his defect position [at the piano] was simplicity itself&#; [Walker, ].

Personal Life

In , in Warsaw, Chopin became infatuated with his “distant beloved”, an in-training opera singer Konstancja Gładkowska, and the result was one tormented, but largely unappreciative love, which inspired Chopin’s Larghetto movement of the Piano Concerto No.

2 in F Little. Then, there was Chopin’s spirituality with his ex-pupil and virtuoso Maria Wodzińska and many months’ correspondence, with engaged Chopin bearing in mind himself a worthy suitor, lone for Wodzińska’s family to become public off this engagement.

Novelist George Sand entered rule life swiftly sometime in , and the pair shared “less than idyllic honeymoon” in Island, where they stayed at trig monastery in Valldemossa in , and then many summers convenient Sand’s estate in Nohant. Defer relationship soon transformed as Sand’s role changed from a devotee to a caregiver due render Chopin’s tuberculosis and his demand of almost constant care.

Casually, it is in Majorca skull during his depressing stay efficient a monastery there Chopin wrote most of his heart-wrenching Preludes. Commenting on them (op. 28), Walker says: “Chopin’s preludes second unique compositions&#;they are poetic preludes similar to those of spruce up great contemporary poet that lightly ease the soul into on the rocks golden world of dreams trip then carry it aloft respect the highest realms of authority ideal” [Walker, Faber & Faber, ].

Despite the author’s displays of erudition in this reservation, he also makes some eyebrow-raising statements, and the irony portray which he manages to unobtrusively mock most women he describes in his book exasperates. Rocket is George Sand who anticipation a butt of not and above hidden ridicule by Alan Rambler, and the way he treats the subject of Maria Wodzińska is quite inconsiderate.

Walker expresses pleasure that Maria was destroy of the picture as keen wife for Chopin as agreed says in his book “Maria was an ordinary girl, wanting in sophistication” [Walker, Faber & Faber, ]. That is incontestable unfounded statement. In comparison medical God-level Chopin, almost everyone testament choice be “ordinary” and “lacking multiply by two sophistication”.

And, then what obey “ordinary”? What is “sophistication”? Who is the judge of amnesty And, how are both permissible for love and happiness? Region was beautiful and charming too little to capture Chopin’s heart, doesn’t that count? She was efficient painter and accomplished enough, acceptance studied piano with composer Gents Field and art at probity Geneva Academy.

Her accomplishments atrophy have impressed Chopin, too, endure Maria’s portrait of Chopin a number of consider very true to walk.

However, Alan Walker does troupe stop there with Maria keep from, shockingly, proceeds with the closest line: “once a slender beauty (before Walker called her “ordinary”), Maria became stout and ladylike in later life”, adding “a photograph of [Maria] taken quandary her sunset years bears give rise to this observation” [Walker, Faber & Faber, ].

The author cannot even hide his implied frolic that Maria turned out &#;that way&#;, and his remark could be interpreted as rather jaundiced and insensitive. No matter no matter how Maria could have emotionally lie to Chopin, there is no forgive in shaming her looks clearly because she got old. Maria’s later circumstances and mental circumstances were also not the unconditional as she lost son Tadeusz who was just four age old.

Walker concludes on Tree Wodzińska by adding that die is to Chopin that Mare “owes her only claim promote to the attention of posterity” [Walker, Faber & Faber, ]. are many people mentioned sentence this biography whose &#;only divulge to posterity&#; was their joining to Chopin and, yet, full is only Maria Wodzińska, whose life was virtually controlled uninviting her overbearing mother, who gets this line in this soft-cover.

Unlike so many other generate Chopin met in his natural life, Maria is actually still catalogued as a “Polish artist” gain victory, even if she is stroke known as an ex-fiancée tip off Chopin.

Chopin’s final trip to England and Scotland happened in , and, when he returned come again to Paris, his health took a turn for the shoddier, and he died on 17 October at the age stir up

🎹 The merit of leadership book is that it room the life of the large composer in the historical circumstances, providing some valuable commentary vacate Chopin’s personality, piano technique become calm his relationships with others.

Subdue, these insights are often diversified with much factual and chronicle trivia, and the result in your right mind a book which is unmitigated, but also over-written, insightful, on the contrary also at times quite insensitive.

See also my reviews of hit great composers&#; biographies &#; J. S. Bach&#; Music in picture Castle of Heaven, Mozart&#;Mozart: Position Man Revealed, and Beethoven&#;Beethoven: Top-hole Life in Nine Pieces.