Books with title Frederic Chopin, son of Poland

Frederic Chopin, celebrated pianist and probably the greatest composer for the piano the world has ever known, was born in a little cottage in Poland on the estate of Count Skarbek, whose children were tutored by his father, Nicolas Chopin. The child loved music from babyhood and when the family moved to Warsaw a few years after his birth, he was placed under the tutelage of the best masters of music in Poland. His astounding performance in playing the solo part of a difficult concerto with the full Warsaw orchestra when only nine years of age marked little Frederic as the genius he was. Through the early years to that momentous day in Vienna when his playing at the theater of Count Gallenberg actually launched his career as a major figure in the world of music, Frederic Chopin's childhood and boyhood are dramatically presented. Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland, Later Years completes the great man's life story.

Chopin remembered Vienna as the city where he had made an instant success with his music, so when, after years at home in Warsaw, he returned to Vienna he was heartsick to find only a cool welcome awaiting him. Vienna wanted to dance and sing and forget war...and Poland was on the brink of war. In Paris, however, Chopin found himself warmly welcomed; his concerts became the vogue; his days were crowded with both gayety and the work he loved. Years passed and the world hailed his greatest compositions. Then ill health began making inroads on his time, and he went to Majorca, England, Scotland, seeking relief. However, time was running out, and, at the peak of his career, the great composer and pianist died in Paris, the city he loved. Thus, simply, yet with drama is completed this excellent two-volume biography of one of the world's greatest artists.