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Chopin's Letters
"Nothing could be more spontaneous and ebullient than Chopin's letters." 鈥� Books
"Perhaps no composer's letters are so kindred to his music, and reminiscent of the impression produced by it, as Chopin's are." 鈥� The New York Times
This superbly edited selection of nearly 300 of Chopin's letters, the first to be published in English, vividly reveals the composer as man and artist, and evokes the remarkable age 鈥� Europe of the 1830s and 1840s 鈥� he shared with an equally remarkable cast of characters, from Jenny Lind to Isabella II of Spain, from Queen Victoria to George Sand, from Heinrich Heine to Victor Hugo.
The tone of the letters is exuberantly engaging: "They abound in delightful gossip, they are merry rather than malicious, they are engagingly witty, and at times their humor becomes positively Rabelaisian" (Peter Bowdoin, Books ). Their contents offer rare glimpses into Chopin's childhood environment, his mind and character, his tragic love for George Sand, the origins of many of his compositions, the various musical influences that shaped his creative ideas and habits, and the artistic circles in which he moved.
Originally collected by the Polish musicologist Henryk Opienski, the letters have been translated and annotated by Chopin scholar E. L. Voynich. Students and admirers of Chopin will find in their pages vast resources to deepen their love and appreciation for 鈥� and wonderment at 鈥� the unique individuality and achievement of this great musical personality.
"Perhaps no composer's letters are so kindred to his music, and reminiscent of the impression produced by it, as Chopin's are." 鈥� The New York Times
This superbly edited selection of nearly 300 of Chopin's letters, the first to be published in English, vividly reveals the composer as man and artist, and evokes the remarkable age 鈥� Europe of the 1830s and 1840s 鈥� he shared with an equally remarkable cast of characters, from Jenny Lind to Isabella II of Spain, from Queen Victoria to George Sand, from Heinrich Heine to Victor Hugo.
The tone of the letters is exuberantly engaging: "They abound in delightful gossip, they are merry rather than malicious, they are engagingly witty, and at times their humor becomes positively Rabelaisian" (Peter Bowdoin, Books ). Their contents offer rare glimpses into Chopin's childhood environment, his mind and character, his tragic love for George Sand, the origins of many of his compositions, the various musical influences that shaped his creative ideas and habits, and the artistic circles in which he moved.
Originally collected by the Polish musicologist Henryk Opienski, the letters have been translated and annotated by Chopin scholar E. L. Voynich. Students and admirers of Chopin will find in their pages vast resources to deepen their love and appreciation for 鈥� and wonderment at 鈥� the unique individuality and achievement of this great musical personality.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1931
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1,252 people want to read
About the author
Fr茅d茅ric Chopin
1,953听books85听followersFr茅d茅ric Fran莽ois Chopin (1810 鈥�1849) is one of the most famous, influential, and admired composers and virtuoso pianists of the Romantic era.
He was born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, of Polish and French parentage, on 1st March 1810 in the village of 呕elazowa Wola, Poland. In Warsaw he was hailed as a child prodigy and as the 鈥渟econd Mozart鈥� for his piano and composition skill, for which the composer Robert Schumann complimented the talented pianist: 鈥淗ats off, gentlemen, a genius!鈥� Due to the political situation in Poland, he left his country for France at the age of twenty. There he composed his two piano concertos with their patriotic Polish themes and rhythms, based on traditional polish dances. He never returned to Poland, but after his death his sister Ludwika took his heart to Poland - in accordance with his last will, where it was placed inside a pillar of the Holy Cross Church at Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street.
In Paris, he made a career as a performer and teacher as well as a composer, and he adopted the French variant of his name, 鈥淔r茅d茅ric-Fran莽ois鈥�. In 1836 he met the French writer George Sand, with whom he had a relationship for nine years until 1847. He suffered poor health for much of his life and this forced him to give up performing and teaching shortly before he died on 17th October 1849.
His compositions, which are almost exclusively for the piano, such as the Funeral March piano sonata and the twenty-seven 茅tudes (op. 10 and op.25, plus a further set of three without opus numbers), are widely considered to be amongst the pinnacles of the piano repertoire. Although some of his music is among the most technically demanding for the instrument, Chopin鈥檚 style emphasizes poetry, nuance and expressive depth, rather than mere technical display. He is often cited as one of the mainstays of romanticism in nineteenth-century classical music.
He was born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, of Polish and French parentage, on 1st March 1810 in the village of 呕elazowa Wola, Poland. In Warsaw he was hailed as a child prodigy and as the 鈥渟econd Mozart鈥� for his piano and composition skill, for which the composer Robert Schumann complimented the talented pianist: 鈥淗ats off, gentlemen, a genius!鈥� Due to the political situation in Poland, he left his country for France at the age of twenty. There he composed his two piano concertos with their patriotic Polish themes and rhythms, based on traditional polish dances. He never returned to Poland, but after his death his sister Ludwika took his heart to Poland - in accordance with his last will, where it was placed inside a pillar of the Holy Cross Church at Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street.
In Paris, he made a career as a performer and teacher as well as a composer, and he adopted the French variant of his name, 鈥淔r茅d茅ric-Fran莽ois鈥�. In 1836 he met the French writer George Sand, with whom he had a relationship for nine years until 1847. He suffered poor health for much of his life and this forced him to give up performing and teaching shortly before he died on 17th October 1849.
His compositions, which are almost exclusively for the piano, such as the Funeral March piano sonata and the twenty-seven 茅tudes (op. 10 and op.25, plus a further set of three without opus numbers), are widely considered to be amongst the pinnacles of the piano repertoire. Although some of his music is among the most technically demanding for the instrument, Chopin鈥檚 style emphasizes poetry, nuance and expressive depth, rather than mere technical display. He is often cited as one of the mainstays of romanticism in nineteenth-century classical music.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 28, 2014
If you're as obsessed with Chopin as I am, then you'll also find this collection of letters incredibly interesting, regardless of whether or not they're good.
November 30, 2018
The first thing I should admit is that I am somewhat of a Chopin fanatic to put it mildly. Always loved playing his music and enjoyed learning about his life during my college days. This collection of letters is great for the Chopin fan but I think it would have reached a wider audience if it had been intertwined with some biographical information as well.
Placing letters within the context of what was happening in his life would have made, I feel, for a more entertaining read. Nevertheless, if you love Chopin as much as I do, this book will still provide hours of fun into the mind and life of one of the greatest composers.
Placing letters within the context of what was happening in his life would have made, I feel, for a more entertaining read. Nevertheless, if you love Chopin as much as I do, this book will still provide hours of fun into the mind and life of one of the greatest composers.
January 20, 2021
Ahhhhh!!! Beautiful. I don鈥檛 have anything useful to say- but Fryderyk is certainly a master of sarcasm and a master of manners. I love it!!
From memory- so this may not be entirely correct: 鈥淯pon receiving Jaworek鈥檚 invitation, I thought he had been seized by diarrhea and was inviting me to do the same.鈥� Genius!!
From memory- so this may not be entirely correct: 鈥淯pon receiving Jaworek鈥檚 invitation, I thought he had been seized by diarrhea and was inviting me to do the same.鈥� Genius!!
Want to read
April 25, 2016I have read Chopin's bio and what a passionate man who made sacrifices and unfortunately died so young. I cannot wait to read this book.
January 13, 2016
chopin, mon amour.
October 7, 2010
This is a very useful collection of letters, charting Chopin's life from his adolescence in Poland to his protracted death in Paris. These epistles to friends and family contain a wealth of interesting historical and biographical details, from Queen Victoria's fear of the Chartists to Victor Hugo's hypocrisy on the subject of marriage. There is little on the technique of performance or composition, but Chopin's love of opera is evident, and some will enjoy his assessment of various (now rarely performed) works. This book humanises a true genius of the piano - the only defect is that the editors did not insert more commentary in footnotes, as not all the letters are self-explanatory.
Read
December 29, 2023hhhrhhggggg, those last ones hurt
July 23, 2024
"Don't show this to anyone, as they will say I can't write and don't know anything about politics." real
October 14, 2019
Those last letters were so sad 馃槰 RIP
March 4, 2017
Brilliant insight into Chopin's mind
September 28, 2024
This collection of letters produces less of a sense of the man's biography than of the man's personality and self-expression. It's very interesting but like many collections of letters, a little fragmentary since we don't have the other half of the correspondence, nor is this necessarily comprehensive, as many letters were no doubt lost or destroyed. Chopin comes across as a man of great feeling who had some very intense life-long friendships and was quite close to his family. He was reluctant to give large concerts, always preferring smaller venues and more private occasions. He was a regular opera-goer. His letters do not otherwise include a great deal of deep musical discussion or analysis. I do feel that I got to know him better through his correspondence.
May 8, 2024
my original review got DELETED. AGAINNNN. So to summarise: Chopin was surprisingly affectionate and sincerely funny in most if not all his letters. everything i read felt timeless (if you discount some of his outdated views :/). I enjoyed reading the 1830s gossip, the heartbreaking love letters to his lovers and family, and witty letters to friends. he seemed through his private letters as creative and genuine as his music.
i鈥檝e noted down my favourite extracts in my somaformjng notes - he mastered a great turn of phrase!! *coughs once* 鈥淚鈥檓 nearer to a coffin than a marriage bed鈥�.
i think i should like to read Tchaikovsky鈥檚 letters and maybe Beethoven鈥檚 soon.
i鈥檝e noted down my favourite extracts in my somaformjng notes - he mastered a great turn of phrase!! *coughs once* 鈥淚鈥檓 nearer to a coffin than a marriage bed鈥�.
i think i should like to read Tchaikovsky鈥檚 letters and maybe Beethoven鈥檚 soon.
December 28, 2024
so he was at the very least bisexual
January 8, 2016
An epistolary nocturne. Etudes of the soul.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
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