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Chopin's Funeral
Frédéric Chopin’s reputation as one of the Great Romantics endures, but as Benita Eisler reveals in her elegant and elegiac biography, the man was more complicated than his iconic image.
A classicist, conservative, and dandy who relished his conquest of Parisian society, the Polish émigré was for a while blessed with genius, acclaim, and the love of Europe’s most infamous woman writer, George Sand. But by the age of 39, the man whose brilliant compositions had thrilled audiences in the most fashionable salons lay dying of consumption, penniless and abandoned by his lover. In the fall of 1849, his lavish funeral was attended by thousands—but not by George Sand.
In this intimate portrait of an embattled man, Eisler tells the story of a turbulent love affair, of pain and loss redeemed by art, and of worlds—both private and public—convulsed by momentous change.
A classicist, conservative, and dandy who relished his conquest of Parisian society, the Polish émigré was for a while blessed with genius, acclaim, and the love of Europe’s most infamous woman writer, George Sand. But by the age of 39, the man whose brilliant compositions had thrilled audiences in the most fashionable salons lay dying of consumption, penniless and abandoned by his lover. In the fall of 1849, his lavish funeral was attended by thousands—but not by George Sand.
In this intimate portrait of an embattled man, Eisler tells the story of a turbulent love affair, of pain and loss redeemed by art, and of worlds—both private and public—convulsed by momentous change.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
February 20, 2023
Chopin’s Funeral concentrates mostly on relationship between Chopin and George Sand, and also involves her daughter Solange. As we get to know Sand and her daughter better, in those moments Chopin is in the background. His childhood story and how it shaped him is very brief.
As the story concentrates in large on the relationship it makes it a slow read, beginning has a good pace as we find out a bit about his childhood. All humans are flawed, including Chopin. He acquired a great taste for high life, with expensive furniture and clothes. However, the way it’s presented, sometimes it feels that it rubs one the wrong way.
It always depends what you look for in a story. If you prefer the whole picture, then this book may not be the right choice. If you prefer certain part like in this case the relationship, then, it might be a book for you. If you’re looking for something that concentrates heavily on his work, then it’s not here.
As the story concentrates in large on the relationship it makes it a slow read, beginning has a good pace as we find out a bit about his childhood. All humans are flawed, including Chopin. He acquired a great taste for high life, with expensive furniture and clothes. However, the way it’s presented, sometimes it feels that it rubs one the wrong way.
It always depends what you look for in a story. If you prefer the whole picture, then this book may not be the right choice. If you prefer certain part like in this case the relationship, then, it might be a book for you. If you’re looking for something that concentrates heavily on his work, then it’s not here.
July 20, 2020
I started this book with a great sense of excitement, since I have been a fan of Chopin’s music ever since I fumbled through my own first halting scales on the piano. As it went on, though, I experienced a slight sense of disappointment.
It’s not that the author clearly dislikes her subject: his dandyism, extravagance, selfishness and petulance. For it’s a truism that many geniuses have led flawed lives. We almost expect that as the flip side of their talent. My disappointment stems more from the fact that Chopin remains a shadowy figure, and I don’t feel I have grasped the essence of the man beneath. This may be because the novelist George Sand, his lover of a decade, destroyed much of their correspondence after his death.
In fact, we learn rather more about Sand than about Chopin himself. Her memoirs provide extensive, if not totally reliable, source material. Chopin’s Funeral is mostly a chronicle of their relationship, which finally foundered when Sand insisted on marrying her daughter to a notoriously spendthrift, womanising sculptor. However, the cracks were evident some time before that.
I should have liked to learn more of Chopin’s childhood and early life in Poland, but the book focuses mainly on the final years of his short life.
The author analyses Chopin’s works in the context of his life, and this shed some valuable light for me on the development of his music. But I can see that for readers not familiar with his works, this might be frustrating. The descriptions are good, but they are not a substitute for hearing the pieces themselves.
Chopin died, probably from tuberculosis, in 1849, aged 39. George Sand did not attend his funeral.
It’s not that the author clearly dislikes her subject: his dandyism, extravagance, selfishness and petulance. For it’s a truism that many geniuses have led flawed lives. We almost expect that as the flip side of their talent. My disappointment stems more from the fact that Chopin remains a shadowy figure, and I don’t feel I have grasped the essence of the man beneath. This may be because the novelist George Sand, his lover of a decade, destroyed much of their correspondence after his death.
In fact, we learn rather more about Sand than about Chopin himself. Her memoirs provide extensive, if not totally reliable, source material. Chopin’s Funeral is mostly a chronicle of their relationship, which finally foundered when Sand insisted on marrying her daughter to a notoriously spendthrift, womanising sculptor. However, the cracks were evident some time before that.
I should have liked to learn more of Chopin’s childhood and early life in Poland, but the book focuses mainly on the final years of his short life.
The author analyses Chopin’s works in the context of his life, and this shed some valuable light for me on the development of his music. But I can see that for readers not familiar with his works, this might be frustrating. The descriptions are good, but they are not a substitute for hearing the pieces themselves.
Chopin died, probably from tuberculosis, in 1849, aged 39. George Sand did not attend his funeral.
February 26, 2008
Amazing, amazing, AMAZING book! I normally am bored-to-tears with biographies, but the way Benita Eisler writes the life of Chopin, it is so gripping - I can't wait to turn the page to see what happens next! (Ok, so maybe adding to my fascination with the book is my obsession with Chopin :P But it's still an AMAZINGLY well-written and interesting read for anyone. I think I'm going to buy the book so I can read it all over again!)
Read
January 7, 2012Well, I got banned from my local library cause I turned it in really late.
But this book was indeed vurry sexy.
But this book was indeed vurry sexy.
May 12, 2012
I read this book before seeing Yundi Li perform Chopin at Carnegie Hall. It was a sold out show, with the exception of a single empty seat a few rows in front of me. It was easy to imagine Chopin betrayed, by someone who should have been there but never showed up.
September 4, 2019
Benita Eisler turns out a short, smart, elegant double portrait of that great Romantic duo, George Sand and Frederic Chopin. Sand was a radical who smoked a pipe, wore men's clothing, and had an enviable career as a popular writer. Her care for Chopin, a doomed genius (tuberculosis) was admirable, and their relationship lasted - until suddenly, it was over. The cause? Chopin defended Sand's daughter Solange in a family disagreement, and suddenly he was out. Ouch. He died two years after, never seeing her again. It's no comfort to him, but his music is still played all the time, while Sand's work - who reads it today other than academics and Chopin fans? One quibble: in discussing the unfinished double portrait of the two by Delacroix, Eisler says Sand is holding the stub of a cigarette. Much more likely, she is holding a needle - in her other hand is a piece of linen, not an ashtray.
March 22, 2018
Chopin's funeral was a momentous occasion, so I liked that the event was used as a unique approach to his biography. The author was thoughtful in portraying his life and I learned more about his relationship with George Sand and her children. This book ranks high in the several Chopin biographies I've read.
February 12, 2018
Incredible book. With a name like ‘Chopin’s Funeral’ you’d think I would be prepared for the devastation in the pages to come. Elegantly, sumptuously written weaving each composition into historical, psychological and cultural contexts. I’ve never read a book quite like this. Nonfiction written almost as a classic French or Russian novel- and full of multi sensory embellishments.
February 11, 2017
It's always incredibly moving to read about the life and death of one of history's musical geniuses, especially when that life was so tragic in many ways, and ended too soon. When the life is laid out like this, it's so easy to see where things went wrong, and how ill-advised decisions deemed wise in that time period caused so much misery and ultimately, demise.
Chopin brought much of his misery on himself; the financial troubles that left him impoverished at his death were through his own lack of financial discipline, and while he had many friends, his paranoia and phases of ill temper drove many away, including the love of his life, George Sand.
It's a sad tale, like the story of Mozart's life, but worthwhile reading. The book gets into the weeds quite a bit in certain places and delves into technical discussion of Chopin's various styles over his lifetime. Musicologists and serious musicians will love the analysis of various works and how those compositions were informed and influenced by the circumstances under which they were written, including how things were going in his relationship with Sand and his friends, financial and social triumphs or worries, and especially his good or ill health. Listening to the pieces cited in the book while understanding the phases of Chopin's life they were written in was really interesting.
Chopin brought much of his misery on himself; the financial troubles that left him impoverished at his death were through his own lack of financial discipline, and while he had many friends, his paranoia and phases of ill temper drove many away, including the love of his life, George Sand.
It's a sad tale, like the story of Mozart's life, but worthwhile reading. The book gets into the weeds quite a bit in certain places and delves into technical discussion of Chopin's various styles over his lifetime. Musicologists and serious musicians will love the analysis of various works and how those compositions were informed and influenced by the circumstances under which they were written, including how things were going in his relationship with Sand and his friends, financial and social triumphs or worries, and especially his good or ill health. Listening to the pieces cited in the book while understanding the phases of Chopin's life they were written in was really interesting.
April 21, 2019
A charming description of a brilliant (and brilliantly sad) life. Incorporated into the text are descriptions of the composed musical pieces that paralleled the life experiences of Chopin. Not familiar with many of these compositions, I was frequently temped to tap into youtube.com to hear them played. Unfortunately, this process made the reading of the text cumbersome, and it took quite a long time to finish even though it is a short book. The music, of course, is probably the most important aspect of Chopin's life, so it seems a contradiction that hearing the music intercalated within the reading a distraction. It might have made sense to sell the book with a CD of all the music described in the correct order that could be listened to along the way. Nonetheless it was an illuminating text, and I will seek out other books looking at the more broader aspects of his experience (for example, more biographies on Sand's life, as well as, descriptions of the historical period of France at that time.)
Read
October 28, 2009I went back and re-read this book. Chopin is forever my favorite composer. One just can't imagin how one was physically frail, fragile and shy, yet produced such emotional depth music which typifies the Romanticism Music. His exact physical opposite, Lizt, who was more virtuoso and love to be on stage. For chopin, he went on stage so people can hear his music; while Lizt was to show how billiant he was and audiance adored him.
October 17, 2022
It is safe to say that we, the listener, understand the soul of Chopin through his passionate music, that causes us to crave to know more about the genius behind it all.
Chopin's Funeral by Benita Eisler, like a Nocturne - short but packed full of emotion, places the reader at the epicenter, allowing readers to feel and understand Chopin like an old friend. Through this correspondence Eisler presents George Sand, Solange, Maurice and Chopin realistically without pomp and circumstance. It was a dysfunctional family that Chopin entered and became entwined, causing him both to experiences joys and sorrows, and inspiring him to compose some of the greatest classical pieces for piano that we know. The disconnected pull as we read the passages of Sand or Jane Stirling sets up concerts and drags him to and fro across the country, is more than likely the very same feeling Chopin felt sitting in the carriages or on the trains awaiting the next event in his life. Chopin wanted a level of intimacy, not just from his relationships, but also from his audience members. With each event, big (such as exile, revolutions...) or small (family quarrels of every variety) Eisler tries to give the reader the same kind of brief, intimate look that the world got from Frederic Chopin.
5 out of 5 stars
Chopin's Funeral by Benita Eisler, like a Nocturne - short but packed full of emotion, places the reader at the epicenter, allowing readers to feel and understand Chopin like an old friend. Through this correspondence Eisler presents George Sand, Solange, Maurice and Chopin realistically without pomp and circumstance. It was a dysfunctional family that Chopin entered and became entwined, causing him both to experiences joys and sorrows, and inspiring him to compose some of the greatest classical pieces for piano that we know. The disconnected pull as we read the passages of Sand or Jane Stirling sets up concerts and drags him to and fro across the country, is more than likely the very same feeling Chopin felt sitting in the carriages or on the trains awaiting the next event in his life. Chopin wanted a level of intimacy, not just from his relationships, but also from his audience members. With each event, big (such as exile, revolutions...) or small (family quarrels of every variety) Eisler tries to give the reader the same kind of brief, intimate look that the world got from Frederic Chopin.
5 out of 5 stars
June 19, 2024
Interesting novel. It delves deeply into the life of Chopin after fleeing Russian-occupied Poland, seeking refuge in France a the age of twenty-one. It is here where he meets and becomes romantically involved with Aurore Dudevant, the famous and infamous writer, whose novels were penned under the pseudonym of George Sand.
The narrative depicts in details the many other relationships he established while living in Paris. Many of these links were with many outstanding musicians and royalty of the time, becoming an outstanding star of Parisian society.
The relationship with Sand was a tumultuous one from the beginning. The novel highlights Chopin’s affection for Sand’s daughter, Solange, who was estranged from her mother during the course of her life. After twenty years of Chopin’s conquest of Paris, it was Solange, who was present, as Chopin lay destitute, grappling with his illness to finally die in her arms.
The research made for this novel brings forth many details about the true character of this well loved and talented composer and pianist. He was frail, suffered from bouts of coughing that made him weak and fatigued most of the time. He was also moody, petulant, dependent, demanding, and bad-tempered when he couldn’t get his way.
For those who like classical music, this great read is an intimate close-up that exposes the real character of this prolific composer and performer, who never saw his homeland again.
The narrative depicts in details the many other relationships he established while living in Paris. Many of these links were with many outstanding musicians and royalty of the time, becoming an outstanding star of Parisian society.
The relationship with Sand was a tumultuous one from the beginning. The novel highlights Chopin’s affection for Sand’s daughter, Solange, who was estranged from her mother during the course of her life. After twenty years of Chopin’s conquest of Paris, it was Solange, who was present, as Chopin lay destitute, grappling with his illness to finally die in her arms.
The research made for this novel brings forth many details about the true character of this well loved and talented composer and pianist. He was frail, suffered from bouts of coughing that made him weak and fatigued most of the time. He was also moody, petulant, dependent, demanding, and bad-tempered when he couldn’t get his way.
For those who like classical music, this great read is an intimate close-up that exposes the real character of this prolific composer and performer, who never saw his homeland again.
May 27, 2018
Benita Eisler's Chopin's Funeral brings to life the times, joys, tribulations and immense gift of this composer from the Romantic Period of Classical Music. The book reads as a historical novel, historical text, a romance and also a case study in what illness can do to the soul of the sufferer. It was engaging in the way she weaved the creation of Chopin's most important works; i.e the Etudes, Mazurkas, Preludes, Impromptus waltzes, barcarolles The chapters about his long time partnership with George Sand related the ups and downs of the relationship that what was a cornerstone in Chopin's life. The reader gets a sense of who Chopin was including his interior world, laced with suffering and creative genius. Readers who are musicians familiar with his work will hear the pieces he composed as the back drop of the times are related including his state of health and events in Paris, London and throughout Europe.
December 30, 2023
When I read Romeo and Juliet in high school, I thought the poetry was nice but the story wholly unbelievable. Can you really fall so deeply in love at first sight and then make that relationship the defining one of your life? Romeo and Juliet barely knew each other. It was their youthful naïveté that led them to give up their lives for someone who, a week or two earlier, was a stranger.
But Chopin and Sand: now here are two star-crossed lovers, and this may be the saddest love story ever told. She was the liberal, brave, arrogant, defensive writer with boundless energy. He was the shy, sickly, conservative, irascible composer trudging his way through a life of exile. They lived together for a decade, inspired each other’s art, and then ended their relationship with a heartbreak so sad that the melancholy music of Chopin takes on an entirely new meaning.
But Chopin and Sand: now here are two star-crossed lovers, and this may be the saddest love story ever told. She was the liberal, brave, arrogant, defensive writer with boundless energy. He was the shy, sickly, conservative, irascible composer trudging his way through a life of exile. They lived together for a decade, inspired each other’s art, and then ended their relationship with a heartbreak so sad that the melancholy music of Chopin takes on an entirely new meaning.
December 7, 2022
Enlightening biography of my favorite piano composer. I was hoping to discover a man who found faith in God somewhere along the way (which textbooks would not bother mentioning), but unfortunately Chopin chose poor companions who encouraged a lifestyle of luxury with little room for virtue. His life was short, lonely, and mostly tragic. His music, however, is sublime and inspiring. Skip the book and listen to some nocturnes.
June 1, 2020
I found this hugely interesting, and whilst I would have enjoyed it even more if I knew more about Chopin's music, the story of his life, relationship with George Sand, and his time in Paris was fascinating.
January 31, 2023
What a difficult life and sad, early death this man endured. The context of many specific compositions was very interesting to learn, and made me want to listen to them while reading the relevant pages. Perhaps I'll go back and do that one day.
September 19, 2017
I felt the book was a little slow. It just didn't make me want to pick it up and I gave it a fair chance.
February 28, 2021
I learned more about George Sand than Chopin! Although I am somewhat familiar with Chopin’s works, I think you really need to be very well versed in each opus to get much out of this book.
March 2, 2021
I’ve been on a Chopin kick lately. Enjoyed this book.
January 16, 2024
Poorly written, biased biography of F. Chopin. Walker’s biography was far superior.
November 13, 2024
The other side of George Sand.
April 23, 2022
This book was slow at some points, but I loved diving deep into Chopin's life and thoughts. It was supremely interesting to understand the life of one of my favorite composers.
August 4, 2013
It's more like 3.5 stars.
I certainly learned a lot about Chopin and his life in this book, which is what biographies are for, I suppose. I just wish it was a little more engaging. It was easy to get distracted from reading after coming across name after name of people whose only description was that they were somehow related to another person that I didn't recognize.
However, when I could concentrate on reading I really enjoyed seeing how Chopin's works so clearly mirrored the struggles in his life and the sad perpetual decline of his health.
I certainly learned a lot about Chopin and his life in this book, which is what biographies are for, I suppose. I just wish it was a little more engaging. It was easy to get distracted from reading after coming across name after name of people whose only description was that they were somehow related to another person that I didn't recognize.
However, when I could concentrate on reading I really enjoyed seeing how Chopin's works so clearly mirrored the struggles in his life and the sad perpetual decline of his health.
January 5, 2016
I really enjoyed this book once I got over the fact that it doesn't have enough references and footnotes for me. I'd often look to find a citation for a quote or statement, only to find the ones I was interested in were not cited. Once I accepted that, I was able to enjoy it for what it was--a readable and entertaining popular history. I would recommend reading it with easy access to Chopin's music in order to listen to the pieces discussed. The book certainly wetted my appetite to learn more about some of the people and incidents discussed.
November 18, 2008
This book is a great review of Chopin's life, which doesn't dive to deeply (ala it's only 200 pages--not a monster of a book). Only problem is that it jumps around a bit. Call me traditional, but I like a biography to go in chronological order. (Hence only 3 stars here.) However, with that said, you'll get a good overview on Chopin's life here. It's a lovely read as far as biographies go.
July 13, 2013
A thoroughly readable account of Chopin's life. This is the kind of biography I like: not endlessly detailed but to the point, with a sympathetic but not fawning attitude towards its subject. Eisler's account of the odd relationship between Chopin and George Sand is as convincing as any, given Sand's gift for obfuscation.
September 9, 2013
An excellent biography of Chopin's life. Though his music was beautiful, his life was anything but! The book chronicles his relationship with George Sand and discusses Chopin's frail health. It also gives quite a bit of information on Sand and her relationship with her children. I'm certainly glad she wasn't my mother! All in all an engaging biography.
February 15, 2015
Splendid biographical study, reads like an exciting novel, thanks to the insight and tone of the author. Through and amidst the facts of life, brought with knowledge and empathy, there are those wonderful descriptions of Chopin’s compositions, leaning on the composer’s social and emotional circumstances. Well done. JM
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews