Frederic Chopin; his life and letters Volume 1

by Maurycy Karasowski

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Genres: History

252 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

Maurycy Karasowski was a Polish composer, cellist, and music critic.
He worked in the Warsaw theater orchestra. From 1864, he lived in Dresden. He published several books on musical topics and also wrote for the press. His wife, Aleksandra Józefa née Lind, daughter of Samuel, assisted him in his work on books about Chopin.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this biography is so old, it really puts things in a different perspective to anything written in 21st, or even 20th century.

I wish the letters were quoted in full, they paint such an amazing picture of Chopin's personal life! I can't say how well the translation into English holds up, but it really struck me how little the Polish language has changed since the early 1820s and 1830s. Some phrases used by Frycek in his letters to his family are things I would say to my sisters in jest, those made me laugh the hardest.

Also, the letters to Tytus Woyciechowski? Holy shit, if I read them at the impressionable age of 16 when I was prepping for the local contest of knowledge about Chopin on the occasion of his 200th birthday, well. My life might've been slightly different now (and I came 2nd in that contest, I'll have you know). I could TELL there was something queer going on based on his relationships with Liszt and George Sand, but with those letters to Tytus at my disposal? I would've realised some things about myself much sooner, I think, and probably found my footing in the queer history field much earlier. Better late than never, though!

Excited to see what other interesting tidbits I'll find out in Volume II!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've just read some snippets so far, but I love reading the translated letters and accounts from contemporaries.