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Chopin Through His Contemporaries Friends, Lovers, and Rivals
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Pierre Azoury
Book Code: GM0971
ISBN: 0-313-30971-X
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-30971-7
256 pages, notes, photographs
Greenwood Press
Publication: 8/30/1999
List Price: $115.00 (UK Sterling Price: £65.00)
Availability: Print on demand
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects:
Series Title: Contributions to the Study of Music and Dance
Series Number: 54
Reviews:
  • Azourny has creatively combined correspondence and informational background to provide and interesting many-sided view of Chopin.
    —Polish American Journal
  • Endorsement From Jim Samson
    Professor of Music
    University of Bristol:     The reader emerges with a sense of personal acquaintance with the composer. Azoury should be applauded for the tenacity with which he has chased up every last detail in his quest for the real Chopin.
  • Endorsement From Krystyna Kobylanska
    Former Curator
    Fryderyk Chopin Society Museum, Warsaw:     [Chopin Through His Contemporaries] is skillfully documented, well-organized, up-to-date in its material, and extensively annotated. The critical portrayal of Chopin's personality includes a discerning assessment of the composer's developmental problems in his youth and an in-depth examination of his complex liaison with George Sand, her household, and some of her closest friends. The summing-up in the light of Carl Jung's reflections on creative beings placed at the beginning of the text is well-balanced and thought-provoking. All in all, the book is a worthwhile scholarly contribution to the Chopin literature.
Description: Dual natures comprised Chopin's personality. On one hand, he was a highly creative romantic idealist and on the other, a realist trying to cope with the world at large. Documentary evidence illustrates the disparities in his personality as a reflection of these two diverse aspects of his psyche. Of special interest are five previously unpublished letters in English and the unfolding of Chopin's controversial relationships with Tytus Woyciechowski, Julian Fontana, George Sand, and Solange Sand. This critical portrayal of Chopin's personality traces his journeys and experiences from Warsaw to Paris and reveals, among other characteristics and traits, Chopin's developmental problems during his adolescence, his unattractive behavior in his relationship with Julian Fontana, and George Sand's unrequited love for Chopin. The culture of the time and the atmosphere surrounding Chopin's relationships emerge in the detailed evidence presented. The book is divided into two parts. The first is relevant to Chopin's youth in Warsaw. His relationship with Tytus Woyciechowski during the formative years in Warsaw significantly impacted Chopin's emotional development. The second part of the book focuses on Chopin's adult years in Paris including his liaison with George Sand, which is considered through her daughter, Solange, and four friends and acquaintances common to both Sand and Chopin. The text is extensively annotated and this research of Chopin's life and personality will appeal to both the Chopin scholar and enthusiast. It will also be of interest to students of French Romantic literature, Romantic music, and Polish music of the nineteenth century.
Table of Contents:
  • Introduction
  • The Warsaw Years (1810-1830)
  • The First Contemporaries: Chopin's Family in His Formative Years
  • The First Intimate Friends: Jan Bialoblocki, Jan Matuszy'nski, Julian Fontana, and Tytus Woyciechowski
  • Music Teacher and Mentor: Józef Elsner
  • The First "Love": Konstancja Gladkowska
  • The Paris Years (1831-1849)
  • The Most Intimate Non-Polish Friend: Auguste Franchomme
  • Moja bieda: Maria Wodzi'nska
  • A Most Trusted Confidant: Wojciech Grzymala
  • Fellow Pianist and Composer: Franz Liszt
  • An Artistic Devotee: Pauline Viardot
  • A Tender Attachment: Solange Sand
  • Epilogue
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Index
LC Card Number: 98-48900
LCC Class: ML410
Dewey Class: 786
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