Chopin In Paris: The Life And Times Of The Romantic Composer

There are a lot of things to say about this book, most of them good. You come away from the book with the feeling that you have a pretty good understanding of Chopin's personality and also of what his day to day existence was like. For example, I always had a picture of him being a very serious and uptight person. And while he could be very stiff and formal in public, Mr. Szulc shows that in private he could be quite different. Chopin did not like to give public concerts and you could pretty much count on your fingers and toes how many such concerts he gave in his whole career. But he did enjoy going out at night to the homes of friends for little "get togethers" and he would play the piano for hours at a time and would get people laughing with his imitations of acquaintances. He apparently had a great gift for mimicry. One of the best features of the book is that it quotes extensively from the letters, journals, etc. of Chopin and George Sand and also of friends such as the artist Eugene Delacroix. Chopin's personality really comes through in his letters. You can see his charm and his sense of humor but also his snobbery and nastiness. It also seems pretty clear that he was an anti-semite, although Mr.Szulc tries rather desperately to rescue him from that charge by saying that Chopin really just didn't like the Jews in the music publishing business, because he felt they were trying to cheat him! He really didn't mind "other" Jews. Unfortunately, Chopin is quoted about 4-5 times making anti-semitic remarks but no examples are given of him having anything nice to say so I don't know why Mr. Szulc even tried to come to his defense in this particular area...I also learned from this book how highly regarded Chopin was as a pianist. I knew he was a great composer but he was also considered to be a great virtuoso, on the same level as Liszt. When playing at those private parties I mentioned above he would improvise for hours and it was said by knowledgeable people at the time that it was a great shame that the public never got to hear these remarkable improvisations. I also never knew that Chopin spent a great deal of his time giving piano lessons. He was apparently a very good teacher and the money he made teaching was a large part of his total income. There is a very touching section of the book that deals with the death at age 15 of Chopin's favorite (and most gifted) student, Carl Filtsch. Chopin felt that this boy had a unique and innate understanding of his music and this created a special bond between the two of them.Mr. Szulc explains early on that he is not a musician and therefore the book does not provide any musical insights. Mr. Szulc is forced into relying on and quoting the opinions of others when he makes brief forays into the technical aspects of the music. Professional musicians will probably find the book disappointing unless they only read the book to get a feel for the personalities involved. One last note of interest: The picture on the cover is an enlargement of the only known photograph of Chopin and is so revealing of his nature that it alone is almost worth the purchase price!

To me, a great biography brings the subject to life, a rarity in the genre and no simple task. Doris Kearns Goodwin succeeded in doing so with Lincoln in "Team of Rivals;" David McCullough made John Adams come alive in his famous bio of the 2nd President. I cannot say the same for Tad Szulc's bio of Chopin. The reader mainly learns that Chopin was sickly and moody but could be charming (which I already knew.). Szulc basically tells the entire story by quoting letters, many of them mundane. Do I really need to read long lists of items that Chopin repeatedly instructed one of his friends to pick up for him? Instead of delving into his subject, Szulc seems content to just outline what Chopin did from week to week, much of it not terribly fascinating. On the plus side, he did a fairly decent job of explaining Chopin's turbulent affair with author George Sand but again, the narrative was spoiled by the use of letters. Obviously, I was disappointed particularly because the Amazon reviews promised a more personal approach to Chopin's years in Paris.

Great story of Chopin's life, his relationships, travel and arc of life that contributed to his musical gift.

Excellent read. A nice biography about Chopin but it's hard to decipher what is truly factual. Some of the 'psychoanalyzing' by the author is ridiculous. Nonetheless there is very little biographical literature about Chopin and this is probably the most well written one I've come across. Most of it seems plausible

This book is a treat. Not only authoritative, but engrossing, as Tad Szulc delves into the characters and motives of the personnages involved. He renders this biography in a narrative style, hard to put down. Chopin, Sand and others are figures larger than life and are treated with interest and great care. One feels that Szulc becomes personally involved in the story (or novel) -- and so does the reader.

A very detailed narrative, liberally supported by quotes from correspondence. The style is a bit dry and factual. The book will be useful for those looking for information, but it doesn't really succeed on bringing the composer to life for the reader.

An informative book, even if not very well constructed and full of unnecessary repetitions.

This is a must for anyone interested in Chopin. It kind of "humanized" him for me. I really enjoyed it.

The author didn't know when to use the pronoun 'he' instead of 'Chopin' endlessly: on the last half page of the Preface, 15, he uses it EIGHT times, for Heaven's sake! I gave up then, I couldn't bear it any more.

Outstandingly Excellent. (DeM)

Most commendable as a well-written biography, with the right feeling about the life and times of Chopin, and above all his music.

the book is in good condition as promised, but the delivery time is a little longer. in general, this is a happy process.