Chopin

Master Musicians Series

by Jim Samson

From Frederic Chopin's birth in Poland and eventful flight in the wake of the Polish rebellion against the Russians, through his life in Paris and his ill-fated love affair with George Sand, until his eventual death of tuberculosis, this latest entry in the popular Master Musician Series examines the life and work of the great pianist and composer. 16 photos. 47 music examples.

Genres: Music, Biography, Classical Music, Nonfiction

322 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book combines both biography and musical commentary into a wonderful whole. Samson approaches Chopin's life in a way that is refreshingly free of sentimentality or hagiography. He is even-handed in his descriptions of Chopin's personality and his complex long-term relationship with writer George Sand. He does a lot to counter the overly romanticized image of a delicate and soulful musician tragically dying of tuberculosis in the midst of the 19th century Parisian arts world. Instead we see musician who forged his own unique career and life in France while maintaining his Polish identity and ties.
The best part of this book, however, is the way Samson writes about Chopin's music. He gets right to the heart of Chopin's craft and art without getting bogged down in overly technical language. Samson is especially good at exploring how Chopin invoked, defined, and re-defined genre in his works, which I found very useful and illuminating as someone who plays a lot of Chopin.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could give this book more stars! As a novice admirer, I did not feel qualified to read the chapters of musical analysis- I kept dreaming of an audio version that would play excerpts and pieces in the order Samson described instead of piece-mealing it together myself. The biographical chapters were excellent! They seemed to offer a well rounded perspective, and the author is humble enough to admit how challenging that is! His life certainly displays the cycles of depression influenced by illness and complicated relationships. He did maintain his pride in his country and in the end his family. His pour soul. Samson’s concluding remarks comparing the artistic value in the musical cultures of England, Russia and Europe are quite interesting as well. I am left dreaming of what it would be like to hear Chopin himself play in an intimate salon in France and thankful that he is included in the canon of great composers.

[Alain Matalon · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the two definitive bios on Chopin.