Chopin's Letters

by Frédéric Chopin, Henryk Opieński (Editor), Ethel Lilian Voynich (Translator)

"Nothing could be more spontaneous and ebullient than Chopin's letters." — Books
"Perhaps no composer's letters are so kindred to his music, and reminiscent of the impression produced by it, as Chopin's are." — The New York Times
This superbly edited selection of nearly 300 of Chopin's letters, the first to be published in English, vividly reveals the composer as man and artist, and evokes the remarkable age — Europe of the 1830s and 1840s — he shared with an equally remarkable cast of characters, from Jenny Lind to Isabella II of Spain, from Queen Victoria to George Sand, from Heinrich Heine to Victor Hugo.
The tone of the letters is exuberantly engaging: "They abound in delightful gossip, they are merry rather than malicious, they are engagingly witty, and at times their humor becomes positively Rabelaisian" (Peter Bowdoin, Books ). Their contents offer rare glimpses into Chopin's childhood environment, his mind and character, his tragic love for George Sand, the origins of many of his compositions, the various musical influences that shaped his creative ideas and habits, and the artistic circles in which he moved.
Originally collected by the Polish musicologist Henryk Opienski, the letters have been translated and annotated by Chopin scholar E. L. Voynich. Students and admirers of Chopin will find in their pages vast resources to deepen their love and appreciation for — and wonderment at — the unique individuality and achievement of this great musical personality.

Genres: Music, History, Nonfiction, Classical Music, Biography, Art, Memoir

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1931

About the author

Frédéric François Chopin (1810 –1849) is one of the most famous, influential, and admired composers and virtuoso pianists of the Romantic era.

He was born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, of Polish and French parentage, on 1st March 1810 in the village of Żelazowa Wola, Poland. In Warsaw he was hailed as a child prodigy and as the “second Mozart” for his piano and composition skill, for which the composer Robert Schumann complimented the talented pianist: “Hats off, gentlemen, a genius!” Due to the political situation in Poland, he left his country for France at the age of twenty. There he composed his two piano concertos with their patriotic Polish themes and rhythms, based on traditional polish dances. He never returned to Poland, but after his death his sister Ludwika took his heart to Poland - in accordance with his last will, where it was placed inside a pillar of the Holy Cross Church at Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street.

In Paris, he made a career as a performer and teacher as well as a composer, and he adopted the French variant of his name, “Frédéric-François”. In 1836 he met the French writer George Sand, with whom he had a relationship for nine years until 1847. He suffered poor health for much of his life and this forced him to give up performing and teaching shortly before he died on 17th October 1849.

His compositions, which are almost exclusively for the piano, such as the Funeral March piano sonata and the twenty-seven études (op. 10 and op.25, plus a further set of three without opus numbers), are widely considered to be amongst the pinnacles of the piano repertoire. Although some of his music is among the most technically demanding for the instrument, Chopin’s style emphasizes poetry, nuance and expressive depth, rather than mere technical display. He is often cited as one of the mainstays of romanticism in nineteenth-century classical music.

Reviews

[Samuel Dominguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're as obsessed with Chopin as I am, then you'll also find this collection of letters incredibly interesting, regardless of whether or not they're good.

[Adrian Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing I should admit is that I am somewhat of a Chopin fanatic to put it mildly. Always loved playing his music and enjoyed learning about his life during my college days. This collection of letters is great for the Chopin fan but I think it would have reached a wider audience if it had been intertwined with some biographical information as well.

Placing letters within the context of what was happening in his life would have made, I feel, for a more entertaining read. Nevertheless, if you love Chopin as much as I do, this book will still provide hours of fun into the mind and life of one of the greatest composers.

[Isa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhhh!!! Beautiful. I don’t have anything useful to say- but Fryderyk is certainly a master of sarcasm and a master of manners. I love it!!

From memory- so this may not be entirely correct: “Upon receiving Jaworek’s invitation, I thought he had been seized by diarrhea and was inviting me to do the same.” Genius!!

[Karen Hurst]

I have read Chopin's bio and what a passionate man who made sacrifices and unfortunately died so young. I cannot wait to read this book.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fear I may have fallen a little bit in love with him while reading these

"Don't show this letter, because I'm ashamed of it. I don't know whether there's any sense in it, because I haven't read it through" he's literally me sometimes

[ecehan panahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

chopin, mon amour.

[Ana Lassa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The sky is as beautiful as your soul; the earth as black as my heart."

Las cartas cuando es niño son lindísimas, puedes ver realmente cómo era un adolescente en esa época y cómo no hemos cambiado tanto. Me han gustado también especialmente las cartas desde Mallorca, llenas de melancolía y entremezclada con la belleza de los paisajes que le rodean y el amor que siente por todos los que le rodean.

[Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very useful collection of letters, charting Chopin's life from his adolescence in Poland to his protracted death in Paris. These epistles to friends and family contain a wealth of interesting historical and biographical details, from Queen Victoria's fear of the Chartists to Victor Hugo's hypocrisy on the subject of marriage. There is little on the technique of performance or composition, but Chopin's love of opera is evident, and some will enjoy his assessment of various (now rarely performed) works. This book humanises a true genius of the piano - the only defect is that the editors did not insert more commentary in footnotes, as not all the letters are self-explanatory.

[Sarah Dunmire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read other composers’ letters like Schubert, Mozart, Mendelssohn. For some reason, these didn’t really draw me in. Possibly because his letters are quite long. And mostly rambling. It seems like he was in love with Tytus. He was very affectionate in writing for him and in general. He was more gregarious and social than I was expecting. He also started his letters with “My Life.” But he started doing that with everybody. He kept referring to celebrating people’s “name days.” Not sure what those are. Polish thing?
There was a lot of interesting historical/cultural/political information. He was Around Strauss in Vienna playing waltzes. Christmas 1831 Chopin described seeing a march of the people down the streets of Paris and feeling alarmed. Wrote a joint letter with Liszt in 1833! Indicated he met Berlioz and Heine in that letter too. Talked about the discovery of Neptune. Heard Jenny Lind sing in London 1848. Apparently the London Philharmonic was bad at the time. Never rehearsed so he didn’t want to play with them. Played privately for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
He talked a lot about his failing health in the last year or two of his life, which was sad to read. Daily blood-spitting and increasing fatigue and reduced mobility. Hair falling out. Indicates his end is drawing near in his letters, starts signing Yours till death. Cholera outbreak going around. Begrudging taking cacao instead of coffee every morning. His sister, husband, and daughter were with him at the end.
It bothered me that even though the letters are translated to English, there were still a bunch of untranslated French or Latin phrases in there. Wasn’t a big fan of the editor.

“You know how I have longed to feel our national music, and to some extent have succeeded in feeling it” p. 166 12/25/1831

[Pratham Varshney · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love his music, you’ve got to read this book. Don’t pick it up expecting narrative styles of other books since it’s a collection of letters he sent home. It’s surprisingly funny, Chopin is wickedly sarcastic and it’s just so thrilling to get to know your favorite artist this closely. I felt like how swifties feel when they follow Taylor updates on twitter. It’s also a fascinating peek into the music industry of 18th century Europe. If you plan on listening to his music while reading, listen to the études and preludes till age 16 and then shift to nocturnes , mazurkas and ballades. End it with the Ballade in G.

[Vanessa Colquhoun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would say read a biography instead and you will see the highlights of these letters. There was just too much majority of ordinary/boring correspondences. Translation often awkward. There's no "hidden gems" that you won't find in a biography.

[ella baker]

hhhrhhggggg, those last ones hurt

[Liz Hynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Don't show this to anyone, as they will say I can't write and don't know anything about politics." real

[FLORESTAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

dalam rangka ingin memahami A, temanku yang aku sayang, aku membaca buku ini (surat-surat Chopin).

dan ya, A dan Chopin sangat erat.

[aria · Rating 5 out of 5]

almost shed a tear at the end in class

[Sophie Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

mans really could not catch a break

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those last letters were so sad 😨 RIP

[sam bolduc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant insight into Chopin's mind

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of letters produces less of a sense of the man's biography than of the man's personality and self-expression. It's very interesting but like many collections of letters, a little fragmentary since we don't have the other half of the correspondence, nor is this necessarily comprehensive, as many letters were no doubt lost or destroyed. Chopin comes across as a man of great feeling who had some very intense life-long friendships and was quite close to his family. He was reluctant to give large concerts, always preferring smaller venues and more private occasions. He was a regular opera-goer. His letters do not otherwise include a great deal of deep musical discussion or analysis. I do feel that I got to know him better through his correspondence.

[lala 💗 · Rating 4 out of 5]

my original review got DELETED. AGAINNNN. So to summarise: Chopin was surprisingly affectionate and sincerely funny in most if not all his letters. everything i read felt timeless (if you discount some of his outdated views :/). I enjoyed reading the 1830s gossip, the heartbreaking love letters to his lovers and family, and witty letters to friends. he seemed through his private letters as creative and genuine as his music.

i’ve noted down my favourite extracts in my somaformjng notes - he mastered a great turn of phrase!! *coughs once* “I’m nearer to a coffin than a marriage bed”.

i think i should like to read Tchaikovsky’s letters and maybe Beethoven’s soon.

[salvator · Rating 5 out of 5]

so he was at the very least bisexual

[Bruce Crown · Rating 4 out of 5]

An epistolary nocturne. Etudes of the soul.