In his comprehensive work, 'Frederick Chopin, as a Man and Musician,' Frederick Niecks delves deep into the life and art of one of the most influential composers of the Romantic era. Niecks expertly combines biographical details with musical analysis to provide readers with a rich understanding of Chopin's legacy. The book showcases Niecks' meticulous research and deep appreciation for Chopin's works, making it a valuable resource for music enthusiasts and scholars alike. Niecks' elegant prose captures the essence of Chopin's music and his impact on the musical landscape of the 19th century.As a musicologist and historian, Frederick Niecks was well-equipped to undertake the task of exploring Chopin's life and music. His understanding of the cultural and artistic movements of the time enriches the narrative, offering readers a nuanced portrait of Chopin as both a man and a musician. Niecks' passion for his subject shines through in every chapter, making this book an engaging and enlightening read for anyone interested in classical music and Chopin's oeuvre.I highly recommend 'Frederick Chopin, as a Man and Musician' to music lovers, students of music history, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of one of the most revered composers in classical music. Niecks' thorough research and insightful commentary make this book a must-read for aficionados of Chopin's timeless compositions.

Reproduction of the original: Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician by Frederick Niecks

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice. The Sunday Times (U.K.) Classical Music Book of 2018 and one of The Economist's Best Books of 2018. "A magisterial portrait." --Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, The New York Times Book Review A landmark biography of the Polish composer by a leading authority on Chopin and his time Based on ten years of research and a vast cache of primary sources located in archives in Warsaw, Paris, London, New York, and Washington, D.C., Alan Walker’s monumental Fryderyk Chopin: A Life and Times is the most comprehensive biography of the great Polish composer to appear in English in more than a century. Walker’s work is a corrective biography, intended to dispel the many myths and legends that continue to surround Chopin. Fryderyk Chopin is an intimate look into a dramatic life; of particular focus are Chopin’s childhood and youth in Poland, which are brought into line with the latest scholarly findings, and Chopin’s romantic life with George Sand, with whom he lived for nine years. Comprehensive and engaging, and written in highly readable prose, the biography wears its scholarship lightly: this is a book suited as much for the professional pianist as it is for the casual music lover. Just as he did in his definitive biography of Liszt, Walker illuminates Chopin and his music with unprecedented clarity in this magisterial biography, bringing to life one of the nineteenth century’s most confounding, beloved, and legendary artists.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1877.

"Frederick Chopin, as a Man and Musician" through Frederick Niecks is a biographical and analytical study. Some stories are brutal and weird, while others creep up on you and draw you in slowly. As the title character is so indulgent, readers are forced to keep reading to find out what happens next. This work of story offers a comprehensive examination of Frédéric Chopin's life, personality, and creative talent as a Romantic-era composer and pianist. Niecks, a musicologist and historian, delves into Chopin's history, providing an intriguing portrait of the man behind the music. He recounts Chopin's youth in Poland, his musical schooling in Warsaw, and his subsequent travels and life in Paris, where he rose to fame and reputation as a composer and performer. One of the book's strengths is Niecks' thorough examination of Chopin's compositions. He dissects Chopin's music's structure, manner, and depth of feeling, revealing crucial insights into his work's technical and imaginative components. Niecks also looks at the influence of Polish culture and folk music on Chopin's compositions, emphasizing his unique and creative qualities.

Frederick Niecks meticulous biography of Chopin is praised to this day as one of the finest accounts of the legendary composer's life ever written. In Niecks' painstakingly assembled work, we behold a chronologically arranged narrative of the upbringing, rise to fame, prominence, illness and death of Frederick Chopin. His tumultuous, strained relationship with French author George Sand is recounted, with the regular quotation of correspondences between the couple and others included in abundance. Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician is a meticulous and voluminous work, perfect for fans and students of the composer who wish to gain intimate insights into Chopin's personal nature, habits, friends, family and the world in which he lived. His travels and struggle with a disease generally suspected to be tuberculosis, are much discussed. Tragically we hear accounts of the mental anguish suffered by the composer, as he grappled with both popular recognition and his worsening respiratory condition. Together with his difficult personal life, we also hear accounts - many supported by first-hand journalism and recollections of attendees - of the awe-inspiring performances Chopin conducted on the piano. In love and thrall to his music, Chopin would persistently perform against the advice of doctors, even when his illness rendered him weak. By most accounts his skill upon the piano was exquisite to behold, although attendees of his later performances would comment on the contrast between the vigorous passion of Chopin's virtuosity, and how sickly he appeared. This edition contains the original illustrations of musical staves appended to the volumes, allowing the reader maximum insight into the compositions of the legendary composer. All of the original appendices are likewise included; these mainly consist of personal recollections, several of which were gathered by Niecks himself. At the time this biography was composed between 1900 and 1903, some associates of the composer were alive and able to recount their personal memories of Chopin.

Nearly 300 letters reveal Chopin as both man and artist and illuminate his fascinating world — Europe of the 1830s and 1840s. "Delightful gossip . . . merry rather than malicious . . . engagingly witty." — Books. Preface. Index.