Chopin: The Man and His Music (Dover Books on Music) [Paperback]

James Huneker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1966 | Series: Dover Books on Music

This classic in music biography and criticism reflects the intimate knowledge of Chopin's music acquired by the author while studying to become a concert pianist. Part 1 deals with Chopin's life and comments on his teachings and performances; the second part offers a brilliant, piece-by-piece analysis of the entire body of his music. 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

American arts critic JAMES HUNEKER (1860-1921) also wrote Iconoclasts: A Book of Dramatists (1905), Egoists: A Book of Supermen (1909), Franz Liszt: Illustrated (1911), and The Pathos of Distance (1912). --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; New impression edition (June 1, 1966)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 048621687X
• ISBN-13: 978-0486216874
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #255,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, but only mildly informative, September 9, 2002

By 

"b0120" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chopin: The Man and His Music (Dover Books on Music) (Paperback)

This book (originally published in 1900) is split in two sections. In the first 100 pages, the life of Chopin is discussed by Huneker in a very colorful and poetic style, although unfortunately very few biographical facts are revealed. When I finished this section I felt I had hardly learned anything new about Chopin.

The next 150 pages deal with Chopin's music, in which Huneker comments briefly on every one of Chopin's compositions (with the exception of several pieces unknown to Huneker), categorized by type (Ballades, Preludes, etc.). This section, like the first, is amusing but not very helpful. The author never really goes into great depth about any single piece. Instead he simply says a word or two on mood or style, often quoting authorities such as Kullak and Niecks, and compares several major editions of the work. I would recommend this to someone very interested in editorial details... anyone else could probably do without most of this section.

People familiar with Chopin should find Huneker's writing somewhat enlightening, though far from substantial. Those looking for an introduction to Chopin may find the first section very helpful, if they can tolerate the author's verbosity.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A waste of time, February 18, 2001

By 

M. Dynarski (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chopin: The Man and His Music (Dover Books on Music) (Paperback)

This book does not present much information about Chopin the man, and stumbles around endlessly about Chopin's music. The prose is laughably dated. Who can not help laughing at sentences like "Chopin distrusted Jews, but that's the way Poles are." The French, English, Germans, and Hungarians: Huneker comes up with some interesting stereotypes for them too. Many of the facts are incorrect, as the editor supplies the corrected facts in the footnotes on nearly every page of the text. And the music discussions have the spirit of "What a powerful melody! However, I believe the third note of the 14th measure of Etude 12 op. 10 should be an F sharp, though it's written differently in some scores." What a snore. I suggest looking elsewhere for real information about Chopin and his music. This book offers no insights though some occasional unintended laughs.

19 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best book on the music of Chopin that I have ever read., October 11, 1998

By 

Miguel Lee ([e-mail]) (Arcadia/Irvine, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chopin: The Man and His Music (Dover Books on Music) (Paperback)

Huneker was an aspiring concert pianist (as well as a brilliant writer), and his analysis of Chopin's music and poetry are simply amazing. Like Chopin, Huneker expresses from the heart and hears the music at a whole new level. His interpretation is raw and as full in energy as the music itself (especially for etude op.25 no.11 and the ballade no.1).