Dual natures comprised Chopin's personality. On one hand, he was a highly creative romantic idealist and on the other, a realist trying to cope with the world at large. Documentary evidence illustrates the disparities in his personality as a reflection of these two diverse aspects of his psyche. Of special interest are five previously unpublished letters in English and the unfolding of Chopin's controversial relationships with Tytus Woyciechowski, Julian Fontana, George Sand, and Solange Sand. This critical portrayal of Chopin's personality traces his journeys and experiences from Warsaw to Paris and reveals, among other characteristics and traits, Chopin's developmental problems during his adolescence, his unattractive behavior in his relationship with Julian Fontana, and George Sand's unrequited love for Chopin. The culture of the time and the atmosphere surrounding Chopin's relationships emerge in the detailed evidence presented. The book is divided into two parts. The first is relevant to Chopin's youth in Warsaw. His relationship with Tytus Woyciechowski during the formative years in Warsaw significantly impacted Chopin's emotional development. The second part of the book focuses on Chopin's adult years in Paris including his liaison with George Sand, which is considered through her daughter, Solange, and four friends and acquaintances common to both Sand and Chopin. The text is extensively annotated and this research of Chopin's life and personality will appeal to both the Chopin scholar and enthusiast. It will also be of interest to students of French Romantic literature, Romantic music, and Polish music of the nineteenth century.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Azourny has creatively combined correspondence and informational background to provide and interesting many-sided view of Chopin.”–Polish American Journal
“The reader emerges with a sense of personal acquaintance with the composer. Azoury should be applauded for the tenacity with which he has chased up every last detail in his quest for the real Chopin.”–Jim Samson Professor of Music University of Bristol
“[Chopin Through His Contemporaries] is skillfully documented, well-organized, up-to-date in its material, and extensively annotated. The critical portrayal of Chopin's personality includes a discerning assessment of the composer's developmental problems in his youth and an in-depth examination of his complex liaison with George Sand, her household, and some of her closest friends. The summing-up in the light of Carl Jung's reflections on creative beings placed at the beginning of the text is well-balanced and thought-provoking. All in all, the book is a worthwhile scholarly contribution to the Chopin literature.”–Krystyna Kobylanska Former Curator Fryderyk Chopin Society Museum, Warsaw
“The reader emerges with a sense of personal acquaintance with the composer. Azoury should be applauded for the tenacity with which he has chased up every last detail in his quest for the real Chopin.”–
“[Chopin Through His Contemporaries] is skillfully documented, well-organized, up-to-date in its material, and extensively annotated. The critical portrayal of Chopin's personality includes a discerning assessment of the composer's developmental problems in his youth and an in-depth examination of his complex liaison with George Sand, her household, and some of her closest friends. The summing-up in the light of Carl Jung's reflections on creative beings placed at the beginning of the text is well-balanced and thought-provoking. All in all, the book is a worthwhile scholarly contribution to the Chopin literature.”–
About the Author
PIERRE AZOURY is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the American University of Beirut.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chopin's Friends, Lovers, and Rivals,
By Tomis Kapitan (DeKalb, Illinois (USA)) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Chopin Through His Contemporaries: Friends, Lovers, and Rivals (Contributions to the Study of Music and Dance) (Hardcover)
Fans of Chopin will welcome this well-written and thoroughly-researched volume. It is a detailed treatment of Chopin's relationships to some of his closest friends and associates as revealed in the extant correspondence, some of which appears here in English for the first time. Of the ten chapters, the first four concern Chopin's involvement with family, early friends, and education in Warsaw (1810-1830), while the remaining six describe his associations during his Paris years (1831-1849). Included are chapters that take up Chopin's relationships to his teacher Josef Elsner, the woman he almost married, Maria Wodzinska, his friends August Franchomme and Woyciech Grzymala, his fellow pianist and composer Franz Liszt, the singer Pauline Viardort, and George Sand's daughter, Solange. Chopin's complex relationship to George Sand, as formed and modified through the other persons that entered their lives, is dealt with throughout the last four chapters and is undoubtedly one of the more revealing aspects of the book. The last chapter closes with a passage from a letter written by Solange in 1896, that gives a very sensitive and touching description of Chopin's character and impact upon her own life. The narrative presupposes some acquaintance with Chopin's life and music, so those who are uninformed about the basic details might wish to consult a standard biography before turning to this volume. A superb bibliography and index are included, and Azoury gives ample information in his introduction and extensive notes about further sources to turn to. While one does not learn about Chopin's music from this volume, Azoury indicates that the book concerns Chopin's life, not his music, and that the compositions "are not, as sometimes suggested, a chronicle of his life." Chopin's work, career, and associations are rich enough to warrant still further treatments of these matters; we can be thankful that this volume takes us far as it does.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating insight with enormous research,
By Mr Bassil A MARDELLI "Antoun" (Riad El-SOLH , Beirut Lebanon) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Chopin Through His Contemporaries: Friends, Lovers, and Rivals (Contributions to the Study of Music and Dance) (Hardcover)
Starting from an earlier love of Music coupled with personal initiative to bring about Chopin's friends , lovers and rivals at an historic point in their impressive account . There are few prople I have met and known who could approach the subject of this most beloved of Composers from a unique perspective . Doctor Azoury's research and knowledge enabled him to produce this entirely new portrait of the Musician , revealing much of what was previously concealed.
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