Chopin

by Adam Zamoyski

First published 1979

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4.4(221)

Adam Zamoyski’s biography follows Frédéric Chopin from his childhood and musical education in Poland through his departure in 1830 and the Paris career that made him one of the defining composers of the nineteenth century. The narrative places his piano music, friendships, performances and relationships within the cultural worlds of Warsaw and Romantic Paris rather than treating him as an isolated genius.

First published in 1979 and later substantially revised as Chopin: Prince of the Romantics, the book draws on correspondence and contemporary evidence to challenge sentimental myths about the composer’s personality and health. Chopin is the documented historical subject of the work, which is nonfiction biography.