Table of Contents

Introduction The Warsaw Years (1810-1830) The First Contemporaries: Chopin's Family in His Formative Years The First Intimate Friends: Jan Bialoblocki, Jan Matuszy'nski, Julian Fontana, and Tytus Woyciechowski Music Teacher and Mentor: Józef Elsner The First "Love": Konstancja Gladkowska The Paris Years (1831-1849) The Most Intimate Non-Polish Friend: Auguste Franchomme Moja bieda: Maria Wodzi'nska A Most Trusted Confidant: Wojciech Grzymala Fellow Pianist and Composer: Franz Liszt An Artistic Devotee: Pauline Viardot A Tender Attachment: Solange Sand Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index

Promotional Information

A critical portrayal of Chopin's personality as revealed through his relationships with select contemporaries and based on documents and correspondence, including five letters previously unpublished in English.

About the Author

PIERRE AZOURY is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the American University of Beirut. He is also an amateur pianist and is a composer at Societe des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique in Paris. His first CD will include his Beirut Suite and Themes from Gibran.

Reviews

"[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."-Jim Samson Professor of Music University of Bristol

?Azourny has creatively combined correspondence and informational background to provide and interesting many-sided view of Chopin.?-Polish American Journal

"Azourny has creatively combined correspondence and informational background to provide and interesting many-sided view of Chopin."-Polish American Journal