University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1911-12-17
Great Composers


1S49. the time of the upheaval and
progress Of the Romantic revolution
from the old order of things in liter.
ature, art and music. following the
trend of revolutions in political ways
of thinking and ruling.
A Polish boy of refined parents,
carefully educated and with musical
talent early and properly cultivated,
he came near giving up his art while
still an amateur. The young patriot
became so fired with the oppressions
and wrongs of his country that only
the tears of his mother to whom be
was devoted prevented him from
Joining the army of his people 10
fight for a cause already lost forever,
the freedom of Poland from Russian
tyranny.
But he has done more for his couu.
try's greatness than if he had per.
ished on the battlefield. He was the
first to voice the national spirit in
n n-usic. and wherever Chopin's music
is played the unhappy fate of Poland
speaks. in the Smoke and fame Of
the Polonaises and the tantalizing
despair of the Mazurkas." in those
sculptured canoes called the Pre-
ludes, in the aerial Waltzes, in the
silent thunder" of the misty Noe.
turnes and in the alembic intoxica- /,
tion of his supremest works. the Bal
ladies'.
When he was % years old Frederic
Chopin went to Paris to test his art
in the midst of that center Of Euro-
pean life of the day. Here he was
thrown into congenial and stimula,-
ing companionship with such liter
airy, artistic and musical men as
Hugo, Heine, Gautier, lola. Saint
Simon. De Vingny. Balzac. Dumas,
Auber. Meyerbeer. Flaubert, De
Musset, Schumann, Berlioz. List and
George Sand.
In the midst of this life. hailed as
'the gOlden-voiced poet. "the proph-
ct of a new era" his music called a
pure aesthetic delight" the soul
written in sound" and his playing
said to resemble Crystalline pesr.a
falling on red-hot velvet" small
wonder that the already temper
anlental Frederic became slightly
theatrical and conceited enough 70
be an easy victim to the emotional
experiments Of one of the strongest
and one Of the strangest characters
of the day, the novelist George SAM.
Although Matthew Arnold, Elizabeth
Barret Browning and George Eliot
have always declared her innocent CT
wrong-doing, those who knew and
loved the musician over whom sts
possessed such fascination declare
that having played with him a. long
as she wished, having used his moods
and fancies for copy. she delibe--
ately broke his heart In order 70
study the effect Of tragedy on tie
artistic temperament.
However this may be. Chopin Nvei
only two years after they parted, d.
ing in Paris in 1s4s. The virtuoes
Paderewski is now heading Q move
ment to have the ashes Of his brott-
er musician removed to Warsaw, but
the people Of Paris are so much of-
posed to his doing 90 that it is doub.-
full II he will succeed.
OF the value of Chopin's compoe.-
tions and description Of their pur-
poses and effects whole volumes
might be complied. all filed WITH
florid quotations from writer's who
have fallen before the charm of this
"subtle-souled psychologist" in tks
realm Of sound. Perhaps NO writer
of music has been 30 prominent II
works Of fiction as has Chopin. d.
Maurier. Ibbetsen, Benson, Benne..
have all had their musicians play
Chopin for the effect upon the fict,-
tious hearer land the more real
reader). The modern impression
istic short-story is hardly complete
without mention of "the Polish
charmer who first distilled his ST.
CARED worm-wood. his sweet exaspe--
ated poison for thirty souls in morbt.:
Paris"
Most Of Chopin's compositions.
and all his best ones are for the pt-
ano. rarely venturing into more con-
plicated art forms. Because his styls
Is so essentially lyrical he has been
compared to Swinburne and callef
the chanter Of songs before sun
rise"
Thoreau has said of Chopin's mu-