The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-11-01

father, a gentleman farmer in Podo-
Ia, Russian Poland, become involved
In the great revolution in the early
sixties and in 1853 when Ignace was
q years old, was banished to Siberia
whence he returned several years lat
er a broken man. Paderewski's moth
er, from whom it is said he inherits
MS genius, died when he was a child.
From earliest childhood the great
pianist had to work out his. own ca
career practically unaided.
Paderewski's success was belated.
He was % years old before the world
realised that in him it had the great
est pianist Of his time if not of all
times. His talent, had shown itself
when he was very young but it had no
chance to develop. He was in his
teens before he had any real instruc-
t1on in music, in Warsaw, where he
studied the piano with Janotha and
harmony with Roguski. When he was
Is he made his first concert tour in
Russia, a complete failure from every
point Of view. He was desperately
poor, this fact having urged him to
try his luck with the public. 1t was
winter and he had neither sufficient
clothes nor sufficient food. Moreover,
we have it from his own lips that he
was in no way prepared to play in
public. His technique was so wretch
ed that whenever he came to a difficult
passage he was forced to improvise to
get through with it. p
|. Utterly discouraged, he returned to
Warsaw feeling that he had no future
as a pianist. He became a teacher in
the Warsaw conservatory and in 1879
married Rose Hassal, a Polish girl,
who died within a year leaving him an
infant son. With this great grief he
threw himself into his work with in
creased ardor, teaching and ,compos-
ing. ~. 49,
Despite the determination made to
abandon the piano, it still called him
and In 1884 he went to Vienna to
study with his countryman, the IA
nous teacher, Leschetitsky. Twenty
four is late for a man to prepare for
a virtuoso's career but Paderewski
plished 1t. Lacking the invaluable
training Of childhood his technique
did mot come to him easily and for
two years he devoted an average of
eighteen hours a day to playing
scales.
How well he had done his work was
shown in 1887 when he made his de-
but as a professional pianist in Vienna
and took that old conservative city by
storm. That was the beginning of a
career that has had no parallel since
Liszt. The following year he played
in Berlin and Paris and In the spring
of 1890 London bowed before his ge-
MUS. He has made eight tours in
America. His first appearance was
in Carnegie hall, New York, Nov. II,
1891. His fame had preceded him and
much was expected. Moreover, a lit
tie Mozartean Minuet he had written
partly as a joke had within the year
preceding his coming become enor-
mously popular throughout the coun-
try.
Although the critics, as usual, were
a. little slow in recognizing his genius,
he conquered the public at once and
secured a hold on it's affections which
has never weakened. No pianist has
had success in America. comparable
with him. No musician, save posi-.
bly, Adelina Patti has made such q
fortune in this country. During his
first tour he played lit times. The
following year he played sixty-seven
times in twenty-six cities. Again In
1896, 1900. 1902, 1905, 1907, 1908 he has
gone over the length and breadth OF
the country averaging nearly seventy
concerts to each tour. The last four
tours have been under the direction
Of Charles A. Ellis Of Boston who has
charge Of his affairs in America this
year. Coming in October, before the
first of May he will have played In the
n~eighborhood of 100 times.