Letters

More about the book

Nearly 300 letters reveal Chopin as both man and artist, and illuminate the fascinating world of 1830's and 1840's Europe. This selection of nearly three hundred of Chopin's letters, the first to be published in English, vividly reveals the composer as man and artist, and evokes the remarkable age -- Europe of the 1830's and 1840's -- he shared with an equally remarkable cast of characters, from Jenny Lind to Isabella II of Spain, from Queen Victoria to George Sand, from Heinrich Heine to Victor Hugo. Their contents offer rare glimpses into Chopin's childhood environment, his mind and character, his tragic love for George Sand, the origins of many of his compositions, the various musical influences which shaped his creative ideas and habits, and the artistic circles in which he moved