Biographie écrite par le pianiste et compositeur Franz Liszt, préfacé par le pianiste Alfred Cortot et avec introduction de Prod'homme! ( )

In which you learn a little about Chopin and a lot about Liszt. Still I’m not complaining, it’s a good read. Shocked to find Chopin liked Hummel’s music, there’s no accounting for taste is there? ( )

An enlightening insight of the character of Polish composer Frederic Chopin (1810-49), of whose life few know except through the works he left us. In this book, translated by Martha Walker Cook (1806-74) from the original French and originally published in about 1863, Franz Liszt (1811-86), a close friend of Chopin's and himself a renowned composer and piano virtuoso, analyses Chopin's works and gives us a glimpse of the man behind the artist, who rarely gave concerts and felt the fullest emotion of his own works. For anyone interested in Chopin's life and works, this book, a copy of which came to me through interlibrary loan from the Montclair (NJ) State University library, is a recommended read. ( )

This book contains sentences of headache inducing length. Liszt was obviously a better musician than writer, though it is kind of cute how much of a crush he had on his friend. I found it kind of hard to get through though, and only managed because I didn't start reading it for the fun of it anyway. ( )