Frederick Chopin, as a Man and Musician — Volume 2

"Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician, Volume 2" by Frederick Niecks is a biography from the early 1900s that looks closely at composer Frederic Chopin's life, especially his bond with writer George Sand. It looks at when they lived in Paris and Majorca around the late 1830s. The writing tries to understand Chopin's personality, his talent as a musician, and the tricky love connections he had with other artists back then. It begins by showing how Chopin and Sand met and how different they were, and many stories, some believable and some not, tell how Chopin didn't really like Sand at first, but she loved his music. As the book goes on, it points out the art and feelings around their relationship, including Chopin's worsening health and their trip together to Majorca, where their love grew stronger even though they were lonely and not comfortable in any way. The early portion of the biography prepares the reader for a close look at the mixed lives of these two creative people during a difficult era in history.