THE PADEREWSKI MEMOIRS
INTRODUCTION TO THE
PADEREWSKI MEMOIRS
PART TWO 1914 - 1932
PADEREWSKI MEMOIRS
PART TWO 1914 - 1932
Introduction
Ignacy Paderewski’s Memoirs is the only biography endorsed by the artist. He was approached numerous times about writing it down, but none of the attempts succeeded until the beginning of the 1930s. For nearly 50 years Paderewski was the subject of endless and intense attention. Writers and journalists published real and invented stories from his life and his biographies of various quality. He was drawn, photographed, and painted. Cartoonists had their hay years and decades of portraying his physique, his expressions, and his conduct, while performing, speaking, or at leisure time. Gossip followed him from New York to Los Angeles, from Vancouver to Miami, and around the globe. Paderewski’s performances were applauded, criticized, hailed, and remembered for his dignified showmanship, simple elegance, and the immense magnetic charge he emanated out to his audiences. His intensely passionate and deeply moving speeches reached the peak of oratory excellence. His patriotism, compassion, and dedication to charity work were legendary. His determination to suppress evil by spreading kindness was simply unparalleled. All of that was obvious to any outsider, spectator, or those interested in him.
In his Memoirs, Paderewski reveals some of his emotions, thoughts, and opinions, and a bit more can be gleaned from his letters, but he always remains extremely discreet and cautious with references to people. Discretion was one of the qualities that constituted his everyday conduct, qualities which he developed to a courtly level in spite of his unbelievably meager beginnings. His rise from the obscurity of a motherless childhood in a desolate Podolian village (today Ukraine) to the pinnacle of arts, social standing, financial wealth, and political influence was astounding. His simple goodness, urbane demeanor, and charismatic personality made him welcome with equal warmth in royal chambers, presidential offices, aristocratic salons, academic halls, soldiers’ barracks, and tribal huts. Finally, his deep patriotism, unrelenting political stand, massive financial contributions, and inexorable drive for the restoration of Poland as a sovereign state resulted in the return of his Motherland onto the world’s political map after WWI. Therefore it was not unusual that papers around the globe for decades announced him as “great”, “shining with his own light“, “dazzling”, and “unmatched” artist, or called him the “Polish lion”, a “deathless hero”, a “magus casting an odd spell on the audience” while others attributed his name with “something magnetic” and having “irresistible influence that would draw forth the throngs wherever the soul of his art was brought forth to the light”. Many debated his “mesmeric” personality or described him as a „universally liked person”, “the most revered artist in the world”, “the idol of the musical world”, and the “dean of pianists”. It was not out of character then that during his 1939 farewell concert in San Francisco, one of the enthusiastic admirers, despite the imperfections of the old man’s craftsmanship, jumped on the podium to kiss the pianist’s hands in a spontaneous act of admiration and thankfulness, and a critic from the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote the next day:
“Tall, in a frock coat dressed figure with uncertain footstep but with colossal dignity, is far more than the most famous pianist of the world. He is much more than the artist with the right to wear the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire, he is the recipient of more medals and awards than one can imagine and a greater number of honorary doctorates than he can count himself. He is even more than a man who made several fortunes only to give them away for the benefit of others. But first of all, he is the one who having all compliments, financial rewards, and respect of the whole world at his feet, has not hesitated to push it aside, refusing profits and safety he could obtain easily, to dedicate himself entirely and exclusively to the humanitarian cause. [...] In this situation what remained, was to pay him a small honor by coming yesterday to listen to him play”.
Consequently, it was quite natural that in 1960, Ignacy Paderewski’s Centennial was honored by the issuance of the 4- and 8-cent US stamps, and that 48 states declared Paderewski Day. Congressional and senatorial committees were formed to celebrate this great artist, visionary politician, grand philanthropist, and a “Modern Immortal”, as he was called in 1932 by President F. D. Roosevelt. For a year and a half parties, concerts, and a multitude of other forms of remembering him were carried out everywhere. Unfortunately, Paderewski’s standing has been moved nowadays to the “special interest” box in spite of his enormous contributions in the realm of arts, politics, philanthropy, and building bridges of mutual understanding between peoples. However, his legacy is still alive and can be rekindled to the dimensions it deserves because it is still remembered that he was a phenomenal pianist of his time; a real regal showman of the classical piano for whom Hugo Gorlitz invented the stage rush – the Beatles-like stampede. His piano concerts drew the largest crowds ever; audiences of 3,000 – 8,000 people were typical. On February 8, 1932 Paderewski played at Madison Square Garden to the crowd of 16,000 people – all proceeds (almost $34,000, worth in today's money approximately $540,000) went to the support of artists in need; according to urban legend, the performer – Paderewski – bought his own ticket… In the early 1900’s there were instances when performances of his opera “Manru” and his Piano Concerto in A Minor, along with his own piano recital coincided on the same day in three major music halls of New York City – all attended beyond the capacity of each venue. In 1896, by a deed of trust, Paderewski established a fund of $10,000 (around $300,000 today), the interest from which was to be used for triennial prizes given "to composers of American birth without distinction as to age or religion" for works in the following categories: symphonies, concertos, and chamber music – it is enough to name just a few recipients of the prize such as Horatio Parker, Arthur Bird, Henry Hadley, or Arthur Shepherd to realize his contribution to American music. Throughout his entire artistic life, Paderewski financially supported young musicians, university and conservatory students on both sides of the Atlantic, orphanages, hospitals, war efforts to liberate and resurrect his native Poland, veterans of war in various countries, and innumerable individuals and organizations. With his wallet wide open he commissioned or participated extensively in recognizing people, events, and venues that contributed significantly to the betterment of the world. Without his financial and personal involvement there wouldn’t exist monuments of Chopin in Zelazowa Wola (birth place); Liszt in Weimar; Beethoven in Bonn; Colonne and Debussy in Paris; Kosciuszko in Chicago; President Wilson in Poznan (Poland), Col. House in Warsaw, Battle of Grunwald in Cracow (Poland), Washington Arch in New York, Styka’s panorama “Crucifixion” (permanently displayed at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California), and many others. Many streets, parks, plazas, clubs, and schools bear Pderewski’s name; postal stamps, coins and banknotes, plaques and medals show his image; various events throughout the world honor him every year as one of the great luminaries of humanity; his statues adorn towns and cities in Poland, Mexico, China, and the USA. When he passed away in June of 1941, he was honored as one of only two civilians to be entombed at Arlington Cemetery up to that time. A short list of his orders consists of: The Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire, The Grand Cordons of the Legion d’Honeur (France), The Order of Leopold of Belgium, Italian order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, and Polish Order Virtuti Militari. Paderewski’s list of honorary degrees (a degree honoris causa) includes: University of Lwów, Poland (now Ukraine; 1912), Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA (1917), Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland (1919), Oxford University, England (1920), Columbia University, NYC, USA (1922), Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland (1924), Glasgow University, England (1925), Cambridge University, England (1926), SUNY, New York, USA (1933), and University of Lausanne, Switzerland (1933).
Henryk Martenka, the Director of the prestigious International Paderewski Piano Competition in Bydgoszcz, Poland said in his book Wielki akord (Great Accord):
“Paderewski gained an unconditional respect from the American people, one attributed only to individuals of great success in fighting for the good of a nation, and is one of only a handful of Poles and Europeans that function permanently in the American cultural sphere. The live memory, perhaps even Paderewski’s legend, forever inspires the creation of something new and of great value”.
The inspiration is unquestionable because although his fame walked half a step ahead of his wealth, it was still a mile behind his philanthropic heart. The number of charity concerts he gave, the number of causes he supported, the number of souls he touched and enthused with his generosity is uncountable. He inspired and commissioned paintings, sculptures, and other works of art in support of fellow artists, for both the pleasure of all people and to honor heroes and events of the past. With his pianistic artistry and the music he composed, Paderewski enchanted more than 5 million concertgoers on all continents. Count Adam Zamoyski said about him in his biography:
“Paderewski’s name was a household word to several generations. To people who knew nothing about music, he was the archetype of the pianists; to those who knew nothing of Poland, he was the epitome of the flamboyant Pole; to those who had no clear idea of his political career he was a Mosaic leader of his people. He was the celebrity par excellence: the public could see and hear him in the concert halls and in the cinema, and they could read about him endlessly in the press.”
"He suddenly appeared from nowhere, a dazzling new star in the musical firmament outshining every other and fascinating the gaze of musicians and laymen alike. The compositions he produced cannot be considered great music, but they are certainly not insignificant, and at the time they added an impressive dimension to his artistic stature. This continued to grow instead gradually waning, as might have been expected after such a meteoric rise. And alongside the artist, the man grew in stature, too, revealing himself to be an intelligent and refined person, a great philanthropist and, finally, a remarkable statesman.
It became obvious to his contemporaries, as it must also be to posterity, that Paderewski was no ordinary man – not in the sense of talent and ability, though these were astonishing, but in terms of motivation and force of personality. They could see that his musical success was not the result of inborn virtuosity, but of some inner fire which they readily took for artistic inspiration. Similarly, he was propelled into public life not by political, religious or even national party or interest, but by a very personal urge to do good and redress wrong. This medieval, almost crusading sense of mission was striking in the context of the twentieth century, the more so as Paderewski was neither simple nor bigoted, but seemed, indeed, to posses something of the wisdom and serenity of an Eastern sage. On meeting him, people felt themselves to be in the presence of an altogether superior being, and since this was the twentieth century and not the Middle Ages, they dubbed him not a saint but a genius".
"He was a knight errant, a man who had made his own traditions of his forefathers and wanted, passionately, to do good in a world which was full of wrongs. He struggled hard to achieve a position, and he conquered – both himself and the obstacles in his path – and this lent him a sense of peace which enhanced his greatest natural gift: his genius for charm, for intercourse, for expression, for life. It added a uniquely cathartic and spiritual quality to his playing, and a moral force to his powers of persuasion. He was no genius but ultimately just a good and nobleman and he was both of these on a truly epic scale".
And Charlotte Kellogg in her 1956 book "Paderewski" wrote:
"... at about midnight on June 29, 1941, he died of pneumonia–died as he would have wished, in harness, working almost to his last day. He had to drop that work before he knew when and how Poland would again be freed, but his faith that she would be was unbroken.
[…] Then came a message from Washington: President Roosevelt, in an action that had been taken only once before by the United States, had ordered that Paderewski be buried at Arlington Cemetery.
As soon as radio and press spread the news which "steeped the civilized world in mourning," white and red wreaths and sheaves poured into the hotel room chapel where the glass-covered casket rested before the upright piano, with its Chopin volume open at the Nocturne the master had so recently played. Day and night a continuous line of people passed silently before it.
On July fourth, press and radio accounts of the funeral service sped across continents. The New York Times headlined its story: "Saint Patrick's Cathedral crowded with more than 4,500 at services for Paderewski. 35,000 outside Cathedral pay tribute as cortege proceeds down Fifth Avenue. Favorite music heard at Mass. Statesmen and leaders in music world present."
For two hours [it continued], the Cathedral echoed the quiet voice of Archbishop Spellman, choir singing, and organ music which included Paderewski's favorite pieces and his own Nocturne. Flickering lights of six large candles fell across the white and red of the Polish flag and the design of the white eagle woven on its center, which draped the casket near the altar rail.
As the coffin was borne through the big doors on Fifth Avenue, about noon, a military band from Fort Jay gave four flourishes of drums and trumpets, the highest honor possible, and truck up the Polish national anthem, while four hundred soldiers of the American guard of honor stood at attention on Fifth Avenue.
The coffin was placed upon the caisson drawn by six horses, with three outriders and the funeral procession of nearly two thousand started for Pennsylvania Station, soldiers marching with massed colors.
About ten thousand persons crowded into the streets around the Cathedral; another fifteen thousand watched reverently as the cortege turned west; another ten thousand gathered at the station. Three automobiles at the end of the procession were filled with flowers. During the march the army band played the Dead March from Saul by Handel, and Chopin's Funeral March.
At the station the coffin and flowers were placed aboard the private car in which Paderewski had made his farewell concert tour in the United States-another carried the mourners-and attached to the Washington-bound Colonial Express. In the national capital the body will lie in state at the Polish Embassy until tomorrow when the burial at Arlington will take place.
There were like headlines in Washington: "Paderewski rests with heroes of the U.S. Temporary burial under mast of battleship Maine, at Arlington. Notables pay homage. Mrs. Woodrow Wilson present. Throngs of plain Americans also at funeral."
When the caisson bearing the body of Paderewski passed the marble entrance of the cemetery a battery of cannon boomed a nineteen-gun salute, the highest honor' possible except for a chief of state. After a solemn service in the amphitheater, the United States Army Band played Chopin's Funeral March and the cortege, preceded by a detachment of soldiers, sailors, and Marines, marched slowly up the hillside road. They were accompanied by a squad of Polish soldiers in the uniform of Canada. These had received special permission from the Canadian Government to go to Washington, and bore on a velvet cushion the Polish Military Cross awarded to Paderewski by the Polish government in exile.
Antonina (Paderewski's sister), her life-long mission from the Polish village to Arlington ended (she lived but a few months longer), walked behind the flag-covered coffin, the "family," the Polish ambassador, and many others with her. Under the mast of the battleship Maine, which stands in the center of the cemetery, the body was placed in a vault. There it will remain until it can be transported to a free Poland for burial.
The service was over, but people were slow to go. They stood recalling glorious hours, glad that he had come back to his loved America in time, that Americans would guard his dust. Many thought of his last Washington concert, when in a transcendent moment the hearts of thousands seemed to beat as one, as he lifted men to an overwhelming sense of the unity of being. It had been as if a part of each listener would go when he left. […] A group still stood inside the door. Someone had asked, "Why do we wait?" Justice Harlan Fiske Stone, later chief justice, said, "It is hard to face again a divided world. We linger not only because Paderewski was the world's greatest pianist, but because he was perhaps the greatest living man."
In 1992 his body was returned to Poland, but his heart, according to his wishes, was placed in a bronze crypt in the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, a church in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where it is to remain forever.
The book you are holding in your hands is based on material never before published in English. American author and journalist, Mary Lawton, recorded Paderewski’s life-story over a period of several years in the late 1920’s. The first draft of the book Paderewski received for review in 1932. After very close scrutiny some parts of the text saw printing in 1937 in a popular magazine tiled The Saturday Evening Post. Under a common title, “My Story”, it ran between January 23 and March 20 in an-eight part series, each subtitled differently and pertaining to various important aspects of his life from childhood to the beginning of WWI. The success of both The Saturday Evening Post series and a release of the movie "Moonlight Sonata" that same year, in which Paderewski played himself, prompted publishers on both sides of the Atlantic to act in favor of the book. The Scribner & Sons edition was printed in 1938 in the USA followed by the Collins publication in England in 1939. However, both publishers shortened the manuscript by about 180 pages, closing the text on the day that World War I had been declared. The last sentence of the book stated: "Later memoirs in preparation". Unfortunately, the outbreak of World War II and then Paderewski's death in June of 1941 put that effort aside. The text of this part of Paderewski’s Memoirs has not undergone the final editing by the Master himself or his collaborator, Mary Lawton, and is available in the form of a first draft with a preliminary review made by Ignacy Jan Paderewski. The content has been left in its original form, with spelling, punctuation, structure, and logic intact; any interference would be unjustified. The substance speaks for itself, bringing up personality of the author and a flavor of his times.
Post Scriptum
During my research for this publication I have found an enormous amount of erroneous information about Ignacy Paderewski in a variety of available sources (books, brochures, websites, letters, interviews, etc.). It is not legendary or hearsay content, created and entered into the circulation by the inventive writers that I want to address. It is a maltreatment of historical facts by many authors, speakers, and scholars that is in need of instant rectification. Because of the purpose of this book I would like to focus on a couple of those notorious mistakes only, but those that are the most significant from the historical perspective, namely, the statements that Paderewski was the first Prime Minister of Poland and the head of state.
Well, he was neither "first" nor the head of state.
After 123 years of nonexistence on the political map of Europe, Poland was reborn as an independent state on November 11, 1918 – the day that marked the ceasefire on the Western Front, signified by signing the armistice between the Allies and Germany in the Compiegne Forest. In the expectation of such an accord, on November 6/7, 1918, in the city of Lublin, the formation of the Polish People's Republic was proclaimed, with Ignacy Daszynski as the Prime Minister of the provisional government. With Jozef Pilsudski's release from German prison and his return to Warsaw within the next few days, both the Regency Council and Daszynski's government surrendered all power to Pilsudski, who instantly asked Daszyski to form a permanent government. Unfortunately he failed and subsequently resigned on November 14, 1918. Four days later, on November 18, Jedrzej Moraczewski formed a new government and became the 1st Prime Minister of the Second Republic of Poland. Regrettably again, because of the hostilities and refusal of many important political groups to cooperate, his government resigned on January 16, 1919. A the same time, Ignacy Paderewski's presence in Warsaw, his independent standing above all political factions, and his recognition by the Allies as a modus vivendi for the Polish post–WWI political turmoil, made him the principal choice for the post of Prime Minister of Poland. Anticipating the fact and given a quiet go ahead by Pilsudski at least a week before the final collapse of Moraczewski's government, Paderewski was able to make several rounds of inquiries and secure enough support to announce his cabinet within hours of assuming the role of the head of government, thus becoming the 2nd Prime Minister of the Second Republic of Poland. Therefore, considering both Daszynski and Moraczewski as Paderewski's predecessors in this role, he became the third consecutive Prime Minister of a reborn country.
Similarly erroneous is usage of the term "head of state" for Paderewski. In Poland, especially in the early years after restoration of independence, the title Chief of State (Naczelnik Panstwa in Polish – at that time Polish equivalent of the "head of state"), was reserved exclusively for Jozef Pilsudski, the Commander-in-Chief of armed forces since November 11, 1918, Provisional Chief of State between November 22, 1918 and February 20, 1919, and then Chief of State until December 11, 1922 when he transferred his powers to the new "head of state" Gabriel Narutowicz, the first President of the Republic of Poland.
Christopher Onzol, April 2011
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