PADEREWSKI, Ignacy Jan – All Classical Research

Born in Kuryłówka, Podolia province in Russian Poland, Nov 6, 1860,
Died in New York, June 29, 1941

[ig-NAT-see yahn pah-de-REF-ski; pronunciation]

Ignacy Jan Paderewski was a Polish concert pianist, composer, and politician.
In 1872, Paderewski attended the Warsaw Conservatory and became a professor of piano just a few years later.
In the late 1880s, Paderewski debuted as a concert pianist to much acclaim and developed an overwhelmingly devoted fan following (think Lisztomania).
During WWI, Paderewski became a member of the Polish National Committee. As a representative to the U.S., Paderewski urged President Wilson to support Polish independence, which he did as part of his “Fourteen Points.“¹
- Fun fact – as a representative of Poland, Paderewski signed the Versailles Treaty in 1919. That same year, he became Prime Minister of the newly independent Poland. By 1922, he resigned all political positions and resumed his musical career.²
As a composer, the bulk of Paderewski’s oeuvre (unsurprisingly) consists of piano works, though he also wrote orchestral music, chamber music, choral music, art songs, and an opera.³

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Ignacy Jan Paderewski,” Encyclopedia Britannica (2024), accessed September 19, 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ignacy-Jan-Paderewski.
“Ignacy Jan Paderewski,” Paderewski Festival, accessed September 19, 2024, https://www.paderewskifest.com/ignacy-paderewski/.
Małgorzata Perkowska, “List of Works by Ignacy Jan Paderewski,” USC Polish Music Center, accessed September 19, 2024, https://polishmusic.usc.edu/research/publications/polish-music-journal/vol4no2/paderewski-works/.