Paderewski 2010 / Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941)

In his time, Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-
1941) was called a “Modern Immortal.”
Audiences worldwide stormed the stage after
his piano recitals, with young women
strewing flowers at his feet. Admirers
pressed for autographs and frenzied fans
once burst into his private hotel room with
scissors, determined to clip a bit of his
famous, curly red locks for a souvenir.
Regarded as the best interpreter of fellow
composer and countryman, Fryderyk
Chopin, he was also renowned for vigorous
renditions of Bach and Beethoven.

After his first American tour in 1891-92 he
referred to the U.S. as “the country of my
heart, my second home.” He gave more than
1500 concerts in 200 American cities, playing
in 48 states in a musical career that spanned
six decades and covered every continent.
Throngs crushed the streets to glimpse
Paderewski when he arrived triumphantly in
Warsaw in 1919. He and President
Woodrow Wilson had secured the re-
establishment of the Polish nation as co-
signers of the Treaty of Versailles.
Paderewski’s knowledge of languages was
so nimble that he was the only participant of
the Conference not to require an interpreter.
To show his gratitude to Wilson, in 1931 he
built the Woodrow Wilson Monument in
Poznan, Poland. Paderewski’s fierce love for
his country drove him to halt his global
concert tours and serve as Prime Minister of
Poland during its brief years of
independence.

Paderewski’s generosity was boundless.
Multitudes of musicians and writers, the
poor, ill, and homeless benefited from his
charity. In 1895 he founded the Paderewski
Fund in New York to award prizes to
American composers. Throughout his life he
established scholarships and competitions,
donated pianos to music conservatories, and
held concert tours to raise funds for victims
of war, the unemployed, and the destitute.

During his lifetime Paderewski was awarded
honors from Belgium, Britain, France,
Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, and Spain,
among others. Honorary doctorates from
European and American universities include
some of the world’s most prestigious —
Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, Columbia, and the
Jagellonian.

2010, the 150th anniversary of his birth,
is a fitting time to pay tribute to Ignacy Jan
Paderewski — artist, statesman, and
philanthropist — an enduring champion of
freedom and universal values.

Victoria Granacki

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			Events - 2010 CALENDAR
Images to the right: Postcards with art by Arthur Szyk printed in Poland in 1939
In his time, Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860- 1941) was called a “Modern Immortal.” Audiences worldwide stormed the stage after his piano recitals, with young women strewing flowers at his feet. Admirers pressed for autographs and frenzied fans once burst into his private hotel room with scissors, determined to clip a bit of his famous, curly red locks for a souvenir. Regarded as the best interpreter of fellow composer and countryman, Fryderyk Chopin, he was also renowned for vigorous renditions of Bach and Beethoven. After his first American tour in 1891-92 he referred to the U.S. as “the country of my heart, my second home.” He gave more than 1500 concerts in 200 American cities, playing in 48 states in a musical career that spanned six decades and covered every continent. Throngs crushed the streets to glimpse Paderewski when he arrived triumphantly in Warsaw in 1919. He and President Woodrow Wilson had secured the re- establishment of the Polish nation as co- signers of the Treaty of Versailles. Paderewski’s knowledge of languages was so nimble that he was the only participant of the Conference not to require an interpreter. To show his gratitude to Wilson, in 1931 he built the Woodrow Wilson Monument in Poznan, Poland. Paderewski’s fierce love for his country drove him to halt his global concert tours and serve as Prime Minister of Poland during its brief years of independence. Paderewski’s generosity was boundless. Multitudes of musicians and writers, the poor, ill, and homeless benefited from his charity. In 1895 he founded the Paderewski Fund in New York to award prizes to American composers. Throughout his life he established scholarships and competitions, donated pianos to music conservatories, and held concert tours to raise funds for victims of war, the unemployed, and the destitute. During his lifetime Paderewski was awarded honors from Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, and Spain, among others. Honorary doctorates from European and American universities include some of the world’s most prestigious — Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, Columbia, and the Jagellonian. 2010, the 150th anniversary of his birth, is a fitting time to pay tribute to Ignacy Jan Paderewski — artist, statesman, and philanthropist — an enduring champion of freedom and universal values. Victoria Granacki
	------------------------------------------------------------ PADEREWSKI’S HONORARY DOCTORATES Lvov University, Poland (1912) Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA (1917) Jagellonean University, Krakow, Poland (1919) Oxford University, England, UK (1919) Columbia University, New York, NY, USA (1922) University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA (1923); click here for more information Poznan University, Poland (1924) Glasgow University, Scotland, UK (1925) Cambridge University, England, UK (1926) Warsaw University, Poland (1926) Lausanne University, Switzerland (1932) New York University, NY, USA (1933) --------------------------------------------------------------- Support for students, professors and artists - selections Support for students of Stanford University, USA, 1896; one of them was Herbert Clark Hoover, the future president of the United States An Erard piano for the Academy of St. Cecilia, Rome, Italy, 1897 A Steinway piano for the Warsaw Conservatory of Music, 1909 Support for the Moscow Conservatory Students Fund, and concerts given for charitable purposes, Moscow, Russia, 1899 5,000 marks for the Beethoven Scholarship, Bonn, Germany, 1901 Gift for Polish children of Wrzesnia persecuted in the area of Prussian partition, Poznan, Poland, 1901 12,000 francs for the relief fund of the Conservatory Professors in Paris, France1909 Prizes at the composers’ competition on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Chopin’s birth, Lvov, Poland, 1910 Help for Polish students in Freiburg, Germany, 1910 1,000 rubles for the Music Society in St. Petersburg, Russia,1899 Scholarship Fund for Ecole Normale, Paris, France, 1923 Help for orphanages in Illinois, USA, Chicago, 1924 Donation for the Center of Motherhood in New York, USA,1924 Scholarships for Polish pianists and composers in Paris, France,1928-1930 Last will assigning his property to the Jagellonian University in Krakow, Poland and payment for the members of the Board of Directors, 1930 Support for student organizations in France, 1931 Support for the Violin Music Competition of Eugène Saye in Brussels, Belgium,1937 Organized Helena Modrzejewska's (Modjeska) benefit concert at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, USA, 1905 Organized multiple orchestra benefit concerts in New York, USA1905	--------------------------------------------------------------- PADEREWSKI’S MEDALS AND DECORATIONS The Royal Saxon “Albertus Animosus” Order (Germany 1895) The Medal of the Romanian Crown “Prin noi insine” (Romania 1889) The Cross and Ribbon of the “Virtuti et Merito” (Spain 1906) The Order of the White Eagle Great Ribbon (Poland 1921) The Order “Polonia Restituta” Great Ribbon (Poland 1923) The Order of Leopold Great Ribbon (Belgium 1924) Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (British knighthood 1925) The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Great Ribbon (Italy 1925) The Silver Cross of the Honorary League (France 1929) The Cross of the Lombard Crown Medal (France) The Cross “Virtuti Militari” (Poland 1941-- posthumous) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Competitions for young American composers, Paderewski Foundation, 1896 After his US tour in 1896, Paderewski left $10,000 to establish the Paderewski Foundation supporting young American composers, which was considered “a royal gift.” The fund’s trustees, William Mason (Franz Liszt’s student), William Steinway, and Henry Lee Higginson of Boston offered prizes in three categories: a composition for orchestra, a composition for solo instrument with orchestra, and a chamber music piece. The reward was to be given every three years. ---------------------------------------------------- Competitions for young Polish artists In January 1897, Paderewski funded two competitions for young Polish musicians and writers with 4,000 rubles: for a musical composition and for a literary work. The highest winner in musical composition was Zygmunt Stojowsk who was given 1,000 rubles for Symphony in D Minor, Op. 21. The second prize was given to Henryk Melcer- Szczawinski for Second Piano Concerto in C Minor, and the third prize went to Emil Mlynarski for Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 11. Among others who received smaller prizes were Wojciech Gawronski and Grzegorz Fitelberg. In the literary competition the prizes were received by Lucjan Rydel, Jozefat Nowinski, Jan August Kisielewki, and others. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Concerts and donations for the benefit of building music halls and monuments Washington Square Arch, New York, USA, 1892 Tadeusz Kosciuszko Monument, Chicago, USA, 1892 Frederic Chopin Monument, Zelazowa Wola, Poland, 1894 Franz Liszt Monument, Weimar, Germany, 1895 Henry Charles Litolff Monument, Paris. France, 1897 Ludwig van Beethoven Monument, Cologne, Germany, 1901 Adam Mickiewicz Monument, Lvov, Poland, 1902 Grunwald Battle Monument, Cracow, Poland, 1910 Édouard Colonne Monument, Paris, France, 1923 Claude Debussy Monument, Paris, France, 1931 Woodrow Wilson Monument, Poznan, Poland, 1931 Colonel Edward M. House Monument, Warsaw, Poland, 1932 Tadeusz Kosciuszko Museum, Solothurn, Switzerland, 1937 Warsaw Philharmonic Building, Warsaw, Poland, 1901 Concert Hall Building, Lausanne, Switzerland, 1903

© 2009-2011 The Organizing Committee for Chopin & Paderewski 2010 celebrations, USA