Frederick Chopin, as a Man and Musician — Complete

These volumes offer a comprehensive life-and-music study of a nineteenth-century composer, combining chronological biography, cultural background, and detailed musical criticism. The narrative opens with a proem on the composer's homeland and social character, then proceeds through successive chapters that recount personal events, artistic development, and critical reception. Interspersed are analytical discussions of style and performance, assessments of individual works, and selections from correspondence and contemporary testimony. Extensive appendices supply a systematic catalogue of compositions published during and after the composer's lifetime, while prefaces and revisions explain sources, method, and editorial choices.