Ignace Jan Paderewski was the most celebrated and charismatic pianist after Franz Liszt. He could speak through his piano to listeners, and it was his rhythmic subtleties as a performer that earmarked him as a unique artist in the Golden Age of Pianism.
At an early age, while studying at the Warsaw Conservatory, several of his teachers attempted to dissuade him from taking up a career as a pianist, since they found that his hands were not formed right. They urged him, instead, to try composition.
Paderewski, however, was convinced that his vocation was to be a pianist. He had enough self-confidence and determination which made him practise, practise and practise the piano for long hours.
Even the remark of the great musician Theodor Leschetizky, under whom he later studied, that “You might have been a great pianist if you had started earlier; it is too late now!” did not deter him. At the age of 18, Paderewski was forced to relearn piano technique as if he were a child. By his mid 20s he was finally brought to the stage.
Paderewski’s performance drew the largest crowds in history at a time when the solo recital was still in its infancy. “If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days, the critics notice it. If I miss three days, the audience notices it,” said the master pianist.
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