On 5/16/07, Marc Riddell michaeldavid86@comcast.net wrote:
On Wed, 16 May 2007 11:53:09 -0500, "Charlotte Webb" charlottethewebb@gmail.com wrote:
Offhand I would suggest that being a pianist is trivial compared to being a prime minister of Poland. However, the latter infobox should remain.
on 5/16/07 5:20 PM, Guy Chapman aka JzG at guy.chapman@spamcop.net wrote:
Charlotte, in my view you'd be wrong. Paderewski was hugely and internationally famous as a pianist, whereas his fame as a Prime Minister of Poland is largely limited to Poland - and the popularity which saw him elected was founded in part on his pianism anyway.
Seriously, I have 78s of Paderewski which were treasured possessions of my parents.
Guy,
Wonderful! I am a collector also, and the Paderewski recordings are among the most treasured. History does, and always will, remember him as an artist first!
Marc Riddell
It seems Wikipedia has something right. Paderewski did have a substantial role in international relations for the newly reminted post WWI Poland, though, and he was immensely popular and well known in the United States. I suspect there are many Americans who knew him as a statesman also, but probably more Europeans because of his role at various times in international events of the WWI-WWII age. It would be hard to imagine an American saying "Polish Prime Minister" first.
Paderewski has neither a politican nor a pianist/musician box.
Václav Havel has only a politician box.
KP