Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941); POL

Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860–1941) was a Polish pianist, composer, statesman, and international celebrity. Born in Kuryłówka in the Russian Empire, now in Ukraine, he studied at the Warsaw Conservatory and later in Berlin and Vienna. His brilliant concert career made him one of the most famous pianists of his age. During World War I he became an influential advocate for Polish independence and in 1919 served as both prime minister and foreign minister of the newly independent Poland.

Paderewski composed primarily in a late-Romantic idiom. His best-known miniature is the Minuet in G, while larger works include the opera Manru, Piano Concerto in A minor, Polish Fantasy for piano and orchestra, and the large-scale Symphony in B minor, Polonia. His fame as a performer and statesman ultimately overshadowed his compositions, but his career made him one of the most internationally visible Polish musicians of his generation.

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Read biography at allmusic.com.