Ignacy Jan Paderewski was a Polish composer, pianist, diplomat, and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Poland in 1919. He was born in 1860 in Poland and showed early musical talent, learning piano on his own from a young age. As a pianist, he had great success performing around the world, including for Queen Victoria in London. In addition to his musical career, Paderewski became involved in Polish independence efforts during World War I and helped establish Poland as an independent nation after the war. He served briefly as Poland's Prime Minister in 1919 before retiring from politics to focus on his musical career and compositions again. Paderewski died in 1941 in

1. Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Distinguished Polish Personality

2. Paderewski:
Composer
Diplomat
Politician
The Second Prime Minister of the Republic
of Poland

3. Early Childhood
He was born in a village of Kurilovka, Litin uyezd
in the Podolia Governorate, on 6th of November
1860.
His father was an administrator of estates
and his mother died several months
after he was born.
When his father was arrested due to
January uprising, Ignacy was adopted
by his aunt.

4. Early Education
Since early childhood he was musically talented
and learned by himself to play the piano.
Michał Babiński helped in his upbringing by
teaching him history, geography, French and
Polish literature
At the age of 12, in 1872, he went to Warsaw and
was admited to The Warsaw Conservatorium

5. Musical Education
After graduating in 1878 he was asked to
become a tutor of piano classes at his alma
mater.

6. Private life
In 1880 Paderewski married Antonina
Korsakówna and soon their first child was born.
After his birth, he turned out to be handicapped.
His wife died 9 months later.
Paderewski remarried to Helen Rosen
He moved house to United States in 1913.

7. His Career
He was playing at parties and private concerts to
earn some money.
His first biggest concert was in 1888 in Paris. He
also met there and became friends with famous
composer Camille Saint-Saens.
After that he spent some time in
London, performing for the Queen Victoria.
His turnee through United States of America
turned out to be a huge success.

8. A substantial composer
He composed many pieces for piano.
In 1901 his sole opera Manru received its world
premiere at Dresden, then it had its American
premiere in 1902 at the Metropolitan Opera.
To this day it remains the only Polish opera by a
Polish composer ever performed there.

9. Paderewski’s concert
Minuet in G

11. Tribute to Paderewski
To dignify his memory The International Piano
Competition takes place in Bydgoszcz every
year.
Participants come from many different countries
Last winner comes from Russia,
his name is Eduard Kunz
he won 30 000 €

12. His life during World War I
Paderewski became an active member of
the Polish National Committee in Paris, which
was soon accepted by the Entente as the
representative of Poland.
He became a spokesman of that organisation,
and soon also formed other social and political
organisations, among them the Polish Relief
Fund in London.
Thanks him the military Greater Poland Uprising
against Germany took place in 1918.

13. In 1919, in the newly independent Poland,
Paderewski became the Prime Minister and
Minister of Foreign Affairs
After being abandoned by many of his political
supporters, Paderewski handed Piłsudski a letter
of resignation on 4 December 1919, whereupon
he took on the role of Polish Ambassador to
the League of Nations.
In 1922 he retired from politics and returned to
his musical life

14. The Second World War
In 1940 he became the head of the Polish
National Council, a Polish parliament in exile
in London.
He gave several concerts (most notably in the
United States) to gather money for Polish Relief
Fund.

15. What Paderewski was
like…
Paderewski once
recalled, "I established a
certain standard of
behaviour, that, during my
playing, there must be no
talking. When they began
to talk, I would stop. I
would say, 'I am sorry to
interrupt your
conversation. I deeply
regret that I am obliged to
disturb you, so I am going
to stop for a while to allow
you to continue talking.'
You can imagine the
effect it had..."

16. During one such tour in 1941, Paderewski was
taken ill on 27 June. Nothing was discussed with
his personal secretary or entourage. But at the
initiative of Sylwin Strakacz, physicians were
called in for consultation and diagnosed
pneumonia.
Despite increasing health and signs of recovery
Paderewski died suddenly in New York, at 11:00
p.m. on 29 June. He was buried in Arlington
National Cemetery, in Arlington Virginia. In 1992,
his body was brought to Warsaw and placed
in St. John's Cathedral.

19. The End
Authors:
Weronika Pucek
Aleksandra Hus
Zuzia Grzesiuk
Liliana Wałęga
Paweł Prządka
Janusz Gazda