character while always sincere in their delineation of the poet's thought. His Symphony in B minor, which first became known in the United States through the fine performances of it given by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is a work of majestic lines, magnificently orchestrated and filled with the great composer's splendid melodic ideas and harmonic treatment. It is said that he has written the woes of his native land into this masterpiece. His opera Manru should be heard more frequently as many concede it to be Paderewski's finest production. This opera was first given at the Court Theatre in Dresden in 1901. The libretto is by Paderewski's gifted friend Alfred Nossig. The plot deals with a gypsy subject. The orchestration of this work is exceptionally powerful but always appropriate. The Polish Fantasia for piano and orchestra is widely admired, and some concede to this the place of first honor among Paderewski's compositions; wherever the pianist has played this original and characteristic work it has always produced a furore.

Paderewski has given lavishly of the wealth bestowed upon him by enthusiastic music lovers. Upon one occasion when he had promised his services for a benefit to be held for the Actor's Fund in America, he found that he was unable to come. He promptly sent his check for $1,000, explaining that he was

physically incapacitated. His best known philanthropy in America is the Paderewski Fund, consisting of the sum of $10,000 to be devoted to the purpose of fostering musical composition in America. Once every three years a prize of about $500 is given to some fortunate competitor. Among those who have succeeded thus far have been Henry K. Hadley, Horatio W. Parker, Arthur Bird and Arthur Shepard. The fund was founded in 1900, and is a very gratifying evidence of Paderewski's interest in American musical development. During the European war Paderewski has given enormously from his private means to relieve suffering in Poland.

The philanthropies of Paderewski represent an interesting side of his nature. His intense seriousness at times makes it difficult to believe that he may be the most youthful and vivacious of men. His friends are well aware of his quick wit as well as his broad general learning. Linguistically speaking, his accomplishments are very exceptional even for a Pole. He speaks English, for instance, with so slight a suggestion of an accent that it is not noticeable.

To the musician, Paderewski's attainments in the field of world politics are an unending source of pride and inspiration. Not since the time of the composerconductor Abate Agostino Steffani,-the Venetian choir boy, who became Court Organist of Munich in

1675, took Holy Orders in 1680 and later became Privy Councillor and Envoy Extraordinary of the Court of Hanover, has any professional musician of distinction risen to such high political office as Paderewski? At the Peace Conference at Versailles, it was reported that he was the only representative capable of making addresses in the majority of languages of the nations participating.

The writer gratefully acknowledges his thanks to the Hon. W. Kwapiezewski of the Polish Legation, at Washington, for the following information regarding Mr. Paderewski's activities during the Great War.

"Before the Great War he was already very actively supporting various Polish organizations, the purpose of which was to keep up Polish patriotism. As soon as the War broke out in 1914, he, and the great Polish Novelist, Henryk Sienkiewicz, organized the Polish Victims Relief Fund with headquarters in Switzerland. That organization of which Mr. Paderewski became Vice-President, cared for the numerous Polish war sufferers in the various parts of Poland, and was practically the only large Polish organization during the War that reached all three parts of Poland, and thus represented not only a philanthropic but also a national patriotic bond of union. Mr. Paderewski was most active in obtaining moral and financial support for his committee both in the allied countries

and in the United States, and during his numerous journeys in this connection he constantly pleaded the cause of Poland's independence."

"At the same time he was one of the main-stays of the political activities centering around the Polish National Committee of Paris, which was recognized by the Allies as the official representation of Poland. As members of the Polish National Committee, and as its representative before the Government of the United States, Mr. Paderewski with untiring energy has been working for the cause of the Allies and Poland. An army of 25,000 Poles was raised by him in this country to combat in France with the common foe. As soon as the armistice was signed Mr. Paderewski sailed for Poland and was hailed as the liberator of his country."

"In January, 1919, he became Prime Minister of the Polish Republic and at the same time Foreign Minister. He was also one of the Polish delegates to the Versailles Conference and pleaded the case of Poland when her various frontiers were being determined. His Cabinet was composed of representatives of various groups and his main object was to create unity of the Polish Nation and to weaken the antiPolish tendencies of certain western countries, inspired mainly by German and Jewish influences. In the elections to the Polish Assembly on January 26th,

1919, he was elected Representative of the City of Warsaw and has retained that seat until the present time."

"He resigned the Premiership in December 1919. It is rather a testimony to his great statesmanship that he was able to retain that exalted office for eleven months during Poland's first year of independence when she faced numberless internal and foreign difficulties. Later he was made one of Poland's standing representatives in the Assembly of the League of Nations. On resigning that position he was given the standing of Minister Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, which he still retains."

Since then Paderewski has again toured the new world receiving artistic receptions even greater than his earlier triumphs.

AUTHORITIES

"The Real Paderewski'' was written for the Etude by its editor James Francis Cooke, February 1918 and published in “Music Masters, Old and New", copyright 1918 by Theo. Presser Co.

This February Etude also contains a biographical dictionary of about one hundred noted musicians born in Poland.

Of the biographies and appreciations of Paderewski, probably the best that have ever been written are those of Henry T. Finck (out of print), Edward A. Baughan and Alfred Nossig. There is an excellent life in Polish by Opienski, the noted Polish critic.