Description: Simply Chopin presents a multifaceted portrait of the great Polish composer and piano virtuoso Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849), who wrote some of the world's best-loved piano pieces during his tragically short life.
Brief description: William Smialek is emeritus vice president and professor of music at Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas. He received his Ph.D. in musicology from the University of North Texas and was a Fulbright Scholar in Poland in 1979-80. His books include Frédéric Chopin: A Research and Information Guide (2015), Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński and Musical Life in Nineteenth-Century Poland (1991), and The Symphony in Poland (1982). Dr. Smialek's scholarly work also includes a number of papers and reviews on nineteenth- and twentieth-century music and culture in Eastern Europe.