Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941) was a well known pianist and politician, admired by the world. He was one of the most famous artists in the USA at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. He divided his life between Switzerland and America. Paderewski used to say that the recipe for an artist is: “one percent talent, ten percent luck and 90 percent work.” This was absolutely true in America. Paderweski loved and admired the United States, where he spent many years traveling to concerts, between California and New York. America gave Paderewski fame, money and contacts as well as a platform to get involved in the fight for Poland’s independence. New York and the surrounding area were key; this is where his American adventure began, and ended. Paderweski made his debut in the United States on November 17, 1891, in New York with a solo performance at the prestigious Carnegie Hall at the age of 31.
His concert tours began shortly after his debut. Paderewski performed 107 concerts in just 117 days, during his first tour. The concerts often lasted for hours and included encores. At a time when solo piano recitals were rare, Paderewski filled concert halls wherever he appeared and achieved star status. For the next several decades, Ignacy Paderewski continued to tour and compose music. He performed for many United States presidents. For several decades, he gave annual concerts at the White House and was particularly friendly with Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover and Woodrow Wilson. Paderewski likewise used the White House concerts for political purposes, winning over President Wilson who established his support of Polish independence. As a result, President Wilson’s Fourteen Points, declared in 1918, promised the creation of a free and independent Poland. It should be noted that this was one of the most significant political declarations concerning Poland in the 20th century.
Paderewski and his wife Helena utilized friends, media and concerts to speak about the need for Poland to regain independence. Their work included raising funds for the fight, reconstruction and aid. In 1918, 
Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Helena PaderewskiIgnacy Paderewski and his wife helped organize the Polish Army in Canada, the so-called “Blue Army”, which included Polish-American volunteers from the United States. This army, numbering over twenty thousand soldiers, was transported to Europe where under the command of General Józef Haller, fought in France and then helped in the Polish-Bolshevik war on Polish soil. Helena created and financed the establishment of the Polish White Cross, an organization providing aid to victims of war. In the winter of 1918, Ignacy Paderewski returned to his free homeland, enthusiastically welcomed by the Poles. On December 26, 1918, this welcome in Poznań turned into the outbreak of the Greater Poland Uprising directed against the Germans, which turned out to be the only victorious uprising in the history of Poland. Paderewski arrived in Warsaw on January 1, 1919, where Józef Piłsudski, as the head of state, entrusted the great artist with the mission of forming a government. On January 16, 1919, Ignacy Paderewski became prime minister. Together with Roman Dmowski, another Polish politician, Ignacy Paderewski represented Poland at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. After signing the Treaty of Versailles, which restored Poland's independence and marked out Poland's western borders, Paderewski resigned from political positions on November 27, 1919, to once again focus on his musical career. Paderewski not only supported Polish causes financially but also donated large sums of money to charities in the United States. He helped finance the construction of the Washington Arch in New York and the Kościuszko and Pulaski monuments in Washington and Chicago. Paderweski supported American musicians in need and orphanages for children. Philanthropy and helping others were an important part of his life.
In 1939 after the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, Paderewski returned to Polish politics, heading the National Council in Paris and then London where the Polish government in exile operated. In September 1940, despite his poor health, Paderweski went on a long journey to the United States to promote Polish causes. Ignacy Jan Paderewski visited America for the last time on November 6, 1940. For several months he tried to win over the American administration to Polish principles. Paderweski died on June 22, 1941, in New York.
In the Institute's archive, you can follow Paderweski’s concert tours and performance programs during the following years: 1915-1933. This collection also includes press clippings and photos. We encourage you to visit the Institute and take advantage of this fascinating collection No. 79.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National
Heritage of the Republic of Poland
