In an effort to give a complete and accurate picture of Paderewski we investigated every available book and magazine article about him that we could get hold of. The fact that so many _were_ available is entirely due to the good offices of the Music Division of the Library of Congress to which we are continually grateful on this and other scores. RUTH AND PAUL HUME A Note About Pronunciation Although Paderewski quickly grew accustomed to hearing himself called “Paderooski” all across America, this is not his name! A Polish “w” is pronounced like an English “v”, so he is really “Pa-de-_rev_-skee.” Since Polish surnames change their final “i” to “a” when applied to women, his wife is called Madame “Pa-de-_rev_-ska.” _CONTENTS_ 1. A Pounding at the Door 11 2. Debut in Vienna 38 3. The Lion Begins to Roar 57 4. A New World to Conquer 72 5. A Promise Fulfilled 86 6. “They Will Listen” 104 7. The Providential Man 122 8. The Thirteenth Point 134 9. Rebirth of a Nation 147 10. “After That—Art!” 163 Further Reading 183 Index 187 [Illustration: Map of Poland.] CHAPTER 1 A POUNDING AT THE DOOR [Illustration: Coat of arms with Eagle.] The boy lay awake in the darkness, listening. All evening long the adults in the house had been conversing in agitated whispers, behind closed doors. Now they were asleep—or pretending to be asleep, as he was pretending. The house was unnaturally silent. Suddenly the boy sat up in bed, clutching the blanket around his shoulders and listening with every ounce of concentration he could muster. His ears were unusually sensitive. Surely he had heard a muted laugh in the blackness outside. Yes—and there was another, and then the sound of low-pitched voices, no longer concealed, and finally footsteps running to the house. He leaped out of bed and flung open the window. The house was surrounded by Cossacks. Their leader was pounding on the door. “Jan Paderewski!” he was shouting. “Open it up before we break it down!”