Summary

Paderewski of Poland’s life story shows his generosity in contributing significantly towards different causes.  The Act of Worship contains an anecdote about one of his concerts which shows that each of us can achieve great things with the help of God.

Teachers’ Notes

Occasion:  29 June

Instructions: The pictures should be shown on PowerPoint as the story is told.  The (  ) shows when the slide should be changed.  To attract the pupils’ attention, we recommend the first slide is already on display as they enter.

The Main Text

(Picture 1)

On 29 June, 1941, the famous pianist and composer Ignacy Paderewski died.

(Picture 2)

Ignacy Jan Paderewski was born in 1860 in the village of Kurylowka, Podolia, Poland. He grew up to be one of Poland’s most remarkable pianists and composers.

Although he is well known for his own compositions, he was also praised for his renditions of Chopin’s compositions.

He was everyone’s friend, and he was admired by some of the most prominent people of his day.

(Picture 3)

He travelled the world to hold concerts, from Africa to Australia and across Europe.  He appeared in over 1500 concerts in America and wherever he would go, hundreds of people would come to listen to him. 

(Picture 4)

In one concert in Carnegie Hall in New York he managed to attract an audience of 3000 people.

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As well as being a well-known composer in his own country and across the world, he became a great politician in Poland.  When the Versailles Peace Treaty was signed in 1919, Paderewski was named as the Prime Minister of Poland.  Under his leadership, Poland went from strength to strength.  He was the first representative from Poland to join the League of Nations.  In Geneva he was considered a great politician and patriot by all.  His speeches were always masterpieces during this period.

(Picture 6)

During his life, he contributed a lot of money towards different causes and did so across the world.  He contributed money to help unemployed musicians in England, to a fund for playwrights, and composers in Poland, to building a concert hall in Switzerland, to rebuilding the Cathedral in Lausanne, to care for orphaned children during a war in Italy, and to save Jewish refugees from Germany in Paris in 1933, to name but a few.

(Picture 7)

When he died in 1941, 4,500 people gathered for his funeral at St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, with another 35,000 people outside.  Among those present were statesmen and leaders of the political and musical world. 

(Picture 8)

By presidential order, he was buried in Arlington cemetery, Washington.

(Picture 9)

There is a story of a mother who took her little son to one of Paderewski’s concerts.  After reaching their seats, the mother saw one of her friends and moved over to talk to her.

When the concert was about to begin, the mother went back to her seat but, her son wasn’t there.  When the curtains opened, she was shocked to find that her son was sitting at the splendid piano on stage playing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. That’s when the famous pianist walked on to the stage, moved quickly to the piano, and whispered in the boy’s ear, “Don’t stop!  Carry on playing”.

Then, the maestro leant forward and began to play the piece with the boy.  Together, the famous pianist and the little boy succeeded in turning an awkward situation into a creative experience.  The members of the audience were enchanted.

That is how God works.  What we can achieve on our own is weak compared to what we can achieve with His hands around us helping us.  What we do with His help can turn into a masterpiece.

Let us pray: Thank you O God for the good example of Ignacy Paderewski.  Help us to be like him, valuing our talents and using them, not for our own well being, but in order to praise You in everything we do; in the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN