Ignacy Jan Paderewski

Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Polish pianist, composer and distinguished politician and advocate of Poland’s independence, was born in 1860 in the village of Kuryłówka in Podolia. Ignacy’s mother passed away only a few months after giving birth to him, and so he and his sister Antonina were brought up by their father. Recalling his earliest years, Paderewski stressed that he had felt the importance of the Polish cause even as a boy: “I always intended and was prepared to fight for Poland. I was born a fervent patriot. From the age of six, my head was full of plans and dreams for Poland: I yearned to free my homeland with my actions.” No one could have guessed that the child’s wish would come true and Paderewski himself would be hailed as one of the fathers of Polish independence. Until his death in the USA in 1941, he remained one of the great advocates of the Polish cause.