By Lyn Bronson

Sic transit Gloria mundi −“How fleeting is the glory of the world.” From 1890 to 1941, Paderewski (his name often mispronounced by the less sophisticated as “Pader-ROOS-ky”) was a superstar celebrity known throughout the civilized world. His distinguished image, tall, elegant and with a noble face framed in a halo of white hair, was instantly recognizable, thanks to the mountains of publicity he received in his lifetime. Wherever he went this great Polish pianist and statesman, known for his enormous success as a pianist, and also as the composer of the ever popular “Minuet in G Major,” attracted crowds who pressed around him in great numbers eager to shake his hand or say a few words.

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