UMFC with Chopin and Hofmann in Osaka

Józef Hofmann (1876-1957) was an outstanding Polish pianist, composer, pedagogue and inventor, a genius and multi-talented man.

He began his piano career at the age of 8 as a “child prodigy” giving concerts in Poland, Europe and the USA. His first U.S. tour when he was 11 was discontinued because it was considered an exploitation of child labor. He was then banned from touring until the age of 18. His reappearance after coming of age sparked a string of incredible successes in Europe, the Russian Empire (nine concert tours between 1895 and 1913), the United States, Canada and South America (until 1946). He was the founder, director and educator of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia (1924-1938). Highlights included his Golden Jubilee at the MET (1937) and concerts in Poland (until 1938). The Warsaw Conservatory awarded him the title of honorary professor. He spent the last 11 years of his life in California. Here are some of Hofmann's “records”: he performed 156 times at Cornegie Hall in New York; his repertoire included 340 works by 65 composers, including 102 works by Chopin; in the 1912/1913 season in St. Petersburg he played 21 concerts, during which he performed more than 250 works by 28 composers.

Hofmann's compositional oeuvre consists of about 130 works: most for solo piano (miniatures, sonata, variations, suite, etude, preludes, mazurkas), piano concertos and a symphonic poem. He also composed under the pseudonym Michel Dvorsky using a completely different style.

Hofmann's inventions are widely known and used, although not everyone knows that they are the work of a Polish pianist. He had almost 70 patents, including: windshield wipers for the car, an office paperclip, a curly piano stool, shock absorbers in cars and airplanes, battery regeneration, air springs, improvements in the piano mechanism, sound recording, an electric heater and others.

For more information on Hofmann's fascinating biography and his achievements, see Krystyna Juszyńska's book "Józef Hofmann. Pianist - Composer - Inventor (Chopin University Press, Warsaw 2023, ISBN 978-83-65990-50-1), awarded the “Musical Eagles 2023” statuette as the best music book of the year.

prof. dr hab. Krystyna Juszyńska, UMFC
 

 The book Jozef Hofmann. Pianist - composer - inventor shows the artist's profile from the point of view of his various areas of activity: piano, composition, pedagogy and inventions. An extraordinary life, a piano career, compositional work, work as a piano teacher, extra-musical interests and numerous inventions make up the picture of a broad-minded, intelligent and multi-talented man. [...] The book is complemented by rich appendices containing a list of concerts, compositions, patents, discography, as well as reviews and opinions about Hofmann's playing.
prof. dr hab. Krystyna Juszyńska

The book, published by Chopin University Press, received the "Music Eagle" statuette in the Scientific or Popular Science Publication category at the IV Music Eagles International Competition.