He lived in the shadow of death, painfully aware of the tuberculosis that would kill him prematurely. But Frédéric Chopin attained immortality with his piano works, which endure as pinnacles of the instrument's repertoire. This biography by one of the nineteenth century's foremost pianists — Chopin's friend and fellow artist, Franz Liszt — offers a highly informed assessment of the Polish composer's musical legacy. It is further enlivened by the author's personal acquaintance with Chopin's other...