The Insane Story of Wladyslaw Szpilman "The Pianist"
You may have heard the expression music saves. Well for Wladyslaw Szpilman, the expression took a literal meaning. Born in Poland on Dec. 5, 1911, Wladyslaw Szpilman took his first piano lesson with his mother. He couldn’t have known at the time that this would be the first step in saving his life He went on to study at the Higher School of Music in Warsaw from 1926 to 1930 and continued his studies in Berlin until 1933 before returning to Warsaw once again to take lessons until 1935. In 1935, Wladyslaw Szpilman became the house pianist for Polish State Radio in Warsaw, playing classical works and jazz. He played for the radio until Sep. 1, 1939 – the day Germany invaded Poland during World War II. The Germans forced the Polish State Radio to shut down. The last live broadcast the people heard before the German occupation was Szpilman’s performance of Chopin’s Nocturne in C sharp minor. Wladyslaw Szpilman and his family were placed in the Warsaw Ghetto , the largest of all