This article takes Wladyslaw Szpilman's (1999) memoir and Roman Polanski's award-winning 2002 film interpretation of it as dual points of entry for exploring certain intrapsychic functions of music in the context of massive trauma. Particular attention is given to the relationship between Szpilman's mental life and his art (involving such elements as time, memory, and fantasy). A further focus is the specialized characterological features unique to the highly trained professional musician (e.g., discipline, ability to tolerate isolation, physical and metaphysical relationship to the instrument and to the musical score, psychosexual and other developmental components of becoming a concert artist, etc.) as significant factors in Szpilman's psychological and physical survival. A related parallel discussion considers Polanski's use of Chopin's music as a symbolic extranarrative language in the film's storytelling.