Frèdèric François Chopin was one of the most talented and well known composers of all time. He was born on or around March 1, 1810, in the Polish village of Zelazowa Wola. ( He and his family said that he was born on March 1, while his baptismal certificate said otherwise. ) He was the son of Mikolai Chopin, a Frenchman, and Tekla Justyna Kyzyzanowska, a Pole. He was the second of four children: an older sister, Ludwika, and two younger sisters, Izabela and Emilia. Soon after his birth, he and his family moved to nearby Warsaw, where his father would become a French language and literature lecturer at the Warsaw Lyceum and run a boarding school for sons of the gentry. Frèdèric soon took an interest in music. Often, he would sit under the family piano and listen to Tekla or Ludwika play. Sometimes he would try to play the melodies he heard his mother and sister play. His parents realized his musical talent and enrolled him for piano lessons with Wojciech Zywny. By the age of seven he had written his polonaises in G minor and B flat major. When he was twelve, he surpassed the skills of Zywny and became a pupil of Wilhelm Wurfel, a professor at the Warsaw conservatory. He attended the Warsaw Lyceum from 1823 to 1826 and the Warsaw High School of Music from 1826 to 1829. During his time at the high school, he composed his Sonata in C minor, Variations, op. 2, the Ronda à la Krakowiak, op. 14, the Fantasie, op.13, and the Trio in G minor, op. 8 for piano, violin, and cello. When he left the school, Jozef Elsner, head of the school, wrote of him: "Chopin, Fryderyk, third year student, amazing talent, musical genius." Seeking fame, Frèdèric left Poland and traveled to Vienna where he performed Variations, op.2 and Rondo à la Krakowiak, op. 14. In 1830, Tobias Haslinger published Variations. Frèdèric returned to Warsaw where he composed his Concertos for piano and orchestra in F minor and E minor. He premièred his two concertos in the National Theatre in Warsaw. After giving a farewell concert, he and his friend, Tytus Woyciechowski traveled to Austria. Soon after arriving in Vienna, the Russo-Polish war broke out. Tytus returned to Poland to join the army while Frederic stayed in Austria. While in Vienna this second time, he composed his Scherzo in B minor and the Etudes from op. 10. From Vienna, he traveled to Paris. On his way, he learned that Russia had captured Warsaw. The bad news brought on a fever and a nervous crisis. In Paris Frèdèric became friends with many other great composers, among them, Liszt and Mendelssohn and later, in Leipzig, Schumann. He performed many concerts and soon became a famous musician throughout France and later all of Europe. He soon started giving fewer public performances and relied more on giving lessons for his main source of income. He let his passport expire and was no longer allowed to visit his family. He was only able to visit them outside of Poland. He fell in love with Maria Wodzinski, the younger sister of three former borders of Frèdèric's father. They were unofficially engaged, but Maria's parent decided not to let them marry due to Frèdèric's poor state of health and lifestyle. In 1837, he, along with Camille Pleyel, traveled to London. There he fell in love with George Sand, a French writer. They were often treated as though they were married, but they actually never were. They spent the winter of 1838 in Spain. During the winter, Frèdèric fell seriously ill due to bad weather. Even though he was ill he continued composing. During this period, he composed the 24 preludes, the Polonaise in C Minor, the Ballade in F major, and the Scherzo in C sharp minor. After the winter, he moved to George's home in Nohant, France, only occasionally visiting Paris. In 1847, due to conflicts among George, Frèdèric, and George's son, George and Frèdèric split up. Frèdèric moved away from Nohant. The stresses of this and other experiences worsened his condition. At this time he nearly abandoned composing. He moved back to England and gave concerts there and in Scotland. His condition got even worse and he moved back to Paris. His older sister, Ludwika, moved to Paris to take came of him. He died of pulmonary tuberculosis in October 1849. He was buried in Paris, but, at his own request, his heart was taken back to Poland and placed in the pillar of a church in Krakowskie Przedmiscie. Frèdèric François Chopin was truly one of the most talented people ever to compose music. Even though he died at such an early age, his musical achievements are still great. Some people compare him to other great composers such as Liszt or Rachmaninoff, but Chopin cannot be compared. His music has its own unique qualities. It can be bold and daring but yet calming and peaceful. It can capture your attention and hold it to the very last note. Its harmony can be complicated but its melody can be so simple. This is what sets his music in its own category. It is a genre all on its own. We can only wonder how many of his works were never published, how many melodies he had in his head but never got a chance to write down, and how many of his marvelous compositions we never got to enjoy.© 1997 mrkrbkw@tcnet.net