Fryderyk François Chopin Biography and Works.

Born on March 1, 1810, Fryderyk François Chopin is a Polish composer, virtuoso pianist and a music teacher of French paternity.

Considered to be one of the masters of romantic music, Chopin has been called the ‘poet of the piano’. A renowned child-prodigy pianist, he grew up in Warsaw and completed his music education there.

Fryderyk was the author of two polonaises – in G minor and B flat major-at the age of seven. He way first was published in the engraving workshop of Father Cybulski.

Eighteen-year-old Chopin struck out for the wider world in the company of a family friend, Feliks Jarocki in 1828.

In 1829, Chopin gave a brilliant debut in Vienna, giving two piano concerts. He left Poland for Vienna in 1831 before settling in Paris where he spent much of his life.

The 1830s were a productive time for the composer. Chopin completed several of his most famous works and also performed regular concerts, becoming a famous figure in Paris by 1838.

Chopin’s larger scale works, such as the scherzos, ballades, the barcarolle and sonatas have paved a solid place within the repertoire. Some of his other works include mazurkas, nocturnes, impromptus, waltzes and polonaises.

Two important collections are the 24 Preludes Op. 28, based loosely on Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier and the Etudes. They were a staple of that genre for pianists.

By the 1840s, his health started deteriorating. His last work was a mazurka in F minor. Chopin suffered from poor health for most of his life and died in Paris in 1849 at the age of 39.

Trivia

In 2010, the BBC TV made a 90-min documentary on Chopin’s life titled ‘Chopin – The Women Behind The Music explores Chopin’s life’.