Guide Note

Frédéric Chopin was a Polish piano composer during the Romantic period, and is widely referred to as a composer who wrote poems with the piano, many of which were very technically difficult to play.

Fast Facts

1. Born March 1, 1810, in Warsaw
2. Died of tuberculosis on October 17, 1849 in Paris
3. Child prodigy
4. 1830: moved to Paris
5. Worked as performer, teacher, composer
6. Involved in a volatile relationship with the French writer George Sand
7. Chopin's death-bed dream inspired the game Eternal Sonata
8. Played by Hugh Grant in 1991 film Impropmptu

Chopin was born into an artistic family in Warsaw, Poland and from an early age was educating in many different aspects of music. He began receiving professional piano lessons in 1816 from renowned instructor Wojciech Zywny and improved rapidly. At the age of seven he began performing publicly and composed his first pieces. By the age of 11 he performed for Tsar Alexander I of Russia. He continued developing his piano skills into his adult years and composed over 80 Opuses. He also spent most of his adult life teaching and performing for distinguished audiences. In 1831, he moved to Paris and was well received by the artistic and intellectual community. He performed his last concert in Paris in 1848 and after a year of health problems, died on October 17, 1849.

• 1830: Chopin Concerto 2
• 1831: Etude Opus 25