Frederick Chopin

Frederick Chopin was a Polish composer and pianist of the Romantic period who is regarded as one of the greatest composers of the piano music. He spent most of his career in Paris and is celebrated for his nocturnes, mazurkas, and polonaises.

Early Life and Education

Chopin was born in Żelazowa Wola near Warsaw in 1810. His father was a French schoolmaster and his mother was a Polish woman of the gentry.

He showed a prodigious talent for the piano and gave his first public concert at the age of eight. He studied at the Warsaw Conservatory under Józef Elsner.

He was formed by the Polish folk music and the national tradition. He left Poland in 1830 and settled in Paris in 1831.

The Paris Period

Chopin became a celebrated figure of the Parisian musical life. He was a favourite of the salons and supported himself by the teaching and the performances.

He was associated with the writers and the artists of the Romantic movement, including George Sand. The relationship with Sand lasted for nine years.

He composed a large body of the works for the piano, including the etudes, the preludes, and the nocturnes. The works developed the technique of the instrument.

He gave few public concerts and preferred the intimacy of the salon. The performances were admired for their nuance and their refinement.

The Music and the Style

Chopin's music is characterised by the expressive melodies and the rich harmony. He developed the use of the rubato and the pedalling.

The mazurkas and the polonaises draw on the Polish national dances. The works express his longing for his native country.

The etudes are the studies of the technique that are also the works of the art. The nocturnes established the form as a vehicle of the lyrical expression.

The ballades and the scherzos are longer works of a dramatic character. The sonatas and the concertos are the works of the larger forms.

The Later Years and the Legacy

Chopin suffered from the ill health, probably the tuberculosis, throughout his adult life. He toured Britain in 1848 and returned to Paris exhausted.

The relationship with George Sand ended in 1847 and the parting affected him deeply. He died in 1849 in Paris at the age of thirty-nine.

His heart was taken to Warsaw and placed in the Church of the Holy Cross. His body was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

He is regarded as one of the greatest composers of the piano music. His works are central to the repertoire of the pianists throughout the world.

The Forms and the Works

Chopin composed the mazurkas and the polonaises based on the Polish dances. The works express the longing for the native country.

He composed the etudes as the studies of the technique. The works are also the works of the art and are performed in the concert hall.

The nocturnes established the form as the vehicle of the lyrical expression. The ballades and the scherzos are the longer works of the dramatic character.

The Performance and the Style

Chopin gave few public concerts and preferred the salon. The performances were admired for the nuance and the refinement.

He developed the use of the rubato and the pedalling. The technique became a model for the later pianists.

He taught the piano to the wealthy students. The teaching was the main source of his income in the later years.

The Honours and the Memory

Chopin's heart was taken to Warsaw and placed in the Church of the Holy Cross. His body was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

The International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw is one of the most prestigious of the music competitions. The competition is devoted to his works.

He is regarded as one of the greatest composers of the piano music. His works are central to the repertoire of the pianists throughout the world.

The Relationship and the Salon

Chopin was associated with the writer George Sand for nine years. The relationship began in 1838 and ended in 1847.

The couple spent the winters in Paris and the summers at Nohant in the country. The house at Nohant was a centre of the artistic and the literary life.

He was a favourite of the Parisian salons and the aristocratic patrons. He supported himself by the teaching and the performances.

The Later Years and the Death

Chopin suffered from the ill health throughout his adult life. He toured Britain in 1848 and returned to Paris exhausted.

He died in 1849 in Paris at the age of thirty-nine. He was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery.

His heart was taken to Warsaw and placed in the Church of the Holy Cross. The monument in the church commemorates his memory.

References

^[1] ^[2] ^[3] ^[4]

↑ Zamoyski, Adam. Chopin: A New Biography. New York: Doubleday, 1980.
↑ Samson, Jim. Chopin. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
↑ Eigeldinger, Jean-Jacques. Chopin: Pianist and Teacher. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986.
↑ Hedley, Arthur. Chopin. London: Dent, 1947.

[r1-1] Zamoyski, Adam. Chopin: A New Biography. New York: Doubleday, 1980.

[r2-2] Samson, Jim. Chopin. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.

[r3-3] Eigeldinger, Jean-Jacques. Chopin: Pianist and Teacher. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986.

[r4-4] Hedley, Arthur. Chopin. London: Dent, 1947.

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