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Frédéric-François Chopin is widely seen as the greatest of Polish composers and among the very greatest of composers for the piano. He wrote almost exclusively for the piano. He was born as Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, only adopting the French variant "Frédéric-François" when he left Poland for Paris at age 20, never to return. His surname is also sometimes spelt Szopen in Polish texts.

Born in Zelazowa Wola in central Poland to a French-born father and Polish mother, Chopin started his musical education in 1816, composed his first work in 1817, and made his first appearance on stage in 1818. He studied music first with Joseph Elsner, and after 1826 in the Musical School in Warsaw mainly under Wojciech Zywny. In 1830 he left Poland for France and lived the rest of his life in and near Paris.

Among his friends were Franz Liszt, Vincenzo Bellini (beside whom he is buried in the Père Lachaise), and Eugene Delacroix. He was also friends with composers Hector Berlioz and Robert Schumann, and, although sometimes critical of their music, dedicated some of his compositions to them.

Chopin and George Sand

Perhaps Chopin's most famous companion was the novelist George Sand, an affair that lasted for ten years until they agreed to part as Chopin's illness advanced. A notable episode in their time together was a turbulent and miserable winter on Majorca living in unheated peasant huts for much of the time. Chopin reflected much of the mood of this desperate time in the 24 Preludes, Op.28, the majority of which were written in Majorca. The weather had such a serious impact on Chopin's health (he suffered chronic lung disease) that he and George Sand were compelled to return to Paris to save his life. He survived but never recovered from this bout.

Death and Funeral

Chopin died, officially, of tuberculosis in 1849, although there is some speculation that he may have had another disease such as cystic fibrosis or emphysema due in part to autopsy findings (reported only by his sister) seemingly inconsistent with the initial diagnosis. He had requested that Mozart's Requiem be sung at his funeral, held at the Church of the Madeleine. The Requiem has major parts for female singers but the Madeleine had never permitted female singers in its choir. The funeral was delayed for almost 2 weeks while the matter raged, the church finally relenting and granting Chopin's final wish. Although Chopin is buried in the Père Lachaise in Paris, his heart is entombed in a pillar in the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw, Poland.

Music

Chopin's music belongs to the Romantic period of classical music. However, Chopin regarded the Romantic movement in a negative way and did not want to associate himself with it. Nowadays, Chopin's music is considered to be the paragon of the Romantic style.

All of his works, without exception, involve the piano. They are predominantly for solo piano, but there is small number of works with: a second piano; another instrument; 2 other instruments; voice; or orchestra.