Chopin

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Frederic Francois Chopin, one of the greatest composers of all time, was born in Zelazowa Wola, near Warsaw on February 22, 1810. His father was a Frenchman who had lived in Poland for many years and his mother was Polish and of noble birth. He loved to play music, even as a small child. Before he even knew how to write down his ideas, he started to compose music. He took piano lessons when he was 6 years old from a Czech teacher named Wojceich Zywny, who used to base his teaching on Bach and Mozart. When he was 7, his first composition, the Pollonaise in B flat major, was written down by his father, as well as some other dances, marches and variations now lost. At the age of 8, he performed at a public charity concert. During his early years in Warsaw, he loved to hear the premier artists of the time perform. His first published work, a rondo, appeared when he was only 15 years old. He graduated from the lyceum at age 17, and he was recognized as the leading pianist of Warsaw and a very talented composer.

After Chopin gave two successful concerts in Vienna when he was 19, he began writing works designed for his original piano style. In 1822, he finishes his studies with Zywny and begins private composition lessons with Josef Elsner. He enters classes at the Warsaw Lyceum the next year to further study classical literature, singing, drawing, music theory and harmony. By the late 1820s, he had already won the reputation as a piano virtuoso and composer. He toured throughout Europe to the acclaim of audiences and critics, alike. He made his first visit to Vienna in 1829, where he played concerts and received critical acclaim. The audience's response was very favorable and Chopin was impressed with the warm acceptance of his music and pianistic abilities. The following year, he performed the Concerto in F minor with a small orchestra for family and friends, then has its premier in Warsaw's National Theater on March 17.

In Vienna in 1831, he continues to compose some Mazurkas and Etudes, and attends the local opera and becomes very involved in the local musical life. According to some, the first sketches of the 1st Scherzo and Ballade originated in Vienna. Poland then decided to revolt against its Russian rulers. As a result, the Russian czar put Warsaw under strict military rule, and Chopin decided to go to Paris, which was the center of the romantic movement in the arts. He fell deeply in love with the city in 1831, and never again returned to Warsaw. He soon became a favorite of the Parisian salons, and the society elite. He gave lessons and concerts, and publishers paid well for his compositions. The French loved his genius and charm, and he was always in great demand as both a pianist and a teacher.

1833 and 1834 were very productive years for Chopin. His works greatly increased. Among them are the Variations Brillantes, the Rondo op. 16, and the Waltz op. 18. He completed the Andante Spianato, Grande Polonaise Brillante, and the Scherzo no. 1 in 1835. He traveled to meet his parents and continues on to Dresden and Leipzig where he has a series of meetings with Robert Schumann and Mendelssohn. He became very ill during the winter months of 1835, and writes his will and testament. In 1836, some of his greatest works appear in print for the first time, such as Concerto in F minor, Polonaise op. 22, Ballade op. 23, Mazurkas op. 24, Polonaise op. 26, and Nocturnes op. 27.

In late October of 1836, Chopin met the novelist, Baroness Aurore Dudevant, who used the pen name George Sand. He did not at first like Sand, but upon his return from London in 1837, their relationship intensified. They began a relationship that would prove to be the most influential and devastating events of his life. He published his Etudes op. 25 and dedicated them to Countess Marie d'Agoult . In November he wrote the Trio from the Funeral March Sonata on the anniversary evening of the uprising in Poland.

Chopin's fame continuing in Paris, he gives a concert in the Tuileries at the court of Louis Philippe I, then at a concert given by Valentin Alkan at the Pape salons. In 1840, as his illness progresses, he continues to give piano lessons to members of the aristocracy. It was the fashion among the ladies and girls of Paris society to be known as a pupil of Chopin. He published Sonata op. 35, Impromptu op. 36, Nocturne op. 37, Ballade op. 38, Scherzo op. 39, Polonaises op. 40, Mazurkas op. 41 and the Waltz op. 42 during the summer of 1840.

His reputation only increased as his health worsened. In 1843, he and Sand go to Nohant in the summer where he works on the Nocturnes op. 55 and the Mazurkas op. 56. There he composed the Sonata op. 58 and the Berceuse in the summer and autumn. He composes and corresponds with friends and family as his health continued to deteriorate in 1845. He attended concerts in Paris and receives visits from Delacroix and Mickiewicz. He composed the Mazurkas op. 59 and completed the Sonata for cello, the Barcarolle and the Polonaise-Fantasie. By 1847, Chopin's highly-charged relationship with Sand had ended, leaving Chopin heartbroken.

In February of 1848, Chopin played his last concert in Paris at the Pleyel salon. He performed some of the preludes, mazurkas, waltzes, the Berceuse, the Barcarolle, and with Auguste Franchomme his own cello sonata. A few days after, the February revolution broke out in Paris, reducing the number of lessons and affecting Chopin's livelihood. He then traveled to England and stayed there for 7 months, giving concerts in salons and public halls. He continued to give lessons to the aristocracy there, and also met Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens and Lady Byron. He then goes to Scotland and composes the Waltz in B minor. In November of 1848, he returns to London, very ill.

In 1949, Chopin stops teaching and visits the sick Mickiewicz. He receives numerous visits from friends, pupils and ladies, and Delacroix is a regular visitor. The Mazurka in F minor, his last work dates from the summer of 1849. He is visited by his sister Ludwika with her daughter and husband. He orders them to throw all of his unpublished and uncompleted works into the fire.

"You will find many works, more or less worth of me; in the name of the affection which you hold for me, please burn them all apart from the beginning of my method for piano. The rest, without any exception, must be consumed by fire, for I have too much respect for my public and I do not want all the pieces unworthy of my public to be distributed on my responsibility under my name."

Soon after 2:00 AM on October 17, 1849, Chopin dies. On the 30th of October, Preludes in E minor and B minor, and also his Requiem were performed at his funeral by his wishes. His heart was taken to Warsaw and placed in the Holy Cross Church according to his wishes.

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