Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin was a Polish composer and pianist. He was one of the great masters of Romantic music, sometimes called “the poet of the piano” whose poetic genius is based on a professional technique that is unmatched in his generation.
The artist was born on February 22, 1810 in what was then the Duchy of Warsaw and died on October 17, 1849 in Paris. Chopin was a child prodigy and at the age of only 7 he began to perform his first public concerts. In 1817 he composed two Polish lyrics, in G minor and B flat major. As a child Chopin was a playmate of the son of the sovereign of Poland, for whom he composed a march and often played the piano. This friendship helped to give him considerable fame.
Between 1823 and 1826, Chopin attended the Warsaw Lyceum, where he was defined as a music genius with incredible skills. In 1825 Chopin performed before the Tsar Alexander I, visiting Warsaw, who rewarded him with a diamond ring. From 1827 to 1829 Chopin studied in the High School of Music, in the arts and sciences department of the University of Warsaw. He had the opportunity to listen to Niccolò Paganini playing the violin and composed a series of variations, the Souvenir de Paganini.
At the age of twenty Chopin moved to Paris, where he led a virtuous life, composing songs that were particularly successful in the cultural gatherings. Among the most performed there were Polacca op. 53, the Studio op. 25 no. 12. He attended opera houses and met various musicians. He was mainly invited to perform in private salons, while his public concerts were rare.
In 1838 he met the writer George Sand, six years older than him and previously lover of Alfred de Musset and the jealous Félicien Mallefille and began his love adventure with her. After 7 years, the incompatibility between the two artists was evident. This separation influenced Chopin’s style. Moreover, the worsening of his illness caused Chopin to fall into a depression that probably hastened his death. After leaving Nohant-Vic he composed less and less until total silence.
The famous Polish pianist was a generous man with gifts and gratuities. He often made loans to compatriots in need. It seems that love for luxury led him to spend a lot on accessories, furnishings, and beautiful clothes. Although his earnings came from private lessons and concerts only, he never worried about the state of his finances.
The name of Chopin is inseparably linked to the piano, an instrument to which he devoted almost all of his production, managing to create a totally new, intimate, velvety, exquisitely romantic piano sound. In his performances he always excluded the declamatory tone, but at the same time he avoided any concession to artificiality. A continuous work of rethinking meticulously carried out, sometimes for years, transformed simple ideas and improvisations into masterpieces.