Early Years

Frederic Chopin, a legendary Romantic composer and pianist, was born in 1810 to a French father and Polish mother. The family, who lived near Warsaw, was very musical. Chopin’s earliest musical training was from his older sister, a pianist. He composed his first pieces for piano at the age of seven.
 

Chopin was thoroughly steeped in the folk music of Poland, and he used these melodies as the basis for many of his compositions. He was also highly skilled in the art of improvisation – the spontaneous creation of music without forethought – and would frequently improvise in public performances. Even as a child, he was widely regarded as the best pianist in Warsaw. Chopin was a prodigy, a child genius whose early talent rivaled that of Mozart and Beethoven.

Student Life
 

Chopin studied at the Warsaw Conservatory before traveling to western Europe to explore its famous cultural centers. While in Vienna, he learned of the Polish-Russian war that threatened the safety of his family and friends at home. He wrote several pieces that expressed his dismay over his country’s strife.
 

At the age of 21 Chopin moved to Paris, where he would live for the rest of his life. Here he enjoyed the friendship of many notable musicians including Mendelssohn, Liszt, and Berlioz. He was able to earn a comfortable income from teaching and composing. Despite his early success as a performer, he did not enjoy performing, and thus did so infrequently.

His Private Life

Chopin’s private life included a series of tumultuous romances, including a broken engagement. At the age of 26, he met the French feminist author Amandine Dupin, who used the pen name George Sand to publish her writing. The two never married but maintained a ten-year romance that was both passionate and volatile. They separated in 1847, and although Chopin would engage in other romances, none rivaled theirs in significance. The highly emotional composer wrote several pieces that were inspired by his romantic life.

Chopin's Death
 

After a lifetime of poor health due to tuberculosis, Chopin died at the young age of 39. 3,000 people attended his funeral – notably, George Sand was not among them. He is buried in Paris at the Père Lachaise cemetery – or at least, most of him is. At the composer’s request, his heart was removed after death and preserved in brandy. His sister smuggled it back to his homeland, and it rests to this day at a church near his home in Poland.