The Polish composer Frederic Chopin was born in Zelasowa Wola
and studied music from the age of six. By the time he-was seven,
he had begun his career as a concert pianist and had his first
piece published. He entered the Warsaw Conservatory and after
diligent study emerged with honours in 1829.
His first trip abroad was to Vienna, where he gave two
successful concerts. Life outside Poland was seductive, and after
a brief visit home Chopin left his native land for good,
eventually settling in France, his father's homeland. Although
only 20, he was already an accomplished pianist noted for his
sensitive playing and imaginative improvisations. He had also
composed two of his largest works, both piano concertos. In each
work the orchestra's role is secondary to that of the soloist,
whose part demands virtuoso playing of the highest standard.
Arriving in Paris in 1831 Chopin quickly made influential
friends, but success was slower to come his way. Although a gifted
musician, he was not a natural performer: his introverted nature
did not appeal in the concert hall and his first appearance was
coolly received. Chopin's response was to perform only in the
Parisian Salon, which earned him the reputation of a snob.
However, it was there that his intimate music was heard to best
effect and he soon became one of the most popular and well-paid
performers in the French capital.
The vast majority of Chopin's 170 compositions are for the
piano. Bach exerted an influence, but even more so the operas of
Bellini. Chopin adored soaring melodies and long sustained lines
and incorporated them into his works with a generous splash of
ornamentation. But paramount as an influence were the folk songs
and dances of his native country. Chopin borrowed their
idiosyncratic rhythms and unusual melodies for his Ballades
and Mazurkas and from this rich source developed his
characteristic harmonies and daring use of discords. His love of
dance music can be heard in his numerous Waltzes, which are
in fact impossible to dance to because of their frequent changes
of tempo.
In 1837 Chopin met the novelist George Sand, with whom he lived
for ten years. It was she who inspired him during his most
prolific times and cared for him during the long periods when he
was incapacitated with tuberculosis. After a break with Sand,
Chopin gave concerts in England and Scotland in 1848, but died the
next year in Paris. He left behind a rich legacy of music that has
influenced composers as diverse as Brahms, Faure, and Debussy and
remains as popular as ever today.
