Frederic Chopin (1810 - 1849)

Frederic Chopin was born in Poland in 1810. His father had emigrated from France to Poland and taught French to the sons of the court, and he married a lady of the court. It was obvious early on that Frederic was musically talented, so he began his musical education at the Conservatory in Warsaw. He moved to Paris when he was twenty one and stayed there for the length of his life.

This period in history saw great improvements to the piano including a longer keyboard allowing the musician to play melody and harmony. Chopin capitalized on these improvements and focused almost entirely on composing for the piano. His improvisational composing ability was staggering. Forms for piano lyrical pieces were created including nocturnes, Mazurkas, polonaises, and scherzos. Chopin is referred to as the “poet of the piano” and he is credited with making the romantic period the “piano’s golden age”. He also made a technique called “tempo rubato” popular which involved stretching the tempo. Chopin was also a teacher and a nationalist composer who used little nuggets from his homeland Poland.

Chopin was friends with Liszt and Berlioz. He also knew great writers like Victor Hugo and George Sand. George Sand was the name that Aurore Dudevant wrote other, and she and Chopin had an intimate friendship for more than eight years. In 1849, Chopin died at the age of 39 due to tuberculosis.