Author Description:
Frédéric Chopin is best known for his piano works, most notably the collections of Etudes, Nocturnes, Preludes, Mazurkas, Ballades, and Scherzos. Throughout his life he was famous as a composer, pianist, and teacher. Chopin was born in Poland in 1810. A child prodigy, by the age of eight he was performing publicly on the piano, and by the age of 15 his compositions were being published. Chopin attended the University of Warsaw and it was there he wrote what are considered his first "adult" compositions. These included the Sonata in C minor for piano (Op. 4), and Variations based on a theme from Mozart's Don Giovanni, La Ci Darem La Mano, (Op. 2). In 1930, Chopin premiered the Piano Concerto in F minor, and Piano Concerto in E minor. He moved to Paris in 1831. Chopin began an affair with writer Aurore Dupin Dudevant, also known as George Sand, in 1838. They spent the winter of 1838-39 on Majorca, and the 24 Preludes (1836-39) and Sonata No. 2 (1837-39) were finished during this period. When he returned to Paris, Chopin became a much sought-after teacher. On February 16, 1848, Chopin gave his final performance in Paris. His health grew continually worse, and before his death he requested his unpublished compositions be burned rather than prematurely released. Chopin died on October 17, 1849.
