Frédéric Chopin

Born
Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin

1 March 1810

Żelazowa Wola, Poland
Died 17 October 1849 (aged 39)

Paris, France
Occupations
  • Composer
  • pianist
Works List of compositions

Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leading musician of his era, one whose “poetic genius was based on a professional technique that was without equal in his generation”.

Both in terms of harmony and piano technique, Chopin invented a completely new style, always instantly recognizable, and with far-reaching influences. Few composers command such universal love – above all for the unique charm of his lyrical, floating melodies. But Chopin’s style is also one of great energy and virtuosity, joy and humor, philosophical reflection, and raging storms. Many works contain an element of nostalgia and sorrow, born out of the exiled composer’s longing for Poland.

See More :

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  4. Georges Bizet
  5. Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev

Top Pieces:

 

Nocturne 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2

Chopin’s best-known Nocturne is intensely lyrical, with a gentle, exquisitely decorated melody.
Nocturne 2 Op. 9 No. 2 in E-flat Major by Chopin piano sheet music

Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp Minor, Op. 66

It’s easy to see why the Fantaisie-Impromptu is among Chopin’s most popular works. The sweeping melody of soaring sixteenth notes is hard, but fun, to play – and exciting to listen to.
Fantaisie-Impromptu Op. 66 in C-sharp Minor by Chopin piano sheet music

Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28 No. 4

Each of the 24 Preludes is a miraculous example of Chopin’s virtuosity in translating human emotions to piano music. This is one of the most well-known and also one of the saddest: Chopin himself requested that it should be played at his funeral.
Prelude Op. 28 No. 4 in E Minor by Chopin piano sheet music

Prelude (Raindrop) in D-flat Major, Op. 28 No. 15

This Prelude has been likened to a beautiful dream that turns into an oppressive nightmare. Both moods are accompanied by the same obsessively repeated note, like stubborn raindrops indifferent to human emotion.
Prelude (Raindrop) Op. 28 No. 15 in D-flat Major by Chopin piano sheet music

Ballade 1 in G Minor, Op. 23

From the very first notes in the first Ballade there’s a feeling that Chopin means to tell us something extraordinary – a tale that grows slowly until we reach the powerful and ecstatic coda.
Ballade 1 Op. 23 in G Minor by Chopin piano sheet music

Nocturne 20 in C-sharp Minor, B. 49

The unique, nostalgic mood of this Nocturne apparently makes it able to melt the most hardened hearts – there is a famous story that the pianist Natalia Karp’s life was spared as a direct result of playing this Nocturne in the concentration camp where she was a prisoner during World War II.
Nocturne 20 Op. posth. B. 49 in C-sharp Minor by Chopin piano sheet music

Biography

Brought up in Warsaw by a Polish mother and a French father, Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) was more or less self-taught as a performer. Even his first teacher Wojciech Zywny didn’t have much to offer him in terms of technique, but still did his pupil a great service by introducing him to Bach and Viennese Classicism. Later, Chopin received thorough training in composition at the High School of Music in Warsaw. Around his twenties, he grew increasingly troubled about his future – he loved his native country, but at the same time deplored the provinciality of it. He embarked on a European tour, still doubting the path of public pianist-composer and resenting the extreme publicity surrounding his concerts.

One week after arriving in Vienna, he had news of the Warsaw uprising against the Russian rulers. Chopin would have liked to return immediately, but was dissuaded by friends pointing out that his contribution to the Polish cause could best be made in other ways. The Russians were victorious, which made a return to Poland impossible; Chopin continued to Paris. From the start he felt at home there, not least because there were Polish émigrés everywhere but also because he was overwhelmed by the city’s cultural life. He made friends with other young artists, including Liszt and Berlioz, and with the help of Frédéric Kalkbrenner arranged his first Parisian concert early in 1832. In the following years his reputation grew steadily, and he settled into a stable routine of teaching, composing and performing, mostly in the intimate setting of the salons.

In 1838 Chopin began his love affair with the novelist George Sand; together they spent the winter months of 1838–9 in Majorca. This proved an ill-considered venture: their accommodation was quite unable to withstand the harsh winter, and Chopin’s already fragile health worsened. During the first half of the 1840s, Chopin would spend the summers composing in Sand’s home in Berry, but work became increasingly slow and laborious as his health deteriorated further. In 1846, the relationship with Sand came to an end; her novel Lucrezia Floriani, published the same year, was blatantly autobiographical and far from flattering to Chopin. In his last year, he managed to make a tour of the British Isles; after his return, as the word quickly spread that he was dying, friends and acquaintances gathered constantly around him. Pauline Viardot remarked cynically that “all the grand Parisian ladies considered it de rigueur to faint in his room.” He died in the presence of his pupil Adolphe Gutman and Sand’s daughter Solange.

Quotes by Chopin

“Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.”

“Mould the keyboard with a velvet hand. And feel the key rather than striking it. Since each finger is individually shaped, it is best not to seek to destroy the particular charm of each, but to develop it. As many different sounds as fingers.”

Quotes about Chopin

“It was an unforgettable picture to see Chopin sitting at the piano like a clairvoyant, lost in his dreams; to see how his vision communicated itself through his playing, and how, at the end of each piece, he had the sad habit of running one finger over the length of the plaintive keyboard, as though to tear himself forcibly away from his dream.” (Robert Schumann)

“His hands would suddenly expand to cover a third of the keyboard. It was like the opening of the mouth of a snake about to swallow a rabbit whole.” (Ferdinand Hiller)

“Chopin is the greatest of us all, for through the piano alone he discovered everything.” (Claude Debussy)

Most popular pieces:

Nocturne 2 Op. 9 No. 2 E-flat Major 1833 7
Fantaisie-Impromptu Op. 66 C-sharp Minor 1834 8+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 4 E Minor 1834 5
Prelude (Raindrop) Op. 28 No. 15 D-flat Major 1834 7
Ballade 1 Op. 23 G Minor 1835 8+
Nocturne 20 Op. posth. B. 49 C-sharp Minor 1830 8

All pieces:

Concertos

Piano Concerto 1 Op. 11 E Minor 1833 8+
Piano Concerto 2 Op. 21 F Minor 1836 8+

Sonatas

Sonata 1 Op. 4 C Minor 1827 8+
Sonata 2 Op. 35 B-flat Minor 1837 8+
Sonata 3 Op. 58 B Minor 1844 8+

Nocturnes

Nocturne 1 Op. 9 No. 1 B-flat Minor 1833 8
Nocturne 2 Op. 9 No. 2 E-flat Major 1833 7
Nocturne 3 Op. 9 No. 3 B Major 1833 7
Nocturne 4 Op. 15 No. 1 F Major 1834 8
Nocturne 5 Op. 15 No. 2 F-sharp Major 1834 7
Nocturne 6 Op. 15 No. 3 G Minor 1834 7
Nocturne 7 Op. 27 No. 1 C-sharp Minor 1836 8
Nocturne 8 Op. 27 No. 2 D-flat Major 1836 8
Nocturne 9 Op. 32 No. 1 B Major 1837 8
Nocturne 10 Op. 32 No. 2 A-flat Major 1837 7
Nocturne 11 Op. 37 No. 1 G Minor 1840 7
Nocturne 12 Op. 37 No. 2 G Major 1840 7
Nocturne 13 Op. 48 No. 1 C Minor 1842 8
Nocturne 14 Op. 48 No. 2 F-sharp Minor 1842 8
Nocturne 15 Op. 55 No. 1 F Minor 1844 7
Nocturne 16 Op. 55 No. 2 E-flat Major 1844 7
Nocturne 17 Op. 62 No. 1 B Major 1846 8
Nocturne 18 Op. 62 No. 2 E Major 1846 8
Nocturne 19 Op. 72 No. 1 E Minor 1837 7
Nocturne 20 Op. posth. B. 49 C-sharp Minor 1830 8
Nocturne 21 Op. posth. B. 108 C Minor 1848 7

Ballades

Ballade 1 Op. 23 G Minor 1835 8+
Ballade 2 Op. 38 F Major 1839 8+
Ballade 3 Op. 47 A-flat Major 1841 8+
Ballade 4 Op. 52 F Minor 1842 8+

Scherzi

Scherzo 1 Op. 20 B Minor 1833 8+
Scherzo 2 Op. 31 B-flat Minor 1837 8+
Scherzo 3 Op. 39 C-sharp Minor 1839 8+
Scherzo 4 Op. 54 E Major 1843 8+

Impromptus

Impromptu 1 Op. 29 A-flat Major 1837 7
Impromptu 2 Op. 36 F-sharp Major 1839 8+
Impromptu 3 Op. 51 G-flat Major 1842 8
Fantaisie-Impromptu Op. 66 C-sharp Minor 1834 8+

Preludes

Prelude Op. 28 No. 1 C Major 1834 8+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 2 A Minor 1834 7
Prelude Op. 28 No. 3 G Major 1834 8
Prelude Op. 28 No. 4 E Minor 1834 5
Prelude Op. 28 No. 5 D Major 1834 8+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 6 B Minor 1834 6
Prelude Op. 28 No. 7 A Major 1834 4
Prelude Op. 28 No. 8 F-sharp Minor 1834 8+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 9 E Major 1834 6
Prelude Op. 28 No. 10 C-sharp Minor 1834 8
Prelude Op. 28 No. 11 B Major 1834 8
Prelude Op. 28 No. 12 G-sharp Minor 1834 8+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 13 F-sharp Major 1834 8
Prelude Op. 28 No. 14 E-flat Minor 1834 8+
Prelude (Raindrop) Op. 28 No. 15 D-flat Major 1834 7
Prelude Op. 28 No. 16 B-flat Minor 1834 8+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 17 A-flat Major 1834 8+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 18 F Minor 1834 8+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 19 E-flat Major 1834 8+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 20 C Minor 1834 6
Prelude Op. 28 No. 21 B-flat Major 1834 8+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 22 G Minor 1834 8+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 23 F Major 1834 8+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 24 D Minor 1834 8+
Prelude KK IVb:7 A-flat Major 1834 7
Prelude Op. 45 C-sharp Minor 1841 7

Etudes

Etude Op. 10 No. 1 C Major 1832 8+
Etude Op. 10 No. 2 A Minor 1832 8+
Etude Op. 10 No. 3 E Major 1832 8
Etude Op. 10 No. 4 C-sharp Minor 1832 8+
Etude Op. 10 No. 5 G-flat Major 1832 8+
Etude Op. 10 No. 6 E-flat Minor 1832 8
Etude Op. 10 No. 7 C Major 1832 8+
Etude Op. 10 No. 8 F Major 1832 8+
Etude Op. 10 No. 9 F Minor 1832 8+
Etude Op. 10 No. 10 A-flat Major 1832 8+
Etude Op. 10 No. 11 E-flat Major 1832 8
Etude Op. 10 No. 12 C Minor 1832 8+
Etude Op. 25 No. 1 A-flat Major 1836 8
Etude Op. 25 No. 2 F Minor 1836 8
Etude Op. 25 No. 3 F Major 1836 8+
Etude Op. 25 No. 4 A Minor 1836 8
Etude Op. 25 No. 5 E Minor 1836 8
Etude Op. 25 No. 6 G-sharp Minor 1836 8+
Etude Op. 25 No. 7 C-sharp Minor 1836 8
Etude Op. 25 No. 8 D-flat Major 1836 8+
Etude Op. 25 No. 9 G-flat Major 1836 8
Etude Op. 25 No. 10 B Minor 1836 8+
Etude Op. 25 No. 11 A Minor 1836 8+
Etude Op. 25 No. 12 C Minor 1836 8+
Etude B. 130 No. 1 F Minor 1839 8
Etude B. 130 No. 3 D-flat Major 1839 8
Etude B. 130 No. 2 A-flat Major 1839 8

Waltzes

Waltz 1 Op. 18 E-flat Major 1832 8
Waltz 2 Op. 34 No. 1 A-flat Major 1835 8
Waltz 3 Op. 34 No. 2 A Minor 1834 6
Waltz 4 Op. 34 No. 3 F Major 1838 7
Waltz 5 Op. 42 A-flat Major 1840 7
Waltz 6 Op. 64 No. 1 D-flat Major 1847 7
Waltz 7 Op. 64 No. 2 C-sharp Minor 1847 7
Waltz 8 Op. 64 No. 3 A-flat Major 1847 6
Waltz 9 Op. 69 No. 1 A-flat Major 1835 6
Waltz 10 Op. 69 No. 2 B Minor 1829 6
Waltz 11 Op. 70 No. 1 G-flat Major 1832 8
Waltz 12 Op. 70 No. 2 F Minor 1842 7
Waltz 13 Op. 70 No. 3 D-flat Major 1829 8
Waltz 14 B. 56 E Minor 1829 7
Waltz 15 B. 44 E Major 1829 7
Waltz 16 B. 21 A-flat Major 1827 7
Waltz 17 B. 46 E-flat Major 1830 7
Waltz 18 B. 133 E-flat Major 1840 5
Waltz 19 (Sostenuto) B. 150 A Minor 1849 5

Mazurkas

Mazurka 1 Op. 6 No. 1 F-sharp Minor 1832 6
Mazurka 2 Op. 6 No. 2 C-sharp Minor 1832 6
Mazurka 3 Op. 6 No. 3 E Major 1832 7
Mazurka 4 Op. 6 No. 4 E-flat Minor 1832 8
Mazurka 5 Op. 7 No. 1 B-flat Major 1832 6
Mazurka 6 Op. 7 No. 2 A Minor 1832 6
Mazurka 7 Op. 7 No. 3 F Minor 1832 6
Mazurka 8 Op. 7 No. 4 A-flat Major 1832 6
Mazurka 9 Op. 7 No. 5 C Major 1832 6
Mazurka 10 Op. 17 No. 1 B-flat Major 1834 7
Mazurka 11 Op. 17 No. 2 E Minor 1834 7
Mazurka 12 Op. 17 No. 3 A-flat Major 1834 7
Mazurka 13 Op. 17 No. 4 A Minor 1834 6
Mazurka 14 Op. 24 No. 1 G Minor 1836 6
Mazurka 15 Op. 24 No. 2 A Minor 1836 7
Mazurka 16 Op. 24 No. 3 A-flat Major 1836 7
Mazurka 17 Op. 24 No. 4 B-flat Minor 1836 7
Mazurka 18 Op. 30 No. 1 C Minor 1837 6
Mazurka 19 Op. 30 No. 2 B Minor 1837 7
Mazurka 20 Op. 30 No. 3 D-flat Major 1837 8
Mazurka 21 Op. 30 No. 4 C-sharp Minor 1837 8
Mazurka 22 Op. 33 No. 1 G-sharp Minor 1838 7
Mazurka 23 Op. 33 No. 2 D Major 1838 8
Mazurka 24 Op. 33 No. 3 C Major 1838 7
Mazurka 25 Op. 33 No. 4 B Minor 1838 6
Mazurka 26 Op. 41 No. 1 C-sharp Minor 1840 7
Mazurka 27 Op. 41 No. 2 E Minor 1840 6
Mazurka 28 Op. 41 No. 3 B Major 1840 7
Mazurka 29 Op. 41 No. 4 A-flat Major 1840 7
Mazurka 30 Op. 50 No. 1 G Major 1842 6
Mazurka 31 Op. 50 No. 2 A-flat Major 1842 7
Mazurka 32 Op. 50 No. 3 C-sharp Minor 1842 7
Mazurka 33 Op. 56 No. 1 B Major 1844 7
Mazurka 34 Op. 56 No. 2 C Major 1844 7
Mazurka 35 Op. 56 No. 3 C Minor 1844 7
Mazurka 36 Op. 59 No. 1 A Minor 1846 7
Mazurka 37 Op. 59 No. 2 A-flat Major 1846 7
Mazurka 38 Op. 59 No. 3 F-sharp Minor 1846 7
Mazurka 39 Op. 63 No. 1 B Major 1847 7
Mazurka 40 Op. 63 No. 2 F Minor 1847 6
Mazurka 41 Op. 63 No. 3 C-sharp Minor 1847 7
Mazurka 42 Op. 67 No. 1 G Major 1835 7
Mazurka 43 Op. 67 No. 2 G Minor 1849 6
Mazurka 44 Op. 67 No. 3 C Major 1835 6
Mazurka 45 Op. 67 No. 4 A Minor 1846 7
Mazurka 46 Op. 68 No. 1 C Major 1829 7
Mazurka 47 Op. 68 No. 2 A Minor 1827 7
Mazurka 48 Op. 68 No. 3 F Major 1829 7
Mazurka 49 Op. 68 No. 4 F Minor 1849 7
Mazurka 50 (Notre Temps) KK IIb:4 A Minor 1840 7
Mazurka 51 (À Émile Gaillard) KK IIb:5 A Minor 1840 7
Mazurka KK IIa:2 G Major 1826 5
Mazurka KK IIa:3 B-flat Major 1826 5
Mazurka KK IVa:7 D Major 1829 5
Mazurka KK IVb:1 B-flat Major 1832 5
Mazurka KK IVb:2 D Major 1832 6
Mazurka KK IVb:3 C Major 1833 8
Mazurka KK IVb:4 A-flat Major 1834 6

Polonaises

Polonaise 1 Op. 26 No. 1 C-sharp Minor 1836 8+
Polonaise 2 Op. 26 No. 2 E-flat Minor 1836 8+
Polonaise 3 Op. 40 No. 1 A Major 1840 8+
Polonaise 4 Op. 40 No. 2 C Minor 1840 8+
Polonaise 5 Op. 44 F-sharp Minor 1841 8+
Polonaise 6 (Heroic Polonaise) Op. 53 A-flat Major 1843 8+
Polonaise-Fantaisie Op. 61 A-flat Major 1846 8+
Polonaise 8 Op. 71 No. 1 D Minor 1827 8+
Polonaise 9 Op. 71 No. 2 B-flat Major 1828 8+
Polonaise 10 Op. 71 No. 3 F Minor 1829 8+
Polonaise 11 B. 1 G Minor 1817 5
Polonaise 12 B. 3 B-flat Major 1817 5
Polonaise 13 B. 5 A-flat Major 1821 7
Polonaise 14 B. 6 G-sharp Minor 1822 8+
Polonaise 15 B. 13 B-flat Minor 1826 8
Polonaise 16 B. 36 G-flat Major 1829 8+

Miscellaneous pieces

Introduction & Variation on “Der Schweizerbub” E Major 1826 8+
Largo (God Save Poland) B. 109 E-flat Major 1837 6
Wiosna B. 117 G Minor 1838 3
Fugue B. 144 A Minor 1841 6
Galop Marquis A-flat Major 1846 4
Rondo Op. 1 C Minor 1825 8+
Variations on Mozart’s “La ci darem la mano” Op. 2 B-flat Major 1830 8+
Rondo à la Mazur Op. 5 F Major 1827 8+
Variations Brillantes Op. 12 B-flat Major 1833 8+
Fantasy on Polish Airs Op. 13 A Major 1834 8+
Rondo à la Krakowiak Op. 14 F-sharp Major 1834 8+
Rondo Op. 16 E-flat Major 1833 8+
Bolero Op. 19 C Major 1833 8+
Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise Brilliante Op. 22 G Major 1836 8+
Tarantella Op. 43 A-flat Major 1841 8+
Allegro de Concert Op. 46 A Major 1841 8+
Fantasia Op. 49 F Minor 1841 8+
Berceuse Op. 57 D-flat Major 1844 8
Barcarolle Op. 60 F-sharp Major 1846 8+
Marche Funèbre Op. 72 No. 2 C Minor 1829 8+
Three Ecossaises Op. 72 No. 3 N/A 1830 7
Rondo – for two pianos Op. 73 C Major 1828 8+
Rondo Op. 73 C Major 1828 8+
Bourrée 2 A Major 1846 3

Copy by : pianosintheparks.com

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