Chopin
- Carlos Alencar
- Jun 15
- 12 min read
Updated: Jun 19
Dedicated to Nikola Socha and all the Polish readers of the DEYP
Introduction:
When one thinks of Chopin, the mind's eye is inevitably drawn to three words: romantic, revolutionary, and Polish. As excellent as these words may be, he also deserves the titles of fantastic, delicate, eternal, tormented, and, finally, truly a pianist. Chopin is the great master most exclusively dedicated to the piano in history: of his over 220 works, about 94% are for solo piano, with most of the remaining ones for piano and accompaniment. He is the greatest master of the Romantic period and a treasure of art.
Childhood and Musical Discovery:
Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin was born on March 1, 1810, in a mansion in the Sochaczew district, in the small village of Żelazowa Wola, Poland. His parents were Mikołaj and Tekla, respectively a successful French teacher and an amateur pianist. Six months after his birth, the family moved to Warsaw, where his father had been hired to teach at the lyceum. Fryderyk was the couple's second child, preceded by Ludwika, an important figure in his life, and followed by two more sisters. Ludwika was his first piano instructor; though only three years older, she encouraged him to play and taught him what she already knew.
The young Chopin, like Mozart before him, caught his parents' attention with his ease with the instrument. Due to his rapid progress, in 1816 his parents hired the Czech pianist Wojciech Żywny as his teacher. With him, Chopin was introduced to the works of Bach and Mozart and encouraged in the art of improvisation and composition. It wasn’t long before he was called a prodigy. In the following years, he performed in the homes of Warsaw’s aristocracy, gaining renown as an interpreter and improviser. His earliest compositions include a Polonaise in G minor, another in B-flat minor, and some marches and variations, now lost.
When he turned 12, Wojciech informed the family that the boy had surpassed him and that it was time to find him a new teacher. From then on, Chopin never again had such regular lessons with any other teacher, but he studied piano and organ with the virtuoso Wilhelm Würfel and composition under Józef Elsner. The following year, he enrolled at the Warsaw Lyceum, where he studied multiple languages, Polish history, geography, science, mathematics, and singing. He remained there until the end of 1826, when he completed his studies and entered the composition course at the Warsaw Conservatory.
Conservatory, Travels, and Exile:
It was during his time at the Conservatory that Chopin composed the first works that would immortalize him: the Variations on a Theme from "Don Giovanni" (Op. 2), the Sonata in C minor (Op. 4), and the Grande Fantaisie in A major "Polish Airs" (Op. 13). He graduated in July 1829, honored with the title of "Musical Genius." Shortly after, he set off on a journey to Vienna, passing through several cities along the way. He arrived there in June.
Chopin was an absolute success. His first concert in Vienna took place at the Kärntnerthortheater, a theater where works by names like Haydn, Mozart, Salieri, Beethoven, Schubert, and Weber had already premiered. On August 11, he played his Variations (Op. 2) and improvised; he was met with ovations. His second performance was a week later, where he played, in addition to the repertoire from the first concert, his Rondo à la Krakowiak (Op. 14); to his surprise, he was even more acclaimed than before. The genius returned from Vienna in September—the trip had been extremely productive, not only launching his career as a performer but also expanding his musical horizons, having attended various performances and met important figures like Carl Czerny and Conradin Kreutzer.
The following year, spent in Warsaw, was filled with successful performances. Little did anyone know, however, that this would be his last year in Poland. The farewell concert took place on October 11, but ominous feelings kept him in Warsaw until November, when the pressures of the journey outweighed his inexplicable fears that something was coming. The timing couldn’t have been more precise—on November 29, 1830, the November Uprising began. For more information on this Polish revolution against Russian rule, see the reference at the end of this article.
The next eight months were spent in Vienna. Chopin was compelled not to return too soon—the revolution had turned bloody, and it would be better for him to stay away from the chaos. The whole situation left him somewhat heartbroken; as a nationalist, the idea of not fighting for his country pained him greatly. Compositions from this time include nine Mazurkas (Op. 6; Op. 7), some Nocturnes (Op. 9), two studies that would later form part of his first collection of Études (Op. 10), and the Polonaise in E-flat Major (Op. 22).
His time in Vienna ended on July 20, 1831. Chopin was interested in exploring new musical scenes and thought Paris was the next natural step. Vienna would remain one of the great musical centers of the world, but the truth was: just as the times were new, the heart of art was also new; the avant-garde belonged to Paris, and that was where Chopin should be. Less than two months after his departure, while in the city of Stuttgart, he received news from home: the revolution had been defeated—cities in flames, friends missing, likely captured or possibly dead. Paris was no longer a choice; returning meant suffering the double punishment of being a defeated nationalist and seeing his country in ruins. Forced into exile by war, Fryderyk Chopin arrived in Paris on October 5, where he adopted the name by which the world would come to know him: Frédéric François Chopin.
Paris: The Center of the Universe:
Being at a cultural epicenter has its advantages and disadvantages. While Chopin was a beloved son in Warsaw and a renowned genius in Vienna, in Paris, he was simply one among a sea of pianists. After his arrival, he managed to use the few letters of recommendation he had to make himself known to the great Italian opera masters of the time, including Rossini, Paër, and Cherubini. Through his contact with Paër, Chopin became close to Friedrich Kalkbrenner, possibly the most famous pianist of the time.
Despite his connections, he had great difficulty preparing his Paris debut. Originally planned for December 1831, it had to be postponed to January 1832 and then rescheduled once more for February 25. The repertoire included his Piano Concerto in E minor (Op. 11) and his Variations (Op. 2). Paris was then touched by the Midas of music—the city went wild. With his debut, Chopin left a mark on the audience and the musical elite of Paris; among those present at the performance was the Romantic genius Franz Liszt, who became a great friend. After this performance, Chopin’s life in Paris took off—he was hired as a private teacher in several aristocratic households and became a partner in the musical avant-garde of the time, alongside future masters like Hiller and Berlioz.
In the period following his musical breakthrough, Chopin had time to publish several pieces he had composed before arriving in Paris, as well as some new works. Among the new compositions published in the first half of the 1830s were: his famous collection of Études (Op. 10), on which he had already been working for some years; his Brilliant Variations (Op. 12); the trio of Nocturnes (Op. 15); his very famous Grande Valse Brillante (Op. 18); his first Scherzo (Op. 20); the Mazurkas (Op. 24); and the Polonaises (Op. 26).
Golden Years:
At last, the Golden Age of his life. He began to integrate into the avant-garde circle; Liszt, Berlioz, Hiller, and Mendelssohn became regular companions—a quintet worthy of the greatest renown and all honors. They met extremely frequently. Their musical afternoons were true artistic nebulae—improvising, singing, and dancing, all in an exploratory spirit. They gave numerous public performances, winning Europe’s love with their art.
In 1835, Chopin experienced an important encounter. Through letters from his father, he learned that his parents would be in the Karlsbad region (now the Czech Republic) for a few days, roughly halfway between Warsaw and Paris. He decided to surprise them and secretly traveled to the city. The happiness could not have been greater—they had not seen each other since his departure, shortly before the Uprising began. They spent a month together; his parents were amazed at the man their son had become, while he retained much of his former self. His mother expressed concern about a certain cough he had and urged him to see a doctor. It was the last time they met. After that, he returned to Paris in October, after traveling a bit through Germany.
It was also during his Golden Age that Chopin met his greatest love: Amandine Dupin, better known by her literary pseudonym, George Sand—possibly France’s greatest writer. Their first meeting, in late October 1836, was a complete fiasco; multiple accounts indicate that Chopin had a terrible impression of Sand, who, it must be said, was a very peculiar figure: she smoked heavily (which was unattractive by the standards of the time) and often wore men’s clothing. Despite the bad first impression, Sand ended up joining Chopin’s inner circle, attending his musical afternoons. The following year, she made various efforts to get closer to the composer.
By the end of May 1838, their relationship had become somewhat more intimate, resulting in a trip to Majorca that lasted from mid-October of that year to mid-February of the following year. In Majorca, Chopin was a prolific composer, completing his collection of Preludes (Op. 28) and working on pieces like the Ballade in F minor (Op. 38), the Scherzo in C-sharp minor (Op. 39), the pair of Polonaises (Op. 40), and two of the Mazurkas from Op. 41. Although it was a very productive time, it cannot be said that the trip was very pleasant—shortly after arriving, Chopin’s already fragile health took a turn for the worse.
He became very ill, coughing up blood and suffering from severe coughing fits. In a letter, he mentions that local doctors diagnosed him as a "walking dead man." Moreover, Chopin’s illness made the locals wary and even somewhat frightened, leading to the trip being cut short due to violent incidents. The return journey did nothing to help him—to leave Majorca, they used a boat transporting pigs; the smell and constant squealing of the animals worsened Chopin’s condition. Upon arriving in Barcelona, he had to spend a week under medical care, followed by three more months convalescing in Marseille.
Despite occasional episodes of poor health, the next few years of Chopin’s life were among his best. A good balance was struck between his life as a composer, teacher, and performer. Chopin composed during the summers in the village of Nohant, 300 kilometers south of Paris, and spent the rest of the year in the capital, teaching and participating in concerts. In these final years of his golden age, he composed his most mature works, including the collections of Nocturnes (Op. 48; 53; 62), his Ballades in A-flat major (Op. 47) and F minor (Op. 52), his Sonata in B minor (Op. 58), and many other pieces.
Declining Health and Departure:
Chopin’s death came in the most fitting way possible for a Romantic genius: he died of love. His health was already fragile, but it was only in 1847 that the final blow came. The breakup with George Sand was too much to bear. He found himself surrounded by debt and increasingly physically incapacitated, preventing him from working and causing his debts to grow. Diagnosed with tuberculosis, the "treatment" involved bloodletting and opium—his already fragile health could not endure the torture for long. After the separation, Chopin did not complete another piece; he was unable to compose.
Despite everything, Chopin still managed two final exertions: the first, on February 16, 1848, was his farewell to Paris, where he performed an extensive repertoire: Études, Preludes, Mazurkas, Waltzes, his Berceuse in D-flat major (Op. 57), and his Barcarolle in F-sharp major (Op. 60). In addition to his own works, he also accompanied Franchomme’s Cello Concerto in G minor and played Mozart’s Trio in E major. The second exertion, somewhat greater, was a trip to London, where he gave several performances in aristocratic salons and major theaters—the highlight being a performance for Queen Victoria.
His last public concert took place on November 16, 1848, in London. The proceeds from the concert were intended for struggling Polish immigrants. On November 24, he returned to Paris, where he spent his final months. Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin died at the turn of the night on October 17. His last days were spent in the company of his sister Ludwika, who cared for him on his deathbed. Following Chopin’s orders, his heart was removed and sent back to Poland, where it remains to this day in the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw, his homeland.
Essential Works:
Sonatas
Though not as numerous as the sonata corpus left by masters like Mozart and Beethoven, Chopin’s sonatas lack nothing. They are challenging pieces, reserved for the most skilled professional pianists in both technique and expressiveness. Of his three sonatas, two were published during his lifetime: the Sonata in B-flat minor (Op. 35) and the Sonata in B minor (Op. 58). The posthumously published sonata was written during his youth, around the age of 18, and is in the key of C minor. Although the "sonata" form is not the first that comes to mind when thinking of Chopin, one of the themes from his Sonata (Op. 35) is among the most popular in the world, the "Funeral March."
Concertos
His piano concertos were written during his youth in Poland. Aimed at establishing his career as a piano virtuoso, the two concertos, E minor (Op. 11) and F minor (Op. 21), are titanic pieces. As works of his youth, they are filled with a dialogue between Classical tradition and the emerging brilliant style of the Romantic period. Op. 11, for example, begins with restrained orchestration that soon gives way to themes of almost operatic character, while Op. 21 stands out for the poetic passages of its second movement. Both concertos, despite their Classical roots, already announce the innovative composer who would transform the piano into a vehicle for intimate emotion and heroic grandeur.
Ballades
The ballades are a curious case—a genre essentially invented by Chopin and later adopted by other great composers. He wrote a total of four ballades: G minor (Op. 23), F major (Op. 38), A-flat minor (Op. 47), and F minor (Op. 52). In them, the Polish composer works with genius-like freedom; recent analyses point to certain similarities between the "ballade form" and sonata form. The most famous of these pieces, the Ballade in G minor (Op. 23), was immortalized in the chilling scene of the German soldier in the 2002 film The Pianist, starring cinema genius Adrien Brody.
Nocturnes
"Nocturne" is possibly the closest thing to a fourth name that Chopin ever had. Among his many pieces, it was these small atmospheres that became the most popular. Through his 21 nocturnes, Chopin expanded the genre created by John Field to a completely new and sublime level. The main innovations lie in the accompaniment, featuring a much more developed left hand, and the substantially expanded thematic development. The most famous of these is the Nocturne in E-flat major (Op. 9 No. 2), accessible to intermediate pianists and one of the most played pieces in the world.
Waltzes
These are some of the most famous waltzes in the entire piano repertoire. Spanning various levels of technical demand, they are mandatory for any self-respecting piano student. As with most of the genres he worked in, Chopin significantly expanded the boundaries of how far a waltz could go, both technically and expressively. Among his most famous waltzes are the "Minute" Waltz (Op. 64 No. 1), the Grande Valse Brillante (Op. 18), and the "Farewell" Waltz (Op. 69 No. 1). Chopin wrote a substantial number of waltzes, many of which, unfortunately, were partially lost.
Preludes
Chopin published a total of 25 preludes during his lifetime, with the first 24 in Op. 28 and the 25th as Op. 45. Like the waltzes, they range from student pieces, such as No. 4 in E minor, to professional pieces, like No. 24 in D minor. His Op. 28 is a collection worthy of renown, covering preludes in all keys, both major and minor. They serve the pianist the dual purpose of introductory pieces and standalone works, depending on the interpreter’s criteria and objectives
Études
Chopin’s études belong to a distinct category of works that changed the course of music. Divided between Op. 10 and Op. 25, these pieces completely revolutionized the étude genre, elevating it from purely mechanical and technical exercises to music truly worthy of grand concert halls. Chopin’s études present the perfect union of extremely high expressiveness and virtuosic technique deserving of the highest honors. Unlike the preludes and waltzes, the études are not suited for beginner hands, being more appropriate for intermediate and professional pianists. Among the most famous are: Op. 10 No. 1 "Waterfall," Op. 10 No. 3 "Tristesse," and Op. 10 No. 12 "Revolutionary."
Polonaises
Though his body was exiled, Chopin never allowed his mind to leave Poland. Throughout his life, a total of seven Polonaises for solo piano were published, with only the first of these written before his exile—the Polonaise in C major (Op. 3). These are very demanding pieces technically; in the "Heroic" Polonaise (Op. 53), for example, this virtuosity borders on the transcendental. With Chopin, these elegant 3/4-time dances go far beyond simple pieces, they are true Polish hymns, odes to the history of a great people.
Mazurkas
The Mazurkas constitute, in percentage terms, about 25% of Chopin’s output. The great master dedicated a total of 13 opus numbers to these pieces, with each opus containing an average of four Mazurkas. They range from easy to advanced pieces, covering a wide spectrum of techniques and developments. Through them, as with the Polonaises, Chopin managed to keep Poland with him throughout his life.
Other Pieces
It is people like Chopin who make music an inexhaustible subject. I’ve already discussed his major works, and yet there remain some treasures worth mentioning:
Impromptus: Pieces naturally free in form. Chopin published three impromptus during his lifetime, with the fourth—the eternal Fantaisie-Impromptu (Op. Posth. 66)—being the most famous.
Scherzos: In the Scherzos, we find a wide variety of Chopins, ranging from dramatic weight to almost humorous lightness. Chopin wrote four Scherzos, with the second being the most famous.
Rondos: Chopin wrote three rondos for solo piano and one for piano duo. All were written during his youth. His first published piece was the Rondo in C minor (Op. 1). Generally, they are demanding pieces.
Further Reading and References:
Franz Liszt. Life of Chopin. 1863. Available at: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4386/pg4386-images.html Accessed on:[08/06/2025]
KUZEMKO, Jan A. Chopin's illnesses. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, v. 87, n. 12, p. 769, 1994. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1294992/pdf/jrsocmed00078-0059.pdf. Accessed on: [15/06/2025]
Narodowy Instytut Fryderyka Chopina. Life. Available at: https://chopin.nifc.pl/en/chopin/etap-zycia/1_fryderyk-franciszek-chopin. Accessed on: [07/06/2025]
Narodowy Instytut Fryderyka Chopina. Calendar. Available at: https://chopin.nifc.pl/en/chopin/kalendarium/117_lata-dzieciece-18101816/46. Accessed on: [07/06/2025]
Wojciech Stanisławski. The November Uprising: More Than a Romantic Rebellion. Available at: https://polishhistory.pl/the-november-uprising-more-than-a-romantic-rebellion/. Accessed on: [15/06/2025]
amazing read, nikola’s friend here. 🤗🩷