Frederic Chopin Created by

Birth, Childhood, Education, & Death Chopin was born on February 22, 1810 according to baptism records, but he was born on March 1, 1810 according to his parents. He was born in Poland. He died in Paris, France. In his childhood, he was a prodigy on the piano. From 1823-1826, Chopin attended the Warsaw Lyceum, and in 1826 he began to study music theory, figured bass, and composition.

Family Background For a living, Chopin’s father taught French at Warsaw Lyceum. Chopin had 3 sisters. His sisters’ names were Ludwika, Izabela, and Emilia. His sister, Ludwika, also played piano. Chopin never got married, but he had many rocky relationships. Since he never got married, he never had any children.

Music Chopin played the piano. He started playing piano when he was 6, and he published his 1st composition when he was 7 years old. Chopin composed: 21 nocturnes, 27 etudes, 26 preludes, 2 piano concertos, 17 polonaises, 19 waltzes, & 58 mazurkas.

Chopin in the Romantic Era Chopin lived and composed during the Romantic Era. The Romantic Era was an era during the 19th century. (The 1800s.) During this era, the Industrial Revolution was happening. The music during this time period is generally marked by lyricism, fantasy, and emotional expression. Another composer during this time period was Franz Liszt.

Chopin’s Accomplishments & End Some of his jobs were he performed concerts in Vienna and Paris, and he also taught piano. Some accomplishments in his career: He had students turn out to be professional piano players. He got hired by royalty and wealthy French people. He played for a private audience including Queen Victoria. Chopin was always prone to chest infections since he was young, so it wasn’t a surprise when he passed away at age 39 of tuberculosis. A quote by Chopin is, “Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.”

Chopin’s Music 3 major works written by Chopin are: Minute Waltz Op. 64 No. 1 Funeral March Fantasie Impromptu Op. 66 The Minute Waltz was dedicated to Delfina Potocka who was one of Chopin’s students and muse. This work is unique from this time period because it is a solo work for the piano, not anything else.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Oo X6ZTUd3Vo Minute Waltz Op. 64 No. 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Oo X6ZTUd3Vo This piece makes us feel happy/major; it is very bouncy. It also has a nice contrast in dynamics.

The Importance of Chopin We study Chopin because he was a major composer in the romantic era, and he was a strong influence on composers who came after him. He did ballades and other types of piano works before any other composers did. We should remember that he was a main composer that influenced the music that came after him. He influenced composers after him by showing what elaborate and popular solo piano works could be composed. What we have learned about his composer that I didn’t know was he was short-tempered. We also learned Chopin was 5’7 and weighed only 88 pounds.

Resources www.yahoo.com www.musicallyspeaking.com www.biography.com www.npr.org www.kidsmusiccorner.co.uk www.52composers.com