The Man Behind the Piano By: Sadia Al-Hilo

Family History In 1806 Mikolaj and Justyna, Chopin’s mother and father, were married. His father worked at a palace in Warsaw.

Neither of his parents were musicians, they worked in a palace. His father tutored young students and his mother was a maid. He had 3 siblings.

In the Beginning Fryderyk Francois Chopin was born March 1 st 1809 in Zelazowa Wola, a city in Poland. Chopin’s love for music revealed itself at an early age in his life.

“At the age of twelve, Chopin knew so much that he was left to himself with the usual good and ill results” Julius Fontana (pg.8). He played his first concert February 24 th, 1818.

Early Years When Chopin was a young teen, he began lessons with Joseph Elsner In 1823 he took organ lessons from Wilhelm Wurkel (However Chopin taught himself his ability on the piano)

In 1826, Chopin started attending the High School Of music and made friends quickly. At the age of 20 He played the F Minor Concerto for a crowd of 900

Leaving Home Chopin left to Vienna in November of 1830 While he was staying in Vienna, he composed his first 9 Mazurkas In 1831 he took off to Paris where he gave concerts and earned the friendships of other great musicians such as Listz and Berlioz

George Sand Enters His Life Chopin and George Sand (Aurore Dudevant) first met at one of the fetes of Marquis de C. in 1837 She was wearing a plain dress and it was clear she was impressed with his creativity He was instantly unattracted to the woman. When they met again a year later, they instantly fell in love.

The Young Lovers Life Together Chopin and Sand’s relationship was one of the first popular celebrity romances “Over the years truth and legend have become intricately woven into the history of George Sand’s liaison with Chopin…” Ruth Jordan "I have no wish to abandon myself to a passion although there is still a furnace smouldering in my heart."13 George Sand

A Long Relationship Most of Chopin’s greatest works were composed during his long summer stays with Sand in her estate in Nohant Although his creativity was blossoming, his relationship with Sand was slowly falling apart

Chopin tended to get along with Sand’s oldest daughter well, she felt as though her needs were never important to her mother. Arguments filled their everyday life After 8 long years they finally broke up, leaving Chopin devastated

Life Without Her Chopin never stopped loving George sand throughout the rest of his life He found it hard to write and compose again without her in his life He never returned to his homeland of Poland in all his life He finally died of consumption in the year of 1849

At his Funeral When he died he was buried in the cemetary Pere Lachaise in Paris, France He was buried with a small silver urn that contained soil from his homeland of poland Although he was buried in France, his sister, Ludwika, took his heart back to Poland where it was buried in a pillar in the holy cross church, above it lies the inscription “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Personality Traits and Physical Attributes Frederic Chopin was very cold and vain. He had a pessimistic attitude "It is not my fault if I am like a mushroom which seems edible but which poisons you if you pick it and taste it, taking it to be something else,“ Frederic Chopin He had dark brown hair, a large nose, and a cold stare in his eyes

Chopin’s Compositions Frederic Chopin became famous during the romantic period in history, some of his greatest works are: Ballad No. 1 in G minor (1835), Nocturne No. 3 in B major (1830), Prelude No. 24 in D minor (1838)

Related Videos Ballad No. 1 in G Minor: Nocturne No. 3 in B Major:

Bibliography Huneker, James. Chopin; the Man and His Music,. New York: Dover Publications, Print Amazon.com: Frederick Chopin, as a Man and Musician, Volume 2 ( ): Frederick Niecks: Books." Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 20 Sept Frederic Chopin - A Profile of Chopin." Classical Music at About.com - Classical Music for Beginners and Experts Alike. Web. 20 Sept < Liszt, Franz, and Martha Walker Cook. Life of Chopin. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Print.