CHOPIN Fryderyk Franciszek (1810-1849), Polish composer and pianist.
Born February 22 (according to other sources, March 1) 1810 in Zhelyazova Wola near Warsaw in the family of a teacher. Chopin's musical talent manifested itself very early. In 1817, the young composer's first polonaises were published (a total of 16 polonaises were created by Chopin in the period 1817-1846), and from that time he began performing in concerts as a virtuoso pianist.
The first music teacher for Chopin was the Czech musician V. Zhivny. And then, having entered the Higher School of Music in Warsaw, he studied with the famous composer, later the director of the Warsaw Conservatory, J. Elsner.
In 1827 Chopin finished his studies and began to regularly perform in concerts, performing his own compositions. In 1828, the composer made his first tour of Berlin and then Vienna, which brought him great success.
From 1829 Chopin's fame began to grow not only as a brilliant pianist, but also as a composer. A true poet of the piano, he devoted almost all of his work to this instrument. He wrote two piano concertos (1829 and 1830), three sonatas, including the Sonata in B-flat minor with the famous Funeral March (1828-1844), four ballads (1835-1842), 21 nocturne ( 1827-1846), 27 studies (1829-1839), 25 preludes (1831-1839). In addition, Chopin owns 19 songs (1829-1847), a sonata for cello and piano (1846) and many other works.
In 1830 the composer left Warsaw for good, lived for a short time in Vienna, after which he moved to Paris. In the French capital, a circle of friends and like-minded people gathered around Chopin, among whom were his close friend F. Liszt, artist E. Delacroix, writer O. Balzac, poet A. de Musset, composer G. Berlioz. Chopin developed a particularly close relationship with the writer Aurora Dudevant, known under the pseudonym Georges Sand. For eight years she was a friend of the composer.
In 1837 Chopin made a trip to England and Scotland, which lasted almost a year, and 1838-1839. spent on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The end of the musician's life was overshadowed by a lung disease, which became the cause of his death.
He died on October 17, 1849 in Paris, was buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery. In his will, Chopin asked to take his heart to his homeland, to Poland, which was done. The composer's heart rests in the Warsaw Church of the Holy Cross.
