Frederick Chopin’s life was a short but triumphant one. Even though he did not live long, he composed many influential piano pieces and was very successful in his composing career.
Frederic Chopin (Fryderyk Franciszek Szopen in Polish) was born on March 1st, 1810. He grew up in Zelazowa Wola, Poland and was exposed to music at an early age. He started composing music as early as age 6 and continued to throughout his life.
At age 17 he traveled to Vienna to gain a broader musical experience and later performed back in Poland, Germany, Austria and Paris between age 19 to 22.
In 1832, Chopin settled in Paris and made friends with other composers such as Franz Liszt, Vincenzo Bellini and Felix Mendelssohn. At age 28, Chopin began a love affair with the French novelist Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, more commonly known as George Sand.
They later settled in Nohant from 1839 to 1846. Chopin died on October 17, 1849, in Paris, France of tuberculosis at the age of 39.
Chopin composed many pieces throughout his life time that were greatly affected by the events of the time, especially in Poland. He had many triumphant pieces that I will talk about in the next article.
