Frédéric Chopin, French in full Frédéric François Chopin, Polish Fryderyk Franciszek Szopen, (born March 1, 1810 [see Researcher’s Note: Chopin’s birth date], Żelazowa Wola, near Warsaw, Duchy of Warsaw [now in Poland] died October 17, 1849, Paris, France), Polish French composer and pianist of the Romantic period, best known for his solo pieces for piano and his piano concerti. Although he wrote little but piano works, many of them brief, Chopin ranks as one of music’s greatest tone poets by reason of his superfine imagination and fastidious craftsmanship. Chopin’s father, Nicholas, a French émigré in Poland, was employed as a tutor
In his short, 39-year lifetime, Frédéric Chopin wrote two concertos, four ballades, 24 etudes, 57 mazurkas and many other pieces of music, including sonatas, waltzes, nocturnes, études and scherzos. Photos.com-Getty Images/ZU 09-Getty Images/Howstuffworks
Writer Ted Libby may have said it best in his 2010 NPR article celebrating 200 years of the musical genius Frédéric Chopin. Libby argues that no one before or since Chopin has contributed as many significant piano works and writes that Chopin s impact on other musicians is entirely out of proportion to the number of concerts he gave only 30 public performances in 30 years of concertizing. In his surprisingly short career, Chopin managed to leave a lasting mark on the classical genre and the music world at large.