| How composers appear | Bach | Beethoven | Brahms | Corelli |
| Chopin | Delibes | Handel | Haydn | Mendelssohn |
| Mozart | Purcell | Schumann | Tchaikovsky | Vivaldi |
Chopin was born in 1810, near Warsaw, Poland, of a Polish mother and French
father. At 8 years old he commenced studies at the Warsaw Conservatory. At the
age of 20 he went to Paris, where he lived for the rest of his life. He became a
concert pianist and composer. His output was almost entire for solo piano,
except for two piano concertos. His idealized memories of his native Poland
inspired all his musical compositions.
He seized the idea of the Nocturne from Irish composer John Field, and made it his own, writing many beautiful slow melodic pieces in this genre. He also used some Polish dance forms, such as the mazurka and polonaise, for many pieces. His studies (or études as he called them in French) are beautiful to listen to, as well as instructive and very challenging to play. His waltzes are world famous above all of his piano music.
Copyright © 2002-2007 Victor Gomersall. All rights reserved