Frederic Chopin short biography. Frederic Chopin - biography, photo, personal life of the composer Famous Polish composer pianist Frederic

Representative of the art of romanticism. He was born in the small town of Zelazowa Wola, located near Warsaw. His father, Nicolas, was of French descent, and his mother, Justin, was a local resident.

Musical impressions of childhood

Frederick began studying piano at the age of six. The young musician was very lucky with a teacher. The pianist Wojciech Zhivny raised from ¢ to

In early childhood, Frederic became acquainted with Italian opera, which is very popular in all parts of Europe. In the early 19th century, vocal art was not too difficult to grasp. A wide range of listeners were attracted by bright theatrical performances and beautiful catchy melodies that could be hummed. And although Chopin's work does not contain a single opera, he acquired and retained a taste for flexible and plastic melodies throughout his life.

Salon art

Another source of music for the future composer was the so-called salon performance. Mikhail Oginsky was a prominent representative of this art. It is still famous today for its famous Polonaise.

The salon is one of the forms of leisure for representatives of the wealthy strata of European society in the 19th century. This social practice has been described in many literary works, for example by Leo Tolstoy and Honore de Balzac. In the salons, people not only talked, but also listened to music. The largest pianists and violinists of those times gained fame precisely because of their performances at various social events.

Fryderyk Chopin has been playing the piano in local salons since he was 12 years old. He loved this humble home art. Chopin's work bears a vivid imprint of salon music. Pianists invited to a social event were often required to be bravura virtuosity and sentimental ease of performance. But Chopin is alien to the excessive entertainment and banality inherent in this direction of art.

Early creativity

Frederic Chopin's work is opened by two polonaises, which he wrote at the age of seven, possibly under the influence of the work of the same name by Mikhail Oginski. Another source of the future composer's works is Polish musical folklore. Frederica was introduced to him by her mother, who was a good pianist and also an amateur singer.

Young Chopin studied at the Warsaw Lyceum, while studying music under the guidance of private teachers. He comprehended not only playing the piano, but also composition. Later, Fryderyk entered the Main School of Music in the Polish capital.

In Poland, Chopin's career developed successfully thanks to the generous patronage of patrons. In particular, the famous aristocratic Chetvertinsky family took care of the young pianist. In the wake of his success, Chopin was invited to tour Austria, where he left in 1829.

Emigration and its reasons

The concerts of the young musician were a huge success in Europe. He was admired by the famous composers of the time, Robert Schumann and Franz Liszt. Chopin's work was at the peak of its popularity. During the composer's stay on tour, an uprising took place in his homeland.

Freedom-loving Poles rebelled against the Russian Empire. Large-scale riots that engulfed the country lasted for about two years. In 1831, after the siege of Warsaw, they were suppressed by the Russian army. After the victory, the actions of the occupation authorities became even more harsh.

Chopin was an ardent supporter of Polish independence. After the defeat of the uprising, he decided not to return to his homeland. A direct response to these tragic events was the study "C Minor", called "Revolutionary". The composer composed it in early September 1931, right after the fall of the besieged Warsaw.

Sad events in Poland divided Chopin's work into two major periods. The young musician chooses Paris for permanent residence, where he spends the rest of his days, periodically going on tour. The composer never saw his homeland again.

New life in Paris

In Paris, Chopin was active in his creative and teaching activities. During that historical period, the capital of France was the center of the political and cultural life of Europe. After 1830, supporters of the struggle for Polish independence were warmly supported in Parisian society. The greatest figures of art of that time unselfishly helped the composer in the first years of his emigration.

Chopin's life and work are inextricably linked with the activities of his contemporaries - famous artists. The composer's new friends were the artist Eugene Delacroix, the writers Heinrich Heine and Victor Hugo, the composers Franz Liszt and the musicologist François Fetis.

Illness and the end of a virtuoso career

A few years after settling in Paris, Chopin gave concerts in England and Germany, where he met the outstanding composers Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn. Then, in the mid-30s, he was overtaken by a disease - pulmonary tuberculosis.

The poor health of the young musician did not allow him to continue his career as a virtuoso pianist. He stopped performing in large halls. F. Chopin's work since that time has been reduced to writing a number of piano works, which paved the way for him in

As a pianist, he limited his performances to small salons and chamber concert halls. He played mainly for his friends, colleagues and people with similar artistic tastes and passions.

Chamber halls and friendly audiences made Chopin's music unique. She is very personal, intimate. It seems that the composer is exposing his suffering soul to the audience. F. Chopin's work is inextricably linked with the piano. For other instruments, he did not write.

Love of all life

While in Paris, the composer met the famous French writer Aurora Dudevant, who published her books under the male pseudonym Georges Sand. This woman enjoyed scandalous fame in Parisian society. She wore men's clothes and smoked cigars defiantly. The local elite were periodically agitated by rumors about her numerous connections.

If we briefly characterize the life and work of Chopin, then it can be argued that without Georges Sand he would not be himself. She became not only the composer's mistress, but also his friend. The writer was older than Chopin. She already had two children - a boy and a girl.

The great musician often visited the family castle, which became a haven for many of Aurora's friends and her lover. She loved the great fun and parties that lasted until dawn. The sick composer endured her entertainment with great difficulty. Nevertheless, their romance lasted more than ten years.

Winter in Mallorca

No matter how talented he was and his work is inextricably linked with George Sand. The legend about their joint trip to Mallorca is especially popular among lovers of romantic stories. The Spanish island in the Mediterranean is a tourist paradise today. Then, in the distant 19th century, it was an abandoned, deserted and gloomy place. The splendor of nature was combined with the gloomy customs of local residents and poor living conditions.

Chopin, whose biography and work are largely due to an incurable disease, went through one of the most difficult periods on this island. The lovers wanted to spend a warm winter in Mallorca away from Parisian gossip. But the winter turned out to be very rainy and cold, and the negative attitude of local residents towards lovers was frankly aggressive. They could not rent housing and were forced to settle in an abandoned monastery, where the cold raged. This winter, the composer's health deteriorated significantly.

During her life in Mallorca, Georges Sand missed Parisian luxury. Chopin was also melancholy. Brief biography and work of the composer make this winter on the island especially bright. The musician has composed several excellent pieces here. After returning to France, the writer published the book "Winter in Mallorca".

Romanticism and piano creativity

Chopin's work can be briefly defined as romanticism in all its manifestations. His numerous piano miniatures are like different facets of one diamond. The composer has written very few major works. The most famous among them is his second sonata, and especially its third part - the funeral march.

Chopin's piano miniatures are combined into cycles. Polish mazurkas and polonaises are poetic pieces imbued with homesickness. The most lyrical works of the composer are preludes. They run through all of Chopin's work. In short, these compositions can be characterized as short pieces covering all 24 keys. The preludes are done in various genres. For example, a piece in A major reproduces the rhythmic basis of a mazurka. And the prelude "B Minor" resembles an elegy.

Chopin's music genres

Chopin's piano work is due to a multifaceted synthesis. The combination of intonations of different, sometimes contrasting, genres in one short topic leads to a high concentration of tension in the musical fabric. Compressed in an eight-bar melody, hints of a march, nocturne and pathetic recitation seem to explode the theme from within. Their potential is revealed throughout the composition, building complex drama.

As German musicologists note, the work of Friedrich Chopin (as he is called in Germany) was influenced by Robert Schumann, especially his piano cycles. However, the music of this great composer is unusually distinctive. This is confirmed by the so-called Polish cycles - mazurkas and polonaises.

Mazurkas and polonaises

Mazurkas are very diverse. Among them are graceful and refined miniatures, as well as plays written in the spirit of the people. There are also brilliant ballroom mazurkas. Most of these pieces are not difficult in terms of virtuosity. Technically they are easy to execute. Their deep musical meaning makes them difficult to understand; a special subtlety of perception is required from the listener.

Like all Chopin's works, works written in the genre of polonaise are lyrical poetic miniatures. But at the same time they have the character of bright and brilliant dances. Among them there are miniatures of different content: tragic, solemn and exquisite. A pianist playing polonaises needs strong fingers and wide hands. This is necessary in order to cope with the polyphonic chords that underlie the compositions.

If you try to formulate Chopin's work in a few words, its summary will be as follows: the greatest genius of the romantic era, he was the musical idol of Europe. Deprived of his homeland, an exile, he died very early, at 39 years old. For most of his life, Chopin suffered from an incurable disease that limited his career as a virtuoso. He fully knew the love of hundreds of fans and the only woman who managed to understand him. She possessed the same talent as himself. His tragic and at the same time happy fate is in music. And she is immortal.

Chopin Frederic Francois - an outstanding Polish composer and virtuoso pianist, the founder of the Polish national school of composition; teacher. His works are distinguished by unusual lyricism and subtlety of conveying mood. Chopin was born on March 1 (February 22), 1810 in a small village near Warsaw in a simple family. The mother of the future composer had good vocal abilities.

It was she who instilled in him a love for folk melodies from his infancy. Since childhood, he had musical talent and improvised a lot. Soon the Chopin family moved to Warsaw, where little Frederic began to learn to play the piano with V. Zhivny. At about seven years old, he composed his first work, which his father recorded under the title "Polonaise B-Dur". A year later, his first public performance took place, and five years later he signed up with W. Würfel for organ lessons.

The unique melodic style of the young musician was formed on the basis of works by Mozart, Italian opera, salon pieces and the Polish national component. In 1823, Frederic entered the Warsaw Lyceum, during which he published his first opus. Three years later, he entered the main metropolitan music school, where he studied in the class of Y. Elsner. The level of this school corresponded to the conservatory. Upon graduation, Frederick was awarded a diploma, which stated that he was a "musical genius".

In 1829 he gave two successful concerts in Vienna, then went on a trip to Western Europe. It was largely thanks to this composer that the Slavic element began to appear in the pieces of Western European music. On the subject of the fall of Warsaw in 1830-1831. he wrote a "revolutionary" sketch and went to Paris. He never returned to his homeland. He delighted the Parisian public with his mazurkas and polonaises. He was received in the most eminent circles, the best pianists and composers of that time got to know him.

This period includes his sensational romance with the writer Georges Sand, who spent 10 years together with the musician. In 1837, Chopin showed the first signs of lung disease. Together with his beloved, he went to Mallorca. According to evidence, he wrote more than twenty preludes and sketches on this exotic Spanish island. He spent a lot of time at the Georges Sand estate in the French hinterland, which had a fruitful effect on his health. However, this relationship was very emotionally exhausting him, so in 1847 a break followed.

The musician's health is deteriorating every day. In his last summer in Nohant, he wrote Nocturnes op.62 and Mazurkas op.63. In February 1848 in Paris, he gave another concert, which received rave reviews. Before his death, he manages to visit England and Scotland. The musician's last public performance took place in November 1848 in London. He died the following October. Despite the fact that Chopin's ashes rest in the Parisian cemetery, his heart, according to the last request, was transported to Warsaw in the Church of the Holy Cross.

Polish composer and virtuoso pianist, teacher

short biography

Frederic Chopin, full name - Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin (Polish Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, also Polish Szopen); full name in French transcriptions - Frédéric François Chopin (fr.Frédéric François Chopin) (March 1 (according to other sources, February 22) 1810, Zelazowa Wola village, near Warsaw, Duchy of Warsaw - October 17, 1849, Paris, France) - Polish composer and pianist. In his mature years (from 1831) he lived and worked in France. One of the leading representatives of Western European musical romanticism, the founder of the Polish national school of composition. Has had a significant impact on world music.

Origin and family

The composer's father, Nicolas Chopin (1771-1844), from a simple family, moved from France to Poland in his youth. From 1802 he lived on the estate of Count Skarbek Zhelyazov-Volya, where he worked as a teacher of the Count's children.

In 1806, Nicolas Chopin married a distant relative of the Skarbeks Tekla Justina Kshizhanovskaya (1782-1861). The genus of the Kshizhanovsky (Krzhizhanovsky) coat of arms Svinka dates back to the XIV century and owned the village of Kshizhanovo near Kostsyan. The Kshizhanovsky family included, among other things, Vladimir Krzhizhanovski, the nephew of Justina Kshizhanovskaya. According to surviving testimonies, the composer's mother received a good education, spoke French, was extremely musical, played the piano well, and had a beautiful voice. Frederick owes his mother his first musical impressions, instilled from infancy with a love for folk melodies.

Zhelyazova Wola, where Chopin was born, and Warsaw, where he lived from 1810 to 1830, during the Napoleonic Wars until 1813 were on the territory of the Duchy of Warsaw, vassal of the Napoleonic Empire, and after May 3, 1815, following the results of the Congress of Vienna, on the territory of the Kingdom Polish (Królestwo Polskie), vassal of the Russian Empire.

In the fall of 1810, some time after the birth of his son, Nicolas Chopin moved to Warsaw. In the Warsaw Lyceum, thanks to the patronage of the Skarbeks, he received a place after the death of the teacher Pan Mahe. Chopin was a teacher of French and German languages ​​and French literature, and maintained a boarding school for pupils of the lyceum.

The intelligence and sensitivity of the parents united all family members with love and had a beneficial effect on the development of gifted children. In addition to Fryderyk, the Chopin family had three sisters: the eldest, Ludvika, married Endrzeevich, who was his especially close devoted friend, and the younger ones, Isabella and Emilia. The sisters had versatile abilities, and Emilia, who died early, was an outstanding literary talent.

Childhood

Already in childhood, Chopin showed extraordinary musical abilities. He was surrounded by special attention and care. Like Mozart, he amazed those around him with musical "obsession", inexhaustible imagination in improvisation, innate pianism. His receptivity and musical impressionability manifested themselves violently and unusually. He could cry while listening to music, jump up at night to pick up a memorable melody or chord on the piano.

In its January issue of 1818, one of the Warsaw newspapers published a few lines about the first piece of music composed by a composer who was still in elementary school. “The author of this Polonaise,” the newspaper wrote, “is a student who has not yet turned 8 years old. This is a real genius of music, performing the most difficult piano pieces with the greatest ease and exceptional taste and composing dances and variations that delight connoisseurs and connoisseurs. If this child prodigy was born in France or Germany, he would have attracted more attention. "

Young Chopin was taught music, pinning great hopes on him. The pianist Wojciech Zhivny (1756-1842), a Czech by birth, began studying with a 7-year-old boy. Classes were serious, despite the fact that Chopin, in addition, studied at one of the Warsaw schools. The boy's performing talent developed so quickly that by the age of twelve, Chopin was not inferior to the best Polish pianists. Zhivny refused to study with the young virtuoso, declaring that he could not teach him anything else.

Youth

After graduating from college and completing his five-year studies with Zhivny, Chopin began his theoretical studies with the composer Jozef Elsner.

The Ostrogski Palace is the seat of the Warsaw Chopin Museum.

The patronage of Prince Anton Radziwill and the Chetvertinsky princes introduced Chopin to high society, which was impressed by Chopin's charming appearance and refined manners. Here is what Franz Liszt said about this: “The general impression of his personality was quite calm, harmonious and, it seemed, did not require any additions in any comments. Chopin's blue eyes shone with more intelligence than they were covered with pensiveness; his soft and delicate smile never faded into bitter or sarcastic. The subtlety and transparency of his complexion enticed everyone; he had curly blond hair and a slightly rounded nose; he was short, fragile, and slender. His manners were refined, varied; the voice is a little tired, often deaf. His manners were full of such decency, they had such a stamp of blood aristocracy that he was involuntarily greeted and accepted as a prince ... Chopin introduced into society that evenness of mood of persons who are not worried about worries, who do not know the word "boredom", are not attached to no interest. Chopin was usually cheerful; his sharp mind quickly sought out the funny even in such manifestations that not everyone catches the eye. "

Trips to Berlin, Dresden, Prague, where he attended concerts of outstanding musicians, diligently visited opera houses and art galleries, contributed to his further development.

Mature years. Abroad

Chopin's artistic career began in 1829. He performs in Vienna, Krakow, performing his works. Returning to Warsaw, he leaves it forever on November 5, 1830. This separation from his homeland became the cause of his constant hidden grief - homesickness. In 1830, news arrived of the outbreak of an uprising for independence in Poland. Chopin dreamed of returning to his homeland and taking part in battles. The training camp was over, but on the way to Poland he was greeted by terrible news: the uprising was suppressed, the leader was taken prisoner. Having passed Dresden, Vienna, Munich, Stuttgart, he arrived in Paris in 1831. On the way, Chopin wrote a diary (the so-called "Stuttgart Diary"), reflecting his state of mind during his stay in Stuttgart, where he was gripped by despair over the collapse of the Polish uprising. Chopin deeply believed that his music would help his native people achieve victory. "Poland will be brilliant, powerful, independent!" - so he wrote in his diary. During this period, Chopin wrote his famous "Revolutionary Etude".

Chopin gave his first concert in Paris at the age of 22. The success was complete. Chopin rarely performed in concerts, but in the salons of the Polish colony and the French aristocracy, Chopin's fame grew extremely quickly, Chopin gained many loyal fans, both in artistic circles and in society. Kalkbrenner highly appreciated Chopin's pianism, who nevertheless offered him his lessons. However, these lessons quickly ceased, but the friendship between the two great pianists lasted for many years. In Paris, Chopin surrounded himself with young talented people who shared with him a devoted love of art. Among his entourage were pianist Ferdinand Giller, cellist Frankomme, oboist Brodt, flutist Tulon, pianist Stamati, cellist Vidal, violaist Urban. He also maintained acquaintance with the largest European composers of his time, among whom were Mendelssohn, Bellini, Liszt, Berlioz, Schumann.

Over time, Chopin himself began teaching; the love of teaching the piano was the hallmark of Chopin, one of the few great artists who devoted much time to this.

In 1837, Chopin felt the first attack of lung disease (most likely, it was tuberculosis). In the late thirties, his love for Georges Sand (Aurora Dupin) brought him a lot of grief, in addition to parting with his fiancée. A stay in Mallorca (Mallorca) with George Sand negatively affected Chopin's health, he suffered from bouts of illness there. Nevertheless, many of the greatest works, including 24 preludes, were created on this Spanish island. But he spent a lot of time in the countryside in France, where George Sand had an estate in Nohant.

A ten-year cohabitation with George Sand, full of moral trials, greatly undermined Chopin's health, and the break with her in 1847, in addition to causing him considerable stress, deprived him of the opportunity to rest in Nohans. Wanting to leave Paris in order to change the environment and expand his circle of acquaintances, Chopin went to London in April 1848 to give concerts and teach. This turned out to be his last trip. Frederic Chopin's last public concert took place on November 16, 1848 in London. Success, a nervous, stressful life, a damp British climate, and most importantly, a periodically aggravated chronic lung disease - all this finally undermined his strength. Returning to Paris, Chopin died on October 5 (17), 1849.

Chopin was deeply grieved by the entire musical world. Thousands of fans of his work gathered at his funeral. According to the wishes of the deceased, at his funeral, the most famous artists of that time performed the "Requiem" by Mozart - a composer whom Chopin placed above all others (and his "Requiem" and the symphony "Jupiter" he called his favorite works), and his own prelude was also performed No. 4 (E minor). At the Père Lachaise cemetery, Chopin's remains lie between the graves of Luigi Cherubini and Bellini. The composer bequeathed that his heart be transported to Poland after his death. Chopin's heart was, according to his will, sent to Warsaw, where it was walled up in a column of the Church of the Holy Cross.

Creation

As noted in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron N.F.Soloviev,

“Chopin's music abounds with boldness, pictoriality, and nowhere suffers from quirkiness. If after Beethoven there was an era of novelty of style, then, of course, Chopin is one of the main representatives of this novelty. In everything Chopin wrote, in his wonderful musical contours one can see the great musician-poet. This is noticeable in completed typical sketches, mazurkas, polonaises, nocturnes, etc., in which inspiration pours over the edge. If there is a certain reflexivity in it, it is in sonatas and concerts, but nevertheless, amazing pages appear in them, such as, for example, the funeral march in the sonata op. 35, adagio in the second concert.

Among the best works of Chopin, in which he invested so much soul and musical thought, one can include etudes: in them, in addition to the technique, which before Chopin was the main and almost the only goal, a whole poetic world. These sketches breathe either youthful impetuous freshness, such as ges-dur, or dramatic expression (f-moll, c-moll). In these sketches, he put melodic and harmonic beauty of the first class. You cannot reread all the sketches, but the crown of this wonderful group is the cis-moll etude, which, in its deep content, reached Beethoven's height. How much dreaminess, grace, wonderful music are in his nocturnes! In piano ballads, the form of which can be attributed to Chopin's invention, but especially in polonaises and mazurkas, Chopin is a great national painter, painting pictures of his homeland. "

Author of numerous works for piano. He reinterpreted many genres in a new way: revived the prelude on a romantic basis, created a piano ballad, poeticized and dramatized dances - mazurka, polonaise, waltz; turned the scherzo into an independent work. Enriched harmony and piano texture; combined classical form with melodic richness and fantasy.

Among Chopin's works: 2 concertos (1829, 1830), 3 sonatas (1828-1844), fantasy (1842), 4 ballads (1835-1842), 4 scherzos (1832-1842), impromptu, nocturnes, etudes, waltzes, mazurkas , polonaises, preludes and other works for piano; as well as songs. In his piano performance, the depth and sincerity of feelings were combined with grace and technical perfection.

Chopin in 1849 is the only surviving photograph of the composer.

The most intimate, "autobiographical" genre in Chopin's work is his waltzes. According to the Russian musicologist Isabella Khitrik, the connection between Chopin's real life and his waltzes is extremely close, and the composer's collection of waltzes can be regarded as a kind of Chopin's “lyrical diary”.

Chopin was distinguished by consistency and isolation, so his personality is revealed only to those who know his music well. Many famous artists and writers of that time worshiped Chopin: composers Franz Liszt, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Ignaz Moscheles, Hector Berlioz, singer Adolphe Nurri, poets Heinrich Heine and Adam Mickiewicz, artist Eugene Delacroix, journalist Agathon many other. Chopin also met professional opposition to his creative credo: for example, one of his main competitors in his lifetime, Sigismund Thalberg, according to legend, went out into the street after Chopin's concert, shouted loudly and replied to the bewilderment of his companion: the whole evening was one piano, so now we need at least a little forte. (According to the testimony of his contemporaries, Chopin could not play forte at all; the upper limit of his dynamic range was approximately mezzo-forte.)

Artworks

For piano with ensemble or orchestra

• Trio for piano, violin and cello Op. 8 g-moll (1829)
• Variations on a theme from the opera "Don Juan" Op. 2 B-dur (1827)
• Rondo a la Krakowiak Op. 14 (1828)
• "Great Fantasy on Polish Themes" Op. 13 (1829-1830)
• Concerto for piano and orchestra Op. 11 e-moll (1830)
• Concerto for piano and orchestra Op. 21 f-moll (1829)
• Andante spianato and the next Big Brilliant Polonaise, Op. 22 (1830-1834)
• Cello Sonata Op. 65 g-moll (1845-1846)
• Polonaise for cello Op. 3

Mazurkas (58)

• Op.6 - 4 Mazurkas: fis-moll, cis-moll, E-major, es-moll (1830)
• Op. 7 - 5 mazurkas: B major, a minor, f minor, A major, C major (1830-1831)
• Op.17 - 4 mazurkas: B major, e minor, As major, a minor (1832-1833)
• Op.24 - 4 mazurkas: g minor, C major, A major, b minor
• Op. 30 - 4 mazurkas: c minor, h minor, Des major, cis minor (1836-1837)
• Op.33 - 4 mazurkas: gis-minor, D-major, C-major, h-minor (1837-1838)
• Op.41 - 4 mazurkas: cis-moll, e-moll, H-major, As-major
• Op.50 - 3 mazurkas: G major, As major, cis moll (1841-1842)
• Op.56 - 3 Mazurkas: H major, C major, c minor (1843)
• Op.59 - 3 Mazurkas: a-minor, As-major, fis-moll (1845)
• Op.63 - 3 Mazurkas: H major, f minor, cis minor (1846)
• Op.67 - 4 mazurkas: G major, g minor, C major, No. 4 a minor 1846 (1848?)
• Op.68 - 4 Mazurkas: C major, a minor, F major, No. 4 in f minor (1849)

Polonaises (16)

• Op. 22 Large brilliant polonaise Es-dur (1830-1832)
• Op. 26 No. 1 cis-moll; No. 2 es-moll (1833-1835)
• Op. 40 # 1 A-dur (1838); No. 2 c-moll (1836-1839)
• Op. 44 fis-moll (1840-1841)
• Op. 53 As-major (Heroic) (1842)
• Op. 61 As-dur, "Fantasy Polonaise" (1845-1846)
• WoO. No. 1 d-moll (1827); No. 2 B-dur (1828); No. 3 in f-moll (1829)

Nocturnes (total 21)

• Op. 9 b-moll, Es-dur, H-dur (1829-1830)
• Op. 15 F major, Fis major (1830-1831), g minor (1833)
• Op. 27 cis-moll, Des-dur (1834-1835)
• Op. 32 H-major, As-major (1836-1837)
• Op. 37 g-moll, G-dur (1839)
• Op. 48 c-moll, fis-moll (1841)
• Op. 55 f-moll, Es-dur (1843)
• Op. 62 No. 1 H-dur, No. 2 E-dur (1846)
• Op. 72 e-moll (1827)
• Op. posth. cis-moll (1830), c-moll

Waltzes (19)

• Op. 18 "Big Brilliant Waltz" E-dur (1831)
• Op. 34 No. 1 "Brilliant Waltz" As-major (1835)
• Op. 34 No. 2 a-moll (1831)
• Op. 34 No. 3 "Brilliant Waltz" F-dur
• Op. 42 "Grand Waltz" A-dur
• Op. 64 No. 1 Des-dur (1847)
• Op. 64 No. 2 cis-moll (1846-1847)
• Op. 64 No. 3 As-dur
• Op. 69 No. 1 As-dur
• Op. 69 No. 10 H-moll
• Op. 70 No. 1 Ges-dur
• Op. 70 No. 2 f-moll
• Op. 70 No. 2 Des-dur
• Op. posth. e-moll, E-dur, a-moll

Piano Sonatas (total 3)

Music cover of Frédéric Chopin's Funeral March, released for the first time as a separate work under this title. Breitkopf and Hertel, Leipzig, 1854 (Breitkopf & Härtel printed board no. 8728)

• Op. 4 No. 1, c-moll (1828)
• Op. 35 No. 2 in b-moll (1837-1839), including the Funeral (funeral) march (3rd movement: Marche Funèbre)
• Or. 58 No. 3 h-moll (1844)

Preludes (total 25)

• 24 Preludes Op. 28 (1836-1839)
• Prelude cis-moll op "," 45 (1841)

Impromptu (total 4)

• Op. 29 As-major (circa 1837)
• Op, 36 Fis-dur (1839)
• Op. 51 Ges-dur (1842)
• Op. 66 "Impromptu Fantasy" cis-moll (1834)

Sketches (total 27)

• Op. 10 C major, a minor, E major, cis minor, Ges major, es minor, C major, F major, f minor, As major, Es major, c minor (1828 -1832)
• Op. 25 As major, f minor, F major, a minor, e minor, gis minor, cis minor, Des major, Ges major, h minor, a minor, c minor (1831 -1836)
• WoO f-moll, Des-major, As-major (1839)

Scherzo (total 4)

• Op. 20 h-moll (1831-1832)
• Op. 31 b-moll (1837)
• Op. 39 cis-moll (1838-1839)
• Op. 54 E-dur (1841-1842)

Ballads (total 4)

• Op. 23 g-moll (1831-1835)
• Op. 38 F-dur (1836-1839)
• Op. 47 As-dur (1840-1841)
• Op. 52 f-moll (1842-1843)

Other

• Fantasy Op. 49 f-moll (1840-1841)
• Barcarole Op. 60 Fis-dur (1845-1846)
• Lullaby Op. 57 Des-dur (1843)
• Concert Allegro Op. 46 A-dur (1840-1841)
• Tarantella Op. 43 As-dur (1843)
• Bolero Op. 19 C-dur (1833)
• Sonata for cello and piano Op. 65 g-moll
• Songs Op. 74 (total 19) (1829-1847)
• Rondo (total 4)

Arrangements and transcriptions of Chopin's music

• A. Glazunov. Chopiniana, suite (one act ballet) from the works of F. Chopin, op. 46. ​​(1907).
• Jean Francais. Orchestration of 24 Preludes by F. Chopin (1969).
• S. Rachmaninoff. Variations on a Theme by F. Chopin, Op. 22 (1902-1903).
• M. A. Balakirev. An impromptu on the themes of Chopin's two preludes (1907).
• M. A. Balakirev. Re-arrangement of F. Chopin's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in e-moll (1910).
• M. A. Balakirev. Suite for orchestra from the works of F. Chopin (1908).

Memory

Biography and episodes of life Frederic Chopin. When born and died Frederic Chopin, memorable places and dates of important events in his life. Quotes from the composer, images and videos.

Frederic Chopin's years of life:

born 22 February 1810, died 17 October 1849

Epitaph

“In my soul your melody,
There is joy and sorrow in it,
Both life and dreams.
When the sunset falls on the fields
Dressed in light and shadow
You come. "
From Anna Herman's song "Letter to Chopin"

Biography

The biography of Frederic Chopin is the life story of the great Polish composer who glorified the culture of his country all over the world. Chopin can be called a genius without any exaggeration. And this genius began to manifest itself in the very childhood of the composer. He was always incredibly sensitive to music and was literally obsessed with it. When the boy was not yet eight years old, one of the Warsaw newspapers wrote about his first play, calling Chopin "a real genius of music" and "child prodigy."

Chopin's music school and music school were easy for him. He soon became a virtuoso pianist. Once Chopin's teacher, pianist Wojciech Zhivny, refused to study with twelve-year-old Frederic, saying that he had nothing else to teach this child. At the age of twenty, Chopin was already touring Europe. During his tour, an uprising broke out in Poland, and the composer, yielding to the persuasion of friends and relatives, chose to remain in exile. Nevertheless, this separation from his family and homeland was very burdensome for him all his life. In Europe, Frederick was expected to love and fame - Chopin was gladly received in all salons and aristocratic circles. He also had no shortage of students, especially since teaching music was another composer's passion besides composing and performing.

Chopin's fame attracted many people to him, including women in love with him, but he was not officially married. In a free marriage, he lived for several years with the writer Georges Sand. But Chopin's first serious object of love was the Polish woman Maria Wodzinskaya, with whom he entered into a secret engagement. Alas, her wealthy parents did not want to be the son-in-law of a musician who earns his living by hard work, albeit a world famous one. After Chopin's break with Wodzinskaya, George Sand literally “tidied up” a modest and intelligent Pole. The years of Chopin's relationship with Georges Sand were the heyday of the composer's creativity, but then Sand broke the fragile heart of her beloved, who was already weakened by illness. Homesickness, the death of his father, a break with Sand and poor health (recent studies say that Chopin had cystic fibrosis) deprived the composer of the strength to fight.

The last year of Chopin's life did not give concerts and lessons. Chopin's death occurred in Paris, the cause of Chopin's death was tuberculosis. Chopin's funeral took place at the Père Lachaise cemetery, where thousands of his admirers came to say goodbye to the brilliant composer and pianist. Chopin's heart was removed from his body, placed in an urn and walled up in one of the columns of a church in Warsaw. The memory of Chopin does not fade away all over the world to this day. Festivals and competitions in his name are constantly held, collections of his museums are replenished, and Chopin's music remains eternal, as a perfect and wonderful gift of one of the best composers in the history of mankind.

Life line

February 22, 1810 Frederic Francois Chopin's date of birth.
1818 g. Chopin's first public performance in Warsaw.
1823 g. Admission to the Warsaw Lyceum.
1826 g. Graduated from the Warsaw Lyceum, entered the Warsaw Higher School of Music.
1829 g. Graduation from music school, trip to Vienna with performances.
1830 g. Chopin's first solo concert in Warsaw.
October 11, 1830 Chopin's last concert in Warsaw.
1830-1831 Living in Vienna.
1831 g. Moving to Paris.
February 26, 1832 Chopin's first concert in Paris.
1836-1837 biennium... Dissolution of engagement with Maria Vodzinskaya, rapprochement with George Sand.
1838-1846 The highest flowering of Chopin's creativity.
winter 1838-1839 Life in the Valldemossa Monastery in Spain.
May 1844 Death of Chopin's father.
1847 g. Break with Georges Sand.
November 16, 1848 Chopin's last performance in London.
October 17, 1849 Death of Frederic Chopin.
October 30, 1849 Funeral of Frederic Chopin.

Memorable places

1. The village of Zhelyazova Wola, where Chopin was born.
2. House of Frederic Chopin in elazowa Wola, where he was born and where the Chopin Museum works today.
3. Frederic Chopin Museum in the Small Salon of the Chopin family in Warsaw.
4. Noan Manor (estate of Georges Sand), where Chopin lived with his beloved.
5. Monument to Chopin in Kiev.
6. Monument to Chopin and Sand in the Botanical Garden of Singapore.
7. Chopin Park in Poznan, where the monument to Chopin is erected.
8. Chopin Museum and George Sand in the Valldemossa Monastery in Spain, where the couple lived in 1838-1839.
9. Pere Lachaise cemetery, where Chopin is buried.
10. Basilica of the Holy Cross, where Chopin's heart is walled up in one of the columns according to his will.

Episodes of life

Chopin was considered by everyone to be an incredibly kind and well-mannered person. He was loved by everyone - from colleagues in art to acquaintances and students, affectionately called an angel or a mentor. A quote about Chopin from one of the letters of recommendation - "the best of people."

Chopin was not immediately fascinated by Sand. On the contrary, at the first meeting, she seemed completely unpleasant to him. But Sand decided to conquer the brilliant composer, despite the fact that she constantly had other lovers. When, at last, Chopin was fascinated, he completely fell under the dominion of his beloved. Georges Sand loved the composer, but it was a selfish, exhausting feeling. Behind Chopin's back, his friends discussed that Frederic was melting right before his eyes, and George Sand was "endowed with the love of a vampire." When George Sand, using a convenient pretext, parted with Chopin, this severely crippled his already weakened health.

Covenant

"Politeness will accomplish more than violence."

"Time is the best censor, and patience is the supreme teacher."

Frederic Chopin's biography

Condolences

"To fully understand and convey him, one must completely, with all his soul, immerse himself in his only soul."
Heinrich Neuhaus, Russian pianist

“Anything I could say in my wretched French would be so far from him, so unworthy of his memory. The deepest reverence, adoration, his true cult were enthusiastically preserved by all who knew and heard him. No one is like Chopin, no one even remotely resembles him. And no one can explain everything that he was. What a death of a martyr, what a martyr's life itself — in a being so perfect, so pure in everything! Surely he is in heaven ... if only ... "
Solange Sand, daughter of Georges Sand, stepdaughter of Chopin

😉 Greetings to art lovers and site guests! The article "Frederic Chopin: biography, facts and video" is about the life of the famous Polish composer and pianist. Here you can listen to the works of the brilliant composer.

At a party dedicated to going on tour to Vienna, friends solemnly handed Frederick a cup with earth - to make it easier to endure separation from his homeland. He considered it a good joke - he was leaving for a short time.

The same cup with native soil will be brought back nineteen years later. On the day of his funeral, his heart will return to the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, and according to the last will of the genius, his heart will return to Poland. The column of the Warsaw church, in which it is walled up, will become a place of pilgrimage for millions of admirers of his talent from all over the world.

Frederic Chopin's biography

Frederic Franciszek Chopin was born near Warsaw on March 1, 1810 into an intelligent and very musical Polish-French family. Mother played the piano and sang beautifully. The father was an excellent musician - according to legend, he played the violin even at the time of the birth of his son.

House in Zelazowa Wola, where Frederic Chopin was born

As befits a real genius, the child showed extraordinary abilities very early. As a five-year-old kid, not yet having mastered musical notation, he picked up folk melodies and simple pieces on the piano by ear. At the age of seven he gave his first concert. All Poland started talking about him. In this, Chopin's two geniuses are very similar.

The audience was delighted with the amazing, "Polish" music of the young composer, and even more with his virtuoso playing.

By the age of twenty, Chopin was considered the best Polish pianist. He successfully graduated from the Lyceum and the Higher School of Music. He was fluent in German and French, drew excellently.

He was a welcome guest in fashionable aristocratic salons. High society from all over the country came to listen to the new compositions of "the spirit and soul of the piano".

In 1829 his first performance abroad took place. The tremendous success and enthusiastic reception given to the young pianist by the spoiled Viennese audience inspired him to a longer concert tour.

In the late autumn of 1830, Frederick set out to conquer Europe. Two weeks after his departure, an uprising broke out in Poland and an uprising was brutally suppressed. Repression began, and it became impossible to return home.

Paris

Instead of Warsaw, in 1831 he came to Paris - the city he had dreamed of since childhood. A new life began, if not very happy, then at least quite prosperous. The very first concert of the “piano poet” was a tremendous success.

Air mazurkas, refined etudes, proud polonaises, solemn mourning marches, romantic ballads, sad nocturnes and inexpressibly beautiful waltzes - the unusual, unusual music surprised and fascinated. The manner of playing aroused mystical awe.

The best works of the composer were written. He was idolized by the audience, famous poets, musicians, and artists were friends with him.

Publications of works, private lessons to "high-ranking" students, rare public and frequent salon concerts, performances for crowned persons, allowed them to lead a secular lifestyle without worrying too much about money. Everything would be fine if it were not for the painful homesickness that haunted me.

Chopin and Georges Sand

And also love - a ten-year relationship exhausting the soul with the "poisonous plant" - the famous writer Georges Sand. The novel ended with a painful breakup, which ultimately drove the composer to the grave, aggravating the lung disease.

Amandine Aurora Lucille Dupin, pseudonym - Georges Sand (1804-1876)

He died young - at 39, in October 1849. Chopin expressed the main mood of all his works in one word - "sorry". And, it is true, it is a pity that he died so early, did not have time for much, lived in a foreign land, was unhappy.

On the other hand, had it not been for a minor in his life, mankind would have lost his most poignant and quivering works. "Only he creates, in whom the heart cries ..."

In this video, detailed information on the topic "Frederic Chopin: biography and creativity". Watch and listen to music!

Wonderful music by Frederic Chopin. Dear friend, forget about everything for a while. Listen to music that has survived the centuries and continues to delight and fill the soul ↓