Chopin Sheet Music

Chopin Sheet Music and Biography

Black and white photograph of Frédéric Chopin — Frédéric Chopin
1810-17 Oct 1849

Frédéric Chopin was a Polish-French composer and pianist from the Romantic Era. Born either on 22nd February or 1st March 1810 in a town near Warsaw he showed musical promise from an early age.

We have many of his popular pieces including Op. 9 No.2 Nocturne, Op.28, No.07 Prelude no. 7 in A, Op.23 Ballade No. 01 in G minor

He was writing poetry and composing from an early age. He inherited some musical genes from his parents. His father taught French and played the flute and violin. His mother played the piano and gave lessons to boys at the boarding house they ran.

Some say that after listening to Niccolò Paganini play the violin in 1828 Chopin composed a set of variations, Souvenir de Paganini. This led him to write his first Études (3 sets of solos), and perform piano concerts, receiving positive reviews.

In 1831 Chopin travelled to Paris, never returning to Poland – (well this is not entirely correct as after his death Chopin’s heart was taken to Poland and placed in the church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw). Whilst in Paris he made some pretty famous friends such as Felix Mendelssohn, Hector Berlioz, and Franz Liszt.

Love Life

Chopin’s partner of ten years Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin is best known by her pseudonym George Sand and also for her affairs with a number of artists! On his first encounter with her, Chopin exclaimed ‘what an unpleasant woman’ – He obviously changed his mind! She referred to him as ‘Chop Chop’, ‘Chopinet’ (my little grasshopper), and ‘Monsieur Velvet-fingers’. Eventually, they split up after a violent row in which Sand accused Chopin of being in love with her daughter.

Illness and Death

Chopin wasn’t a well man. In addition to tuberculosis, he had epilepsy which caused him to have vivid dreams of dead relatives and ‘damned creatures’ inside his piano.

It is likely that tuberculosis caused his death at the early age of thirty-nine. In the final moments before his death, Chopin asked a young countess to sing the national anthem of Poland. As she sang the last note he took his last breath. He is buried in a cemetery in Paris close to his composer friend Luigi Cherubini. Mozart’s Requiem was performed at his funeral.

Chopin Fun Facts

His Minute Waltz – well not far off, with its 138 bars, taking between 60 and 90 seconds to play, hence the nickname!
He preferred to play the piano in the dark blowing out all the candles in the room – even when he was playing at an event!!