Frederic Francois ChopinThe Man Behind the Piano

By: Sadia Al-Hilo

Family HistoryIn 1806 Mikolaj and Justyna, Chopin’s mother and father, were married.

His father worked at a palace in Warsaw.

Neither of his parents were musicians, they worked in a palace. His father tutored young students and his mother was a maid.

He had 3 siblings.

In the BeginningFryderyk Francois Chopin was born March 1st 1809 in Zelazowa Wola, a city in Poland.

Chopin’s love for music revealed itself at an early age in his life.

“At the age of twelve, Chopin knew so much that he was left to himself with the usual good and ill results” Julius Fontana (pg.8).

He played his first concert February 24th, 1818.

Early YearsWhen Chopin was

a young teen, he began lessons with Joseph Elsner

In 1823 he took organ lessons from Wilhelm Wurkel (However Chopin taught himself his ability on the piano)

In 1826, Chopin started attending the High School Of music and made friends quickly.

At the age of 20 He played the F Minor Concerto for a crowd of 900

Leaving HomeChopin left to Vienna in November of 1830

While he was staying in Vienna, he composed his first 9 Mazurkas

In 1831 he took off to Paris where he gave concerts and earned the friendships of other great musicians such as Listz and Berlioz

George Sand Enters His LifeChopin and George Sand

(Aurore Dudevant) first met at one of the fetes of Marquis de C. in 1837

She was wearing a plain dress and it was clear she was impressed with his creativity

He was instantly unattracted to the woman.

When they met again a year later, they instantly fell in love.

The Young Lovers Life TogetherChopin and Sand’s relationship was one of

the first popular celebrity romances“Over the years truth and legend have

become intricately woven into the history of George Sand’s liaison with Chopin…” Ruth Jordan

"I have no wish to abandon myself to a passion although there is still a furnace smouldering in my heart."13 George Sand

A Long RelationshipMost of Chopin’s

greatest works were composed during his long summer stays with Sand in her estate in Nohant

Although his creativity was blossoming, his relationship with Sand was slowly falling apart

Chopin tended to get along with Sand’s oldest daughter well, she felt as though her needs were never important to her mother.

Arguments filled their everyday life

After 8 long years they finally broke up, leaving Chopin devastated

Life Without HerChopin never stopped loving George sand

throughout the rest of his lifeHe found it hard to write and compose again

without her in his lifeHe never returned to his homeland of Poland

in all his lifeHe finally died of consumption in the year of

1849

At his FuneralWhen he died he was buried

in the cemetary Pere Lachaise in Paris, France

He was buried with a small silver urn that contained soil from his homeland of poland

Although he was buried in France, his sister, Ludwika, took his heart back to Poland where it was buried in a pillar in the holy cross church, above it lies the inscription “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Personality Traits and Physical AttributesFrederic Chopin was very cold and vain. He had a pessimistic attitude"It is not my fault if I am like a mushroom

which seems edible but which poisons you if you pick it and taste it, taking it to be something else,“ Frederic Chopin

He had dark brown hair, a large nose, and a cold stare in his eyes

Chopin’s CompositionsFrederic Chopin

became famous during the romantic period in history, some of his greatest works are: Ballad No. 1 in G minor (1835), Nocturne No. 3 in B major (1830), Prelude No. 24 in D minor (1838)

Related VideosBallad No. 1 in G Minor: http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=F63MSrdYx5w

Nocturne No. 3 in B Major: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYLfL9mBNc4

Bibliography Huneker, James. Chopin; the Man and His Music,. New York:

Dover Publications, 1966. Print Amazon.com: Frederick Chopin, as a Man and Musician, Volume 2

(9781426420351): Frederick Niecks: Books." Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 20 Sept. 2011. <http://www.amazon.com/Frederick-Chopin-Man-Musician-Niecks/dp/1426420358>.

Frederic Chopin - A Profile of Chopin." Classical Music at About.com - Classical Music for Beginners and Experts Alike. Web. 20 Sept. 2011. <http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/classicalcomposers/p/chopinprofile.htm

Liszt, Franz, and Martha Walker Cook. Life of Chopin. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2006. Print.