Portrait of Frédéric Chopin
by SCHEFFER, Ary, Oil on canvas
Fr�d�ric Fran�ois Chopin (1810-1849) was a Polish pianist and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the most famous, influential and admired composers for the piano.
He was born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin in the village of ¯elazowa Wola, Poland, to a Polish mother and French expatriate father. Hailed as a child prodigy in his homeland, Chopin left for Paris at the age of 20. In Paris, he made a career as a performer and teacher as well as a composer, and adopted the French variant of his name, “Fr�d�ric-Fran�ois”. He had a turbulent 10-year relationship with the French writer George Sand from 1837 to 1847. Always in fragile health, he succumbed to pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of 39.
Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 4 minutes):
Fryderik Chopin: Waltz No 7 In C Sharp Minor Op 64, No 2