Chopin: Biography Of The Greatest Polish Pianist
Chopin is one of the best known names on the piano scene. In Roman Polanski’s film The Pianist , his pieces play a very important role. As the protagonist of this dramatic story, Frédéric Chopin was a Pole marked by war.
Born March 1, 1810, Chopin is popular for his solo piano pieces. Although most of his works are very short, this brilliant composer is still recognized for the poetry of his work.
Chopin’s style is light and delicate, capable of capturing several feelings at the same time. The pianist did not compose for large concert halls, but for intimate environments. Thus, Chopin’s music is more suitable for small rooms or private meetings.
The melodies of his works have rarely had a name. Frédéric felt that we should not impose a meaning on them. According to Chopin, the meaning of music is in the music itself. For him, the duty of the melody was to be beautiful, not to communicate a superficial story that someone wanted to impose on it.
According to musicologists, Chopin is characterized by the chromaticism of his works. This means that it uses notes and chords from different scales to create a single piece. It is therefore difficult to interpret, but very beautiful to hear.
Chopin’s early years
Frédéric’s father was a teacher who met the musician’s mother through the private lessons she gave. It was perhaps from his father that Frédéric got his passion for teaching.
Frederick’s sister and mother both played the piano. However, it is clear that Frederick was the most talented of the family.
At only 6 years old, Chopin was playing tunes he heard around him. Thus, Chopin learned to play music by listening to others play and by reproducing what he heard.
In a few years, we began to consider Chopin as a child prodigy. He was invited to play the piano in front of great figures of political life, such as Tsar Alexander I.
When he entered the Conservatory of Music, Frédéric was free to study the piano individually. His teachers recognized the young man’s talent as soon as he entered the Academy. This is why they allowed him to explore the instrument as he wished.
During his childhood and adolescence, Frédéric developed a deep love for Poland. Throughout his life, the Polish musical influence and the love of his country will mark the composition of Chopin.
Despite his success in Warsaw, Frederick had to leave Poland to continue to develop. Frédéric visits Vienna, a city that will celebrate him greatly. The concerts that Chopin gave in this country made him an acclaimed pianist.
Frederick returns to Poland, but plans another trip immediately. However, misfortune awaited him. A year later, Chopin left Warsaw with the project of a European tour.
His plans are thwarted when Poland comes into conflict with Russia. He has been dormant in Vienna for over a year. After this period, and without hope of returning home, Chopin decides to leave for Paris.
Outcast and George Sand, his eternal love
Parisian society accepts Frédéric as one of its own. His talent and his genius allowed him to settle in Paris with relative ease. In this city, Chopin will devote himself to the main task of his life: composition and teaching.
Frédéric Chopin was a man who hated giving concerts and performing in front of an audience. This is why the number of times it has been presented in public has been very low. However, his popularity as a piano teacher was very important.
The richest and most powerful aristocratic families hired him to teach their daughters. Unlike other musicians of the time, Frédéric quickly found a niche that offered him financial stability.
Five years after arriving in Paris, Frédéric meets his lifelong companion: Aurore Dudevant. Aurore was a novelist with a libertine lifestyle, who already had two children out of wedlock.
The public knew Aurore as George Sand. It was a pseudonym that allowed her to publish at a time when women did not always have the right to work.
Chopin spends the best times of his life with Sand. Unfortunately, a short time later, Frédéric fell ill, so much so that he never recovered. Tuberculosis will affect his life for 10 years, before causing his death.
Each summer, after the onset of the disease, Sand and Chopin spent time in the south of France. Time allowed Frédéric to recover a bit. Despite his illness, this period of Frédéric’s life was the most productive in terms of composition.
Poetry and paradoxes
Many experts consider Chopin’s music to be precious and dreamlike. At that time, however, the music had a much more heroic, monumental and ambitious character. Frederick’s music was considered effeminate and weak.
However, Chopin’s music, like few others of his time, remained in the canons for piano. His study methods are still used today by student pianists. Frédéric devotes himself with passion to teaching the piano. He enjoyed the lessons much more than the shows and concerts.
Frédéric Chopin’s music is poetic full of paradoxes. His music was not intended to paint a picture or tell a story. However, almost all of his works remind us of certain scenes: from the nocturnal breeze to the desolation of the funeral.
Frédéric is responsible for having widened the range of chromatic possibilities of the piano. Everything is possible through study and dedication. This musician understood the piano like few other composers. Thus, from his technical knowledge were born pieces that can only be played on the piano. For Chopin, it is the truth of music: the piano for and by the piano itself.
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