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Biography
Frédéric François Chopin
(February 22 (according to other sources March 1), 1810, the village of Zhelyazova Wola, near Warsaw — October 17, 1849, Paris)
Frédéric François Chopin
Frédéric Francois Chopin in our quote book
Monument to Fryderyk Chopin in Zhelyazova Volya (1955/1969; author: Jozef Goslavsky)
Chopin Monument in Warsaw
The Ostrogski Palace is the location of the Warsaw Chopin Museum.
Portrait of Chopin by Eugene Delacroix, 1838
Frédéric François Chopin, 1849
The beginning of Frédéric Chopin's Nocturne No. 18 in E major, Op. 62 No.
2. Listen to an audio example in MIDI format: The first bars.
Portrait of Frédéric Chopin.
Ari Schaeffer.
Oil on canvas.
Frédéric François Chopin
Biography (ru.wikipedia.org)
Origin and family
The composer's father, Nicolas Chopin (1771-1844), was a Frenchman, the son of a Lorraine peasant, who moved to Poland at a young age.
We cannot say what made him leave France, but in Poland he found a new homeland and took an ardent part in its fate.
Nicolas Chopin, together with Polish patriots, took part in the struggle for the independence of Poland.
After the defeat of the Kosciuszko Uprising and the final partition of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth (1795) Nicolas Chopin, captain of Kosciuszko's army, despite the precariousness of his position, decided to stay in Poland.
A man of broad intellectual outlook and education, he took up teaching activities and soon gained a reputation as one of the best teachers in Warsaw.
In 1802, Nicolas Chopin, invited as an educator to the children of Count Skarbka, settled in the Skarbkov estate of Zhelyazova Volya.
In 1806, a marriage took place with a distant relative of the Skarbks, Justina Krzyzanowska.
According to the surviving evidence, the composer's mother was extremely musical, played the piano well, and had a beautiful voice.
Frederick owes his first musical impressions to his mother, a love for folk melodies instilled from infancy.
The intelligence and sensitivity of parents united all family members with love and had a beneficial effect on the development of gifted children.
In addition to Frederick, there were three other sisters in the Chopin family: the eldest is Ludvika (married Yendzheyevich), who was his especially close and devoted friend, and the younger ones are Isabella and Emilia.
The sisters had versatile abilities, and Emilia, who died early, had an outstanding literary talent.
In the autumn of 1810, some time after the birth of his son, Nicolas Chopin moved to Warsaw.
At the Warsaw Lyceum, thanks to the patronage of the Skarbks, for whom he was a tutor, he received a place after the death of the teacher Pan Mahe.
Chopin was a French teacher and maintained a boarding school for lyceum students.
Childhood
Already in his childhood, Chopin showed extraordinary musical abilities.
He was surrounded by special attention and care.
Like Mozart, he impressed others with his musical "obsession", inexhaustible imagination in improvisations, and 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 1818 issue, one of the Warsaw newspapers published a few lines about the first musical piece composed by the 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.
He is a true 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 had been born in France or Germany, he would have attracted more attention."
The famous Catalani seemed to foresee a great future in the ten year old Chopin, giving him a watch with the inscription "Madame Catalani a Frederic Chopin age de dix ans".
Young Chopin was taught music, placing great hopes on him.
The pianist Wojciech Zhivny (1756-1842), a Czech by birth, began studying with a 9 year old boy.
The classes were serious, despite the fact that Chopin, in addition, studied at one of the Warsaw schools.
Wojciech Zivny was Chopin's only piano mentor.
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, saying that he could not teach him anything more.
Youth
After graduating from college and completing seven years of classes with Zhivny, Chopin began his theoretical studies with the composer Josef Elsner.
The patronage of Prince Anton Radziwill and the Princes Chetvertinsky introduced Chopin into high society, which was impressed by Chopin's charming appearance and refined manners.
Here is what Franz Liszt said about this: "The overall impression of his personality was quite calm, harmonious and, it seemed, did not require additions in any comments.
Chopin's blue eyes shone with more intelligence than they were tinged with thoughtfulness; his soft and subtle smile never turned into a bitter or sarcastic one.
The subtlety and transparency of his complexion attracted everyone; he had curly blond hair, a slightly rounded nose; he was of small stature, fragile, thin build.
His manners were refined, varied; his voice was a little tired, often deaf.
His manners were full of such decency, there was such a cachet of blood aristocracy in them, that he was involuntarily met and accepted as a prince…
Chopin introduced into society that evenness of disposition of people who are not bothered by worries, who do not know the word "boredom", are not attached to any interests.
Chopin was usually cheerful; his sharp mind quickly found the funny even in such manifestations that not everyone catches the eye."
Trips to Berlin, Dresden, Prague, where he attended concerts of outstanding musicians, contributed to his development.
Artistic activity
Since 1829, Chopin's artistic activity begins.
He performs in Vienna, Krakow, performing his works.
Returning to Warsaw, he left it forever in 1830.
This separation from his homeland was the cause of his constant hidden grief homesickness.
To this was added at the end of the thirties the love for George Sand, which gave him more grief than happiness.
He moved to Paris, where Chopin was waiting for a new life and fame, in 1831.
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.
There were composers who did not recognize his talent, for example, Kalkbrenner and John Field, but this did not prevent Chopin from gaining many loyal fans both in artistic circles and in society.
The love of teaching music and piano was a distinctive feature of Chopin, one of the few great artists who devoted a lot of time to this.
In 1837, Chopin felt the first attack of lung disease.
The connection with George Sand coincides with this time.
Staying in Majorca with George Sand had a negative impact on Chopin's health, he suffered from asthma attacks there.
But he spent a lot of time in the countryside in France, where George Sand had an estate in Noane.
Ten years of 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 completely unnecessary stress, deprived him of the opportunity to relax in Noana.
Wanting to leave Paris to change the situation 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.
Success, a nervous, stressful life, the damp British climate, and most importantly, a periodically aggravated chronic lung disease all this finally undermined his strength.
Returning to Paris, Chopin fell ill.
On October 5 (17), 1849, he died.
The entire musical world deeply mourned Chopin.
Thousands of fans of his work gathered at his funeral.
According to the desire of the deceased, at his funeral, the most famous artists of that time performed the "Requiem" of Mozart — a composer whom Chopin ranked above all others (and his "Requiem" and the symphony "Jupiter" called his favorite works).
In the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Chopin's ashes rest between the graves of Cherubini and Bellini.
Chopin's heart was, according to his will, sent to Warsaw, where it was immured in the column of the Church of the Holy Cross.
Creation
Never — neither before nor after Chopin — has his homeland, Poland, given such a musical genius.
His work is almost entirely pianistic.
Although Chopin's rare compositional gift could have made him a remarkable symphonist, his delicate, reserved nature was content with the limits of the chamber genre — except, of course, for his two wonderful piano concertos.
In polonaises, ballads, Chopin tells about his country, Poland, about the beauty of its landscapes and the tragic past.
In these works, he uses the best features of folk melos.
At the same time, Chopin is exceptionally original.
His music is distinguished by bold depiction and does not suffer from whimsicality anywhere.
After Beethoven, classicism gave way to romanticism, and Chopin became one of the main representatives of this trend in music.
If there is a reflection somewhere in his work, it is probably in the sonatas, which does not prevent them from being high examples of the genre.
Chopin often reaches the heights of tragedy, as, for example, in the funeral march in the sonata op.
35, or appears as a wonderful lyricist, as, for example, in adagio from the second piano concerto.
Among the best works of Chopin are etudes: in them, in addition to technical exercises, which were the main and almost the only goal of this genre before Chopin, an amazing poetic world is revealed to the listener.
These sketches are distinguished by a youthful impetuous freshness, like, for example, the ges dur etude, then by drama (etudes f moll, c moll).
They have wonderful melodic and harmonic beauties.
The cis moll etude reaches Beethoven's heights of tragedy.
The most intimate, "autobiographical" genre in Chopin's work is his waltzes.
According to the Russian musicologist Izabella Khitrik, the connection between Chopin's real life and his waltzes is extremely close, and the totality of the composer's waltzes can be considered as a kind of "lyrical diary" of Chopin.
Chopin was distinguished by his restraint 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, Adolf Meyerbeer, Ignaz Moscheles, Hector Berlioz, singer Adolf Nurri, poets Heinrich Heine and Adam Mickiewicz, artist Eugene Delacroix, journalist Agathon Giller and many others.
In 1949-1962, the Polish musicologist Ludwik Bronarski published the complete works of Chopin — " Fr. Chopin, Dziela wszystkie», PWM, Krakow.
A crater on Mercury is named after Chopin.
Chopin is one of the main composers in the repertoire of many pianists.
Recordings of his works appear in the catalogs of major record companies.
Since 1927, the International Chopin Piano Competition has been held in Warsaw.
Among the winners of the competition is the famous Polish pianist H. Shtompka, who was a fan of Chopin's work.
In 1934, the Chopin University was founded in Warsaw, which was later transformed into the Chopin Society.
Chopin.
The society has repeatedly published Chopin's works and articles about his work.
On March 1, 2010, the most modern and amazing biographical museum in the world — the Fryderyk Chopin Museum was opened in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, after reconstruction and modernization.
This event is timed to the 200th anniversary of the birth of the famous Polish composer and musician.
By the resolution of the Sejm of the Polish Republic, 2010 was declared the Year of Chopin[6].
Creation
The main works of Chopin:
Piano creativity
* 2 concertos for piano and orchestra No. 1 e moll Op. 11 and No. 2 f moll Op. 21
* 3 sonatas (No. 1 c moll Op. 4, № 2 b moll Op. 35, № 3 h moll Op. 58)
* 4 ballads
* 4 impromptu performances
* 4 scherzos
* 3 rondos
* 18 waltzes
* 58 mazurkas
* 21 nocturnes
* 16 polonaises
* 24 preludes Op. 28 and the prelude cis moll Op. 45
* 24 etudes Op. 10 and Op. 25 and 3 posthumous studies
* Variations (including "Brilliant Variations" Op. 12)
* Dance pieces: Counterdance Ges dur, 3 ecoseses Op. 72 № 3
* Other works — "the Big fantasy on Polish" Op. 13, "the Krakowiak, Grand concert Rondo" Op. 14, "Grand Polonaise brillante" (or, as it is commonly called, "Big Andante spianato and Polonaise brillante") Op. 22, Tarantella Op. 43, Concert Allegro Op. 46, Fantasy Op. 49, Lullaby Op. 57, Barcarolle Op. 60, etc.
Chamber art
* Piano Trio Op. 8
* Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 65
Vocal creativity
* Songs of Op. 74
Notes
1.
Sometimes in sources, most often in Polish, there is a transcription of Szopen, see for example.
Sikorski J. Wspomnienie Szopena.
/ Biblioteka Warszawska t.
4, z.
108, 1849.
s.
510-559; Przybyszewski S. Szopen a narod.
— Krakow.: Spolka nakl.
"Ksiazka", 1910; Paderewski I. J. Szopen.
— Warszawa: Muzyka, 1926; Glinski M. Szopen: monografja zbiorowa.
- Warszawa: Muzyka, 1932, etc.
2. In Russian, unlike English, the French pronunciation of his first and last name — Frederick has become fixed?to the Shop?n, and not the Polish Fride?rick Shaw?pen.
3. The French spelling of the surname Chopin stems from the surname of his father, a Frenchman by nationality, see Wincenty Lopacinski Chopin, Mikolaj / Polski slownik biograficzny, vol. III — - Krakow.: Polska Akademia Umiejetnossci, 1937, pp.
426-27.
4. But Friederi?a little more?ka Shop?in, Polish.
Methodical instructions (Emphasis), A music box from Chopin
5.
oldict.com Online Dictionary
6.
2010 - The Year of Fryderyk Chopin
Bibliography
* Asafyev B. V. Chopin (1810-1849).
Experience of characteristics.
- M., 1922.
* Bogdanov Berezovsky V. M. Chopin.
A brief sketch of life and creativity — - L., 1935.
* Belza I. F. Chopin — - M., 1968.
* Vakhranev Yu., Sladkovskaya G. Etudes Op. 10 F. Chopin.
- Kharkiv, 1996.
* A wreath to Chopin.
- M., 1989.
* Egorova M. Chopin's Sonatas — - M., 1986.
* Yezhevskaya Z. Fryderyk Chopin.
- Warsaw, 1969.
* Zenkin K. V.
The system of genres of Chopin's piano miniature – - M., 1985.
* Zenkin K. V. Chopin's Piano Miniature — - M., 1995.
* Ivashkevich Ya.
Chopin.
- M., 1963.
* Kremlev Yu.
A. Frederick Chopin.
- M., 1960.
* Liszt F. F. Chopin — - M., 1956.
* Mazel L. A. Studies on Chopin.
- M., 1971.
* Milstein M. I. Essays on Chopin — - M., 1987.
* Nikolaev V. Chopin teacher.
- M., 1980.
* Rakovets T. Chopin's Etudes — - M., 1956.
* Sinyaver L. Chopin's Life.
- M., 1966.
* Solovtsov A. Frederic Chopin: Life and creativity.
- M., 1960.
* Tyulin Yu.
N.
On programming in Chopin's works.
- M., 1968.
* Fryderyk Chopin.
Articles and studies of Soviet musicologists — - M., 1960.
* Fryderyk Chopin: Zbirka articles / Ed. - uporyadnik Ya.
Yakubyak.
- Lviv: Spolom, 2000.
ISBN 966-7445-57-7
* Khitrik I. Chopin's Lyrical Diary: A book for musicians and music lovers.
- Moscow Paris New York: "The Third Wave", 2001.
* Tsypin G. M. Chopin and the Russian piano tradition.
- M., 1990.
* Chopin F. Letters: in 2 volumes.
/ Comp.
G. S. Kuharsky.
- 4th ed.
- M.: Music.
1989.
* Chopin as we hear him / Comp.
S. M. Khentova — - M., 1970.
Biography
Fryderyk Chopin (Polish.
Fryderyk Chopin (born in the village of Zhelyazova Wola, near Warsaw) is a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist.
He is the author of numerous works for piano.
The largest representative of the Polish musical art.
He interpreted many genres in a new way: revived the prelude on a romantic basis, created a piano ballad, poetized and dramatized dances mazurka, polonaise, waltz; turned the scherzo into an independent work.
He enriched harmony and piano texture; combined classical form with melodic richness and imagination.
Brief creative biography
Fryderyk Chopin was born near Warsaw, the capital of Poland, in the town of Zhelyazova Wola.
Chopin's mother was Polish, his father was French.
Chopin's family lived on the estate of Count Skarbek, where his father served as a home teacher.
After the birth of his son, Nikolai Chopin got a job as a teacher at the Warsaw Lyceum (a secondary educational institution), and the whole family moved to the capital.
Little Chopin grew up surrounded by music.
His father played the violin and flute, his mother sang well and played the piano a little.
Not yet able to speak, the child began to cry loudly as soon as he heard his mother singing or his father playing.
His parents believed that Fryderyk did not like music, and this greatly upset them.
But we soon became convinced that this was not the case at all.
By the age of five, the boy was already confidently performing simple plays, learned under the guidance of his older sister Ludvika.
Soon, the famous Czech musician Wojciech Zivny in Warsaw became his teacher.
A sensitive and experienced teacher, he instilled in his student a love for classical music and especially for the works of J. S. Bach.
Subsequently, Bach's keyboard preludes and fugues were always on the composer's desktop.
The first performance of the little pianist took place in Warsaw, when he was seven years old.
The concert was a success, and the whole of Warsaw soon learned Chopin's name.
At the same time, one of his first compositions was published - polonaise for piano in G minor.
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, saying that he could not teach him anything more.
Simultaneously with music lessons, the boy received a good general education.
Already as a child, Fryderyk was fluent in French and German, was keenly interested in the history of Poland, read a lot of fiction.
At the age of thirteen, he entered the lyceum and successfully graduated from it three years later.
During the years of study, the versatile abilities of the future composer were manifested.
The young man drew well, especially he was able to caricature.
His mimic talent was so bright that he could have become a theater actor.
Already in his youth, Chopin was distinguished by sharpness of mind, observation and great curiosity.
Since childhood, Chopin showed a love for folk music.
According to the stories of his parents, during country walks with his father or comrades, the boy could stand for a long time under the window of some hut, from where folk tunes could be heard.
When he was on vacation in the summer at the estates of his comrades at the lyceum, Fryderyk himself took part in the performance of folk songs and dances.
Over the years, folk music has become an integral part of his work, has become akin to his being.
After graduating from the lyceum, Chopin entered the Higher School of Music.
Here his classes were led by an experienced teacher and composer Joseph Elsner.
Elsner very soon realized that his student was not just talented, but brilliant.
Among his notes, there is a brief description given by him to the young musician: "Amazing abilities.
A musical genius."
By this time, Chopin was already recognized as the best pianist in Poland.
His talent as a composer has also reached maturity.
This is evidenced by two concertos for piano and orchestra, composed in 1829-1830.
These concerts are always heard in our time and are the favorite works of pianists of all countries.
At the same time, Fryderyk met a young singer, Constance Gladkovskaya, who studied at the Warsaw Conservatory.
Gladkovskaya was destined to become Fryderyk's first love.
In a letter to his friend Wojciechowski, he wrote:
"...perhaps, unfortunately, I already have my own ideal, which I have faithfully served, without talking to him for six months, which I dream about, the memory of which was the adagio of my concert, which inspired me to write this morning this waltz sent to you."
It was under the impression of this youthful feeling of love that Chopin composed one of the best songs "Desire" or "If I were the sun shining in the sky".
In 1829, the young musician briefly went to Vienna.
His concerts were a huge success.
Chopin, his friends and family realized that he should go on a long concert tour.
Chopin could not decide on this step for a long time.
He was tormented by bad forebodings.
It seemed to him that he was leaving his homeland forever.
Finally, in the autumn of 1830, Chopin left Warsaw.
His friends gave him a cup filled with Polish soil as a parting gift.
His teacher Elsner said a touching farewell to him.
In the outskirts of Warsaw, where Chopin was passing, he and his students performed a choral work written by him especially for this occasion.
Chopin was twenty years old.
The happy youth time, full of searches, hopes, successes, is over.
Chopin's premonitions did not deceive him.
He left his homeland forever.
Remembering the good reception he received in Vienna, Chopin decided to start his concerts there.
But, despite the increased efforts, he never managed to give an independent concert, and the publishers agreed to print his works only for free.
Suddenly, an alarming news came from the motherland.
In Warsaw, an uprising against the Russian autocracy began, organized by Polish patriots.
Chopin decided to interrupt his concert tour and return to Poland.
He knew that among the rebels were his friends, maybe even his father.
After all, in the days of his youth, Nikolai Chopin took part in a popular uprising led by Tadeusz Kosciuszka.
But relatives and friends strongly advise him in letters not to come.
People close to Chopin are afraid that the persecution may affect him as well.
It is better that he remains free and serves the motherland with his art.
With bitterness, the composer submitted and went to Paris.
On the way Chopin was overtaken by a shocking news: the uprising was brutally suppressed, its leaders were thrown into prison, exiled to Siberia.
The most famous Chopin etude, called "Revolutionary", created before arriving in Paris, was directly connected with thoughts about the tragic fate of the motherland.
It embodies the spirit of the November uprising, as well as anger and grief.
In the autumn of 1831, Chopin arrived in Paris.
Here he lived until the end of his life.
But France did not become the composer's second homeland.
Both in his affections and in his work, Chopin remained a Pole.
And even after his death, he bequeathed to take his heart to his homeland.
Chopin "conquered" Paris first as a pianist.
He immediately struck the audience with a peculiar and unusual performance.
At that time, Paris was flooded with musicians from various countries.
The most popular virtuoso pianists were: Kalkbrenner, Hertz, Giller.
Their game was distinguished by technical perfection, brilliance, which stunned the audience.
That is why Chopin's first concert performance sounded such a sharp contrast.
According to the memoirs of contemporaries, his performance was surprisingly spiritual and poetic.
The memory of the famous Hungarian musician Franz Liszt, who also began his brilliant career as a pianist and composer at that time, has been preserved about Chopin's first concert: "We remember his first performance in the hall of Pleyel, when the applause, which increased with a vengeance, seemed to be unable to sufficiently express our enthusiasm in the face of a talent that, along with happy innovations in the field of his art, opened a new phase in the development of poetic feeling."
Chopin conquered Paris, as Mozart and Beethoven once conquered Vienna.
Like Liszt, he was recognized as the best pianist in the world.
At concerts, Chopin mostly performed his own compositions: concertos for piano and orchestra, concert rondos, mazurkas, etudes, nocturnes, Variations on a theme from Mozart's opera "Don Juan".
It was about these variations that the outstanding German composer and critic Robert Schumann wrote: "Hats off, gentlemen, you have a genius in front of you."
Chopin's music, as well as his concert performances, aroused universal admiration.
Only music publishers were waiting.
They published Chopin's works, but, as in Vienna, for free.
Therefore, the first editions did not bring Chopin income.
He was forced to give music lessons for five to seven hours a day.
This job provided for him, but it took too much time and effort.
And even later, being a world famous composer, Chopin could not afford to stop these classes with his students that were so exhausting for him.
Along with the growing popularity of Chopin as a pianist and composer, the circle of his acquaintances expands.
Among his friends are Liszt, the outstanding French composer Berlioz, the French artist Delacroix, the German poet Heine.
But no matter how interesting new friends were, he always gave preference to his compatriots.
For the sake of a guest from Poland, he changed the strict order of his working day, showing him the sights of Paris.
For hours he could listen to stories about his homeland, about the life of relatives and friends.
With youthful insatiability, he enjoyed Polish folk songs, and often wrote music to his favorite poems.
Very often these poems, turned into songs, got back to Poland, became the property of the people.
If a close friend, the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz, came, Chopin immediately sat down at the piano and played for him for hours.
Forced, like Chopin, to live far from his homeland, Mickiewicz also longed for it.
And only Chopin's music slightly eased the pain of this separation, took him there, far away, to his native Poland.
It was thanks to Mickiewicz, the frenzied drama of his "Konrad Wallenrod", that the First ballad was born.
And Chopin's Second ballad is connected with the images of Mickiewicz's poetry.
Meetings with Polish friends were especially dear to the composer also because Chopin did not have his own family.
His hope of marrying Maria Wodzynska, the daughter of one of the rich Polish nobles, was not realized.
Maria's parents did not want to see their daughter married to a musician, even if he was world famous, but who earned money for living by work.
For many years, he linked his life with the famous French writer Aurora Dudevant, who appeared in print under the pseudonym George Sand.
Judging by the" musical portraits " of Constance Gladkovskaya and Maria Vodzinskaya, Chopin above all appreciated in them the charm of purity created by his imagination.
You could find anything in George Sand, but not this.
By that time, she had a scandalous reputation.
Chopin could not help but know this.
But Liszt and his girlfriend Marie d'Asu highly appreciated the literary talent of George Sand and talked about this with Chopin and Mickiewicz, emphasizing that they appreciate her primarily as a writer.
They also contributed to the appearance of George Sand at Chopin's musical evenings.
I must say that there is not much reliable information about the history of Chopin's relationship with George Sand.
Not everyone agrees with George Sand herself, who portrayed Chopin's guardian angel in front of his friends and described to them her "self sacrifice" and "maternal concerns" about the composer.
Liszt, in a book published during the lifetime of George Sand, very unequivocally accused her of being the cause of his untimely death.
Wojciech Grzimala, one of Chopin's closest friends, also believed that George Sand, "who poisoned his entire existence," was the culprit of his death.
Wilhelm Lenz, a student of Chopin, called her a "poisonous plant", who was deeply indignant at how insolently, arrogantly and disdainfully George Sand treated Chopin even in the presence of strangers.
Over the years, Chopin gave concerts less and less often, limiting himself to performing in a narrow circle of friends.
He gave himself entirely to creativity.
There were his sonatas, scherzos, ballads, impromptu performances, a new series of etudes, the most poetic nocturnes, preludes and his still favorite mazurkas and polonaises.
Along with light lyrical plays, works full of dramatic depth, and often tragic, came out from under his pen more and more often.
This is the Second Sonata, with a funeral march, which belongs to the highest achievements of the composer, all Polish music and romantic art in general.
Jozef Khominsky, describing the first two movements of the sonata, said: "After a heroic struggle, the funeral march is already, obviously, the last act of the drama."
Chopin considered the funeral march as an emotional outcome, dramatically completing the development of images.
We have the right to call this drama, the images of which unfold in Chopin's sonata, a national tragedy.
Chopin's Funeral March is recognized as the most outstanding work of this genre.
This march has taken a special, exceptional place not only in musical literature, but also in the life of mankind, because it is difficult to find a more sublime, more beautiful and more tragic embodiment of the feeling of grief.
Chopin's life in Paris was, if not happy, then favorable for creativity.
His talent has reached the top.
The publication of Chopin's works no longer meets with obstacles, it is considered a great honor to take lessons from him, and to hear him play is a rare happiness available to a select few.
The last years of the composer's life were sad.
His friend Jan Matushinsky died, followed by his beloved father.
A quarrel and a break with George Sand made him completely lonely.
Chopin was never able to recover from these cruel blows.
The lung disease, which Chopin suffered from from a young age, worsened.
For the last two years, the composer has written almost nothing.
His funds ran out.
To improve his difficult financial situation, Chopin took a trip to London at the invitation of English friends.
Having gathered the last strength, the patient, he gives concerts and lessons there.
The enthusiastic reception initially pleases him, inspires cheerfulness.
But the damp climate of England quickly had its disastrous effect.
The restless life, full of secular, often empty and meaningless entertainment, began to tire him.
Chopin's letters from London reflect his gloomy mood, and often suffering:
"I am no longer able to worry or rejoice I have completely stopped feeling anything - I am just vegetating and waiting for it to end as soon as possible."
Chopin gave his last concert in London, which turned out to be the last in his life, in favor of Polish immigrants.
On the advice of doctors, he hastily returned to Paris.
The composer's last work was the Mazurka in F minor, which he could no longer play, he recorded only on paper.
At his request, his older sister Ludwika came from Poland, in whose arms he died.
Chopin's funeral was solemn.
The best artists of Paris performed the Requiem of Mozart, so beloved by them.
His own compositions were also performed, among them the funeral march from the piano sonata in B flat minor performed by the orchestra.
Friends brought a cup with their native Polish land to his grave.
Chopin is buried in Paris, next to the grave of his friend Bellini.
And his heart, as he had bequeathed, was sent in a vessel to Poland, to Warsaw, where it is still carefully preserved in the Church of St. Nicholas.
The cross.
A crater on Mercury is named after Chopin.
Biography
Unlike many of his predecessors and contemporaries, Chopin composed almost exclusively for the piano.
He did not leave a single opera, nor one symphony or overture.
All the more striking is the talent of the composer, who managed to create so much bright, new in the field of piano music.
Fryderyk Chopin was born on March 1, 1810, near Warsaw, the capital of Poland, in the town of Zhelyazova Wola.
Chopin's mother was Polish, his father was French.
Chopin's family lived on the estate of Count Skarbek, where his father served as a home teacher.
After the birth of his son, Nikolai Chopin got a job as a teacher at the Warsaw Lyceum (a secondary educational institution), and the whole family moved to the capital.
Little Chopin grew up surrounded by music.
His father played the violin and flute, his mother sang well and played the piano a little.
Not yet able to speak, the child began to cry loudly as soon as he heard his mother singing or his father playing.
His parents believed that Fryderyk did not like music, and this greatly upset them.
But we soon became convinced that this was not the case at all.
By the age of five, the boy was already confidently performing simple plays, learned under the guidance of his older sister Ludvika.
Soon, the famous Czech musician Wojciech Zivny in Warsaw became his teacher.
A sensitive and experienced teacher, he instilled in his student a love for classical music and especially for the works of J. S. Bach.
Subsequently, Bach's keyboard preludes and fugues were always on the composer's desktop.
The first performance of the little pianist took place in Warsaw, when he was seven years old.
The concert was a success, and the whole of Warsaw soon learned Chopin's name.
At the same time, one of his first compositions was published - polonaise for piano in G minor.
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, saying that he could not teach him anything more.
Simultaneously with music lessons, the boy received a good general education.
Already as a child, Fryderyk was fluent in French and German, was keenly interested in the history of Poland, read a lot of fiction.
At the age of thirteen, he entered the lyceum and successfully graduated from it three years later.
During the years of study, the versatile abilities of the future composer were manifested.
The young man drew well, especially he was able to caricature.
His mimic talent was so bright that he could have become a theater actor.
Already in his youth, Chopin was distinguished by sharpness of mind, observation and great curiosity.
Since childhood, Chopin showed a love for folk music.
According to the stories of his parents, during country walks with his father or comrades, the boy could stand for a long time under the window of some hut, from where folk tunes could be heard.
When he was on vacation in the summer at the estates of his comrades at the lyceum, Fryderyk himself took part in the performance of folk songs and dances.
Over the years, folk music has become an integral part of his work, has become akin to his being.
After graduating from the lyceum, Chopin entered the Higher School of Music.
Here his classes were led by an experienced teacher and composer Joseph Elsner.
Elsner very soon realized that his student was not just talented, but brilliant.
Among his notes, there is a brief description given by him to the young musician: "Amazing abilities.
A musical genius."
By this time, Chopin was already recognized as the best pianist in Poland.
His talent as a composer has also reached maturity.
This is evidenced by two concertos for piano and orchestra, composed in 1829-1830.
These concerts are always heard in our time and are the favorite works of pianists of all countries.
At the same time, Fryderyk met a young singer, Constance Gladkovskaya, who studied at the Warsaw Conservatory.
Gladkovskaya was destined to become Fryderyk's first love.
In pi
