Frédéric Chopin Essay

Submitted By jakekruty
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Frederic Chopin

Fredric Chopin was a prodigal pianist and composer from Poland. He came into the world on February 4, 1810 in Zelazowa Wola, Poland and died at the age of 35 in 1845. Nearly all of his compositions were for piano. Over the course of his career as a composer, he wrote hundreds of pieces. Chopin is sometimes referred to as “The Poet of the Piano” due to the dreamy yet dark and emotional nature of his music. Many scholars consider him one of if not the most important composers of the romantic period. Frederic Chopin’s father was French and his mother was Polish. At the tender age of four, young Frederic started to learn how to play the piano. Three years later, the seven year old Chopin wrote a polonaise, his first piece of music. And as if that was not already impressive enough, when Chopin reached the age of eight years old he had his first concert. like many of the greats before him, Chopin was clearly a child prodigy from the beginning of his career. In 1829, Frederic Chopin made his big musical debut at the age of 19 in Vienna, Austria. He performed two piano concerts and received many glowing reviews. After that he returned to Poland to perform in Warsaw. Chopin’s successes in Vienna and Warsaw did not go unnoticed. After his concerts in Warsaw, he would leave Poland for good. Chopin would travel across western europe on the back of his incredible talent. In 1831, Frederic Chopin started his life in Paris. He was immediately embraced by the artistic community in paris. His raw talent was overwhelming and undeniable. Having been almost entirely self taught, the prestigious piano player received many offers to be mentored by great musical talents. In response to all of the offers from these music schools to teach Frederic strict “technique, Chopin’s piano teacher from poland had this to say: "They have recognized genius in Frederic and are already frightened that he will outstrip them, so they want to keep their hands on him for three years in order to hold back something of that which nature herself might push forward." Despite all of this, Frederic Chopin created and refined his own unique piano technique and style. He was influenced by many of the greats like Mozart, Bach, and Weber. However, Chopin’s music did not sound like any of the music that came before it. His pieces were not too outlandish but they never followed the strict guidelines that most of his contemporaries were sticking to at the time. While most romantic composers were creating pieces that drew from love stories or paintings, Chopin’s work always retained a