Chopin — Poet of the Piano and the Parisian Salon

Chopin — “Poet of the Piano”

Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin (1810–1849) was a Polish-born French composer and pianist. He wrote almost his entire output for the piano — a rare kind of composer. In the history of music he is “the poet of the piano,” and stands in contrast to Liszt of the next article, “the magician.”

Compared with the huge, heroic piano music of Beethoven from the previous article, Chopin built the other summit of Romantic piano writing — introspective and refined.

Over 200 piano works survive, and nearly all of them are standard repertoire for pianists worldwide.

Life — Thirty-Nine Short Years

• 1 March 1810 — Born in Żelazowa Wola near Warsaw, Poland. His father Nicolas was French (a French teacher); his mother Polish
• 1817 — First composition at age 7; called “the second Mozart”
• 1826–1829 — Warsaw Conservatory, under Józef Elsner
• November 1830 — At 20, leaves for Paris via Vienna. Just after his departure the Polish November Uprising (a failed independence war against Russia) breaks out
• September 1831 — Arrives in Paris. He will never return home
• 1836 — Meets George Sand (novelist)
• Winter 1838–39 — Winters with Sand on Majorca (completes the Preludes)
• 1839–1846 — Summers at Sand’s country estate Nohant
• 1847 — Breaks with Sand
• 1848 — A concert tour of London, his strength failing
• 17 October 1849 — Dies in Paris of tuberculosis at 39

Chopin in Paris — Darling of the Salons

When the 20-year-old Chopin arrived in Paris in 1831, the city was the capital of music:

• Liszt, Hiller, Mendelssohn were all in Paris
• Kalkbrenner (pianist) offered to teach him; Chopin declined as “unnecessary”
• He performs in the salons of aristocrats and bankers and gains fame

“Avoiding Public Performances”

Chopin disliked public performance. His entire career includes only about 30 public concerts. His arena was the private salons of the aristocracy — playing before dozens of upper-class listeners.

“The lion of the great halls (Liszt) and the poet of the salon (Chopin)” — a contrast between contemporaries. The two met in Paris, but their styles were completely different.

Living by Lessons

Avoiding the public stage, Chopin made his living by giving piano lessons to aristocratic young women. Twenty francs a lesson (a large sum at the time). More than 150 pupils, notably Karolina de Belleau and the singer Pauline Viardot.

Ten Years with George Sand

George Sand (Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin, 1804–1876) was a French novelist six years Chopin’s senior. She scandalized Paris with cross-dressing, cigars, and love affairs.

• October 1836 — First meets Chopin at Liszt’s home
• 1837 — Their relationship begins
• Winter 1838–39 — They winter at the Charterhouse of Valldemossa on Majorca. Chopin’s tuberculosis worsens; Sand nurses him devotedly. Op. 28 Preludes (24) completed
• 1839–1846 — Summers at Sand’s country house Nohant, winters in Paris. Chopin’s most productive years
• July 1847 — Break-up, driven by family problems involving Sand’s daughter and son
• 17 October 1849 — Chopin dies. Sand does not come to the funeral

Ten intense years, one of the famous romances in music history. Sand’s novels La petite Fadette and La mare au diable date from the Nohant years.

Genres — Focused on the Piano

Chopin wrote almost exclusively for the piano. The exceptions:

• Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65 (1846) — a late masterpiece
• Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 11 / No. 2 Op. 21 (No. 2 is actually earlier) — early works
• A piano trio; a few songs — few in number

A rare composer entirely focused on the piano. For him the piano was a perfect instrument, needing no other ensemble.

Main Genres

Études — 27 Works

• Op. 10 (12 études, 1833) — dedicated to Liszt. “Tristesse” (No. 3 in E) and “Revolutionary” (No. 12 in C minor)
• Op. 25 (12 études, 1837) — “Winter Wind” (No. 11 in A minor), “Ocean” (No. 12 in C minor)
• Three New Études (1839)

Uniting “technical difficulty” and “artistic masterpiece.” With Beethoven’s Hammerklavier and Liszt’s Transcendental Études, they stand at the summit of Romantic pianism.

Nocturnes — 21 Works

Chopin perfected the form invented by the Irish John Field (1782–1837).

• Op. 9 No. 2 in E-flat — the most famous nocturne in the world, a staple of children’s recitals worldwide
• Op. 27 No. 2 in D-flat — a great crescendo and a sweet melody
• Op. 48 No. 1 in C minor — solemn, variations
• Op. 55, Op. 62 — the deep nocturnes of his last years

The name “nocturne” itself fits Chopin’s introspective musicianship perfectly.

Mazurkas — Over 60

An artistic elaboration of a Polish folk dance. Chopin wrote mazurkas throughout his life — an expression of his longing for Poland.

• Triple meter, folkloric rhythms
• Bold harmony and modality (with modal scales)
• Great influence on Bartók and Debussy

“Only through the mazurkas can one truly understand Chopin,” a German musicologist wrote.

Polonaises — 16 Works

The Polish aristocratic dance (triple meter). If the mazurka is “of the peasants,” the polonaise is “the pride of the nobles.”

• Op. 40 No. 1 “Military” — brilliant, rousing
• Op. 53 “Héroïque” — the most famous, the spirit of Polish nationhood
• Op. 61 “Polonaise-Fantaisie” — late, fused with the fantasy form

Ballades — 4 Works

• No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 — the most famous ballade in the world
• Nos. 2 in F major, 3 in A-flat, 4 in F minor

A new form: narrative epic in an instrumental key. Chopin’s invention.

Scherzos — 4 Works

• No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20 — a violent opening
• No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31 — famous, a leading motif
• No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39; No. 4 in E major, Op. 54

He turned the “scherzo” (a movement of a Classical symphony) into an independent solo piano work.

Preludes — 24 in Op. 28

Following Bach’s WTC, 24 preludes in every key. Ranging from very short to longer, in varied characters:

• No. 4 in E minor — “suffocation,” a deep minor grief
• No. 7 in A — sixteen bars of heavenly beauty
• No. 15 in D-flat — “Raindrop”; tradition holds it was composed on Majorca
• No. 24 in D minor — a violent finale

Sonatas — 3 Works

• No. 1 in C minor, Op. 4 (1828) — a youthful work, rarely played today
• No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35 (1839) — the “Funeral March”; the third movement is famous worldwide
• No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58 (1844) — a mature masterpiece in four movements

Fantasy, Impromptus, and More

• Fantasy in F minor, Op. 49
• Four impromptus — including the famous Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. 66 (posthumous)
• Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op. 60 — 6/8, a Venetian gondola
• Berceuse, Op. 57
• Andante spianato and Grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22

Chopin’s Playing Style

According to contemporaries:

• Small in volume — a “whispering pianissimo”
• Rubato — a distinctive elasticity of tempo
• Refined pedaling in the extreme
• Light touch — matched to the French pianos (Érard, Pleyel)
• Small hands — compensated by finger independence

The “Chopin school” continues as one lineage of modern piano pedagogy. In contrast, Beethoven’s percussive attack and Liszt’s virtuoso brilliance of the next article.

Chopin’s Pianos — Pleyel and Érard

Chopin himself:

“When I feel good I play a Pleyel; when I feel bad, an Érard.”

• Pleyel — a slender sound, “responsive to changing moods”
• Érard — a uniform sound, “playable even when you don’t feel well”

A Pleyel stood at his bedside at his death. The Salle Pleyel in Paris still houses a Chopin memorial exhibit.

Paris, Nohant, Majorca — Three Stages

Paris (1831–1849)

• Lived on the rue Chaussée-d’Antin, rue Laffitte, and rue Chaillot
• Salons, aristocratic homes, a few public concerts
• Teaching pupils
• Died in Paris on 17 October 1849

Majorca (winter 1838–39)

• Wintered with Sand at the Charterhouse of Valldemossa
• Completed Op. 28 Preludes
• Tuberculosis worsened; friction with local residents

Nohant (summers 1839–46)

• Sand’s country house (central France)
• A quiet six-month period each summer — concentrated composition
• Ballades 3 and 4, Scherzos 3 and 4, Sonata No. 3, Polonaise-Fantaisie all here

Chopin’s Death and “The Heart Returns Home”

On 17 October 1849 at 2 a.m., Chopin died in Paris at 39. His will:

• His body to Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris (his grave is there)
• His heart to be sent to Poland
• Mozart’s Requiem to be performed at his funeral

His sister Ludwika sealed his heart in alcohol and carried it to Poland, where it is enshrined in a pillar of the Holy Cross Church, Warsaw. It can be visited today.

“Body in Paris, heart in Poland” — a 19th-century Romantic symbol.

The Chopin International Piano Competition

Founded in Warsaw in 1927. Held once every five years; one of the world’s leading piano competitions.

Notable Winners

• 1927 (1st) — Lev Oborin (USSR)
• 1937 (3rd) — Yakov Zak (USSR)
• 1955 (5th) — Adam Harasiewicz (Poland); Maurizio Pollini in second place (later a titan)
• 1960 (6th) — Maurizio Pollini
• 1965 (7th) — Martha Argerich
• 1970 (8th) — Garrick Ohlsson (US)
• 1975 (9th) — Krystian Zimerman (Poland)
• 1980 (10th) — Dang Thai Son (Vietnam) — first Asian winner
• 1985 (11th) — Stanislav Bunin (USSR)
• 2005 (15th) — Rafał Blechacz (Poland)
• 2010 (16th) — Yulianna Avdeeva (Russia) — the first woman winner in 45 years
• 2015 (17th) — Cho Seong-jin (Korea)
• 2021 (18th) — Bruce Xiaoyu Liu (Canada, Chinese heritage). Sorita Kyohei 2nd, Kobayashi Aimi 4th — a great Japanese showing

The Chopin Lineage — 20th–21st Centuries

• Arthur Rubinstein (1887–1982) — Polish-Jewish; the greatest Chopin player of the 20th century
• Witold Małcużyński (1911–1977) — Poland
• Vladimir Ashkenazy (1937–) — Soviet
• Maurizio Pollini (1942–2024) — Italy
• Martha Argerich (1941–) — Argentina
• Krystian Zimerman (1956–) — Poland
• Dang Thai Son (1958–) — Vietnam
• Rafał Blechacz (1985–) — Poland
• Sorita Kyohei, Kobayashi Aimi, Kamei Masaya, Fujita Mao — contemporary Japan

“Chopin player” is now a professional category. Some pianists play nothing but Chopin.

Modern Impact

• Central repertoire for the piano — the standard for concerts, teaching, and recordings
• The Chopin Competition — a world event every five years
• Films — Chopin (1934), A Song to Remember (1945), Chopin: Desire for Love (2002), and Chopin’s music in The Pianist (2002)
• Polish national identity — Chopin as symbol
• Japan’s love of Chopin — often said to be the deepest in the world

From This Article to the Next

We have traced Chopin’s 39 years. The next article turns to Franz Liszt (1811–1886) — “the magician of the piano.” A contemporary just one year Chopin’s junior, who met and interacted with him in Paris. But their styles are the opposite pole — transcendent virtuosity, brilliant public performance, the invention of the recital, the founding of the symphonic poem, and finally the priesthood (“Abbé Liszt”) in his old age. Chopin the poet vs. Liszt the magician.