Chopin a Great Pianist

Frederic Francois Chopin was born on March 1, 1810 in the Zelazowa Wola village 20 miles west of Warsaw. As a child Chopin was raised by a polish mother and a French father. The father taught French for the local high school. Chopin was considered a prodigy of the piano. By the young age of eight years old Chopin had already preformed many works for the solo piano some even his own compositions.

In 1823 Chopin had to put his flourishing musical genius on hold for his first formal education at the high school where his father taught and at the Academy of Fine Arts were young Chopin would be very studious for the next 7 years until he moves back to Warsaw in 1830. Chopin mostly studied with the other students, but snuck off in his free time to play the school piano which was badly out of tune. When he finished school in 1831 he decided to settle in part of France known today as Paris. This is where he stayed for most of his life, excluding the tours and concerts that he rarely played. He created many compositions for the solo piano here.

Chopin was well renounced and a highly esteemed pianist, he invented new musical forms like ballades, sonatas, waltz, nocturnes, etudes, impromptus, and preludes. Unlike other pianists Chopin was inspired easily. He had a romantic and harmonious touch on the pieces he composed. As well as brought great beauty and almost rearranging the way you play the piano today. His compositions gave gentle touch to the piano, yet forced you to emphasize the power of the piece with accents on the notes. Mostly known for being very smooth flowing and melodious. He created his pieces from his surroundings or experiences in his life. While also using the full use of the piano in all of his compositions.

Chopin created over 200 compositions for the solo piano. The etudes he created were by far his most well known work. These etudes helped students learn and develop skills necessary to be a serious pianist in the world of music. The name etude comes form the Latin language and translates to “study”. Although etudes were a major contribution to his fame Chopin also created 3 sonatas, 4 ballads, 4 large scale scherzos, 27 etudes, 18 waltzes, and several well known rondos. His idea of a good composition lied around the though of what would it contribute to the learner.