Products and Gifts for Music Educators, Students and Parents

2010 celebrates the 200th birthday of pianist and composer

Frederic Chopin.

Here are some interesting facts about him and his music career.

• He was born on March 1st according to his mother – or February 22nd according to his church’s roster – in 1810.

• Chopin was one of the greatest pianists in history but gave relatively few concerts during his lifetime: not even thirty of them.

• Chopin never married but had a longstanding affair with ‘George Sand,’ a French baroness and feminist writer who was known to wear men’s clothes and smoke cigars.

• Chopin was born in Poland, but moved to Paris and never returned.  He took with him some Polish soil and was, therefore, never too far from a piece of his homeland.

• Chopin composed almost exclusively for the piano.

• Of his roughly 230 pieces, 57 of them were titled Mazurka (a Polish folk dance).

• His style was delicate, tempered and famous for his use of rubato, which is the term for slight increases or decreases in tempo at the discretion of the performer.

Happy Birthday Frederic!
Learn more about Chopin and many other famous composers in
Maestro! the Music History Board Game
and the resources on the
Maestro! CD Companion products.