Frederic Francois Chopin, Polish-born composer and renowned¹ pianist, was the creator of 55 mazurkas, 13 polonaises, 24 preludes², 27 etudes, 19 nocturnes, 4 ballads³, and 4 scherzos.

Frederic Chopin was born in Zelazowa Wola, Poland, on February 22, 1810, to a French father and Polish mother. His father, Nicholas Chopin, was a French tutor to many aristocratic Polish families, later accepting a position as a French teacher at the Warsaw Lyceum.

Although Chopin later attended the Lyceum where his father taught, his early training began at home. This included receiving piano lessons from his mother. By the age of six, Chopin was creating original pieces, showing innate⁴ prodigious⁵ musical ability. His parents arranged for the young Chopin to take piano instruction from Wojciech Zywny.

When Chopin was sixteen, he attended the Warsaw Conservatory⁶ of Music, directed by composer Joseph Elsner. Elsner, like Zywny, insisted on the traditional training associated with Classical music but allowed his students to investigate the more original imaginations of the Romantic style as well.

As often happened with the young musicians of both the Classical and Romantic Periods, Chopin was sent to Vienna, the unquestioned center of music for that day. He gave piano concerts and then arranged to have his pieces published by a Viennese publishing house there. While Chopin was in Austria, Poland and Russia faced off in the apparent beginnings of war. He returned to Warsaw to get his things in preparation of a more permanent move. While there, his friends gave him a silver goblet⁷ filled with Polish soil. He kept it always, as he was never able to return to his beloved Poland.

French by heritage, and desirous of finding musical acceptance from a less traditional audience than that of Vienna, Chopin ventured to Paris. Interestingly, other young musicians had assembled in the city of fashion with the very same hope. Chopin joined Franz Liszt, Hector Berlioz, Felix Mendelssohn, Vincenzo Bellini, and Auguste Franchomme, all proponents⁸ of the "new" Romantic style.

Although Chopin did play in the large concert halls on occasion, he felt most at home in private settings, enjoying the social milieu⁹ that accompanied concerts for the wealthy. He also enjoyed teaching, as this caused him less stress than performing. Chopin did not feel that his delicate technique and intricate melodies were as suited to the grandiose¹⁰ hall as they were to smaller environments and audiences.

News of the war in Poland inspired Chopin to write many sad musical pieces expressing his grief for "his" Poland. Among these was the famous "Revolutionary Etude." Plagued by poor health as well as his homesickness, Chopin found solace¹¹ in summer visits to the country. Here, his most complex yet harmonic creations found their way to the brilliant composer's hand. The "Fantasia in F Minor¹²," the "Barcarolle," the "Polonaise Fantasia," "Ballade in A Flat Major," "Ballade in F Minor," and "Sonata¹³ in B Minor" were all products of the relaxed time Chopin enjoyed in the country.

As the war continued in Warsaw and then reached Paris, Chopin retired¹⁴ to Scotland with friends. Although he was far beyond the reach of the revolution, his melancholy¹⁵ attitude did not improve and he sank deeper into a depression. Likewise, his health did not rejuvenate¹⁶ either. A window in the fighting made it possible for Chopin to return to Paris as his health deteriorated¹⁷ further. Surrounded by those that he loved, Frederic Francois Chopin died at the age of 39. He was buried in Paris.

Chopin's last request was that the Polish soil in the silver goblet be sprinkled over his grave.

钢琴诗人—肖邦

肖邦是近代浪漫派的抒情音乐家，他在音乐史中，是一位神秘、爱国而最富于诗意生命的钢琴家。他一生创作了55部马祖卡舞曲，13部波罗涅滋，24首序曲，27首练习曲，19首夜曲，4首叙事曲以及4部诙谐曲。

1810年2月12日，肖邦出生于波兰华沙郊区的热拉佐瓦沃拉。他的父亲尼古拉斯是具有波兰血统的法国人，而母亲却是一位纯粹的波兰人。尼古拉斯原本是波兰贵族家庭的一名法语教师，后来到华沙的一所中学教授法语。

肖邦最初接触音乐的机会是跟随母亲学钢琴。六岁那年，肖邦创作出了人生的第一部作品，充分展现了他与生俱来的非凡的音乐天赋。不久后，他进入了父亲所在的学校学习，并在父母的安排下，跟随捷克音乐家W.日夫尼学习钢琴。

中学毕业后，肖邦进入华沙音乐学院学习，从师德国音乐家J.A.F埃尔斯纳。与日尼夫相同的是，埃尔斯纳在坚持古典派推崇的传统练习外，鼓励学生们从浪漫派中吸取灵感。

离开华沙音乐学院后，肖邦来到了当时的音乐圣地－维。在那里，肖邦不仅举行了多场音乐会，也发表了不少音乐作品。在波兰民族运动走向高潮，与沙俄的战争一触即发的时候，肖邦身在奥地利。不久，他回到华沙为出国做准备。临行前，华沙音乐学院的师生们为他送行，并赠以盛满祖国泥土的银杯。尽管从此肖邦再也没有回到他深爱着的祖国，他一直保存着这捧祖国的泥土。

为了得到更多浪漫派听众的认可，加上自己拥有一半的法国血统，肖邦来到了法国巴黎。有趣的是，许多抱有同样想法的年轻音乐家们也都聚集到了这座流行之都。在这里，肖邦结识了西欧文艺界许多重要人物，包括匈牙利艺术家李斯特，柏辽兹，意大利音乐家贝利尼等新浪漫主义的拥护者。

尽管肖邦有时也在大型音乐厅演出，但他更喜欢在家或是一些私人的场合，享受更融洽的氛围。他也更喜欢教学时放松的心情。肖邦认为他细致优美的演奏技巧和纷繁的旋律更适合小环境演奏，而不适合宏伟的音乐厅。

波兰陷入战火的消息促使他写了许多充满悲伤的作品，以表达对祖国波兰的哀伤与思念，其中包括名曲《革命练习曲》。肖邦的健康状况一直不佳，加上思乡心切，一度患上肺病，曾在法国南部疗养。期间写过不少成名的珍品。《F小调幻想曲》，《威尼斯船歌》，《幻想波罗涅滋舞曲》，《降A大调叙事曲》，《F小调叙事曲》，《B小调奏鸣曲》等都是在南部疗养时创作的。

战事从华沙蔓延到了巴黎，肖邦不得不和朋友们躲避至苏格兰。虽然肖邦远离了波兰的战火，但他忧郁的情绪丝毫没有改善，反而陷入了更深的沮丧之中。同样地，他的健康状况也没有恢复。回巴黎后，肖邦的健康状况急剧下降，最终在友人们的陪伴下逝世于巴黎的寓所中，结束了短短39年的生命。他的遗体被安葬在巴黎。

肖邦最后的遗愿是将银杯中祖国波兰的泥土撒在他的墓碑上。