chopin

Frederic Chopin is one of the most famous and influential composers from the nineteenth century. He is especially known for his piano music now and then. Chopin’s works include three sonatas, mazurkas, waltzes, nocturnes, polonaises, etudes, impromptus, scherzos, ballades, preludes, two piano concertos, a few chamber music, and some Polish vocal pieces. He played an important role in the 19th century Polish nationalistic movement. In particular, his mazurkas and polonaises based on Polish dances best express his nationalistic passion and the musical features of the Polish culture.
During the nineteenth century, many new ideas emerged in politics, economy, science, society, ideology, arts and music. The Romantics valued exoticism and nationalism. Nationalism movements were the trend all over Europe, as people emphasized on more distinct cultural styles in music (individualism). Chopin was inspired by this idea and he introduced music that carried the uniqueness of Polish rhythm and melodies to other Europeans. This style in music was very influential.

Biography of Chopin
According to Chopin’s biographer Karasowki (1906), Frédéric François Chopin was born in Zelazowa Wola, a village west of Warsaw, Poland. According to the parish baptismal record, which was discovered in 1892, it gives his birthday as 22 February 1810, but March 1st 1810 was stated by the composer and his family as his birthday, according to Chopin in a letter of January 16th 1833 (Karasowski, 1906).
As a child, Chopin demonstrated the talent of a young Mozart. He started writing verse at age six and started composing music from age seven. His very first composition was a Polonaise in G Minor (1817). It was dedicated to the young Countess Victoire Skarbek (Wein...

... middle of paper ...

...mazurkas and many other pieces that reflected nationalism (Kelley, 1969). He also influenced on his fellow composer Liszt. Liszt makes the use of diminished seventh chords in his ornamental passages, which might have been inspired by Chopin, according to Walker (1967). In the late 19th century, Debussy, Mahler, and Scriabin also followed Chopin’s footsteps. Like Chopin, they made the use of added ninth, triton above the tonic, and the emancipation of the seventh chords.
Chopin’s use of the triton above the tonic , emancipation of the chords of the seventh
Schumann remarked, “Chopin’s works are guns buried in flowers” (Walker, 1967, p. 258). He was a revolutionary composer. His works are delicate yet harmonically powerful. Chopin expressed the idea of nationalism in his music by creating new forms of harmonies and using distinctive and colorful rhythmical features.