Fryderyk Chopin He was born in 1810 in Żelazowa Wola, although to this day researchers argue about the exact date – some indicate on February 22, others on March 1. As a child, he cheated on an extraordinary talent, which was quickly noticed by the Warsaw elites. The eight -year -old Chopin was able to charm the audience during a performance at the Radziwiłł Palace, and soon after the tsar Alexander I was delighted. Such episodes, as well as the later fate of the heart taken after death to Warsaw or a turbulent romance with George Sand, caused that a lot of anecdotes and unusual stories were left next to him.
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French Touch “La Belle Vie!”: Pink glasses full of French magic
After graduating from Warsaw, the young composer set off on a journey around Europe. His last concert in Poland took place in the autumn of 1830 at the Grand Theater, just a few weeks before leaving the country forever. From now on, his life was primarily associated with Paris. In the French capital, he spent almost two decades, surrounded by the Parisian elite and Polish emigration. There, most of his most important works were created, including mazurkas and polonaises, in which he expressed her longing for his homeland.
Chopin’s heart stayed in Warsaw
Chopin died in 1849 at the age of 39. Tuberculosis was recognized the official cause of death, although modern studies indicate that he could also suffer from a respiratory system genetic disease. He was buried at the Père-Lachaise Paris cemetery, but according to his will, the heart was brought to Warsaw. His sister Ludwik took them secretly in a glass urn immersed in alcohol to avoid problems with the French administration. A year later they were placed in the pillar of the Holy Cross church, where it still rests today.
“We know that the heart is in excellent condition, and our knowledge of Chopin has increased a bit. Most likely, the direct cause of the composer’s death was tuberculosis” – emphasized in 2014 prof. Tadeusz Dobosz, who studied the artist’s relic. The next study will take place in 2064.
Fryderyk Chopin’s love and friendships
Chopin’s emotional life was turbulent. The Polish singer was the greatest love of his youth Konstancja Gładkowskawho dedicated his first compositions. In 1836 he got engaged to Maria Wodzińska, but her family did not agree to the wedding, considering Fryderyk’s tuberculosis to the tuberculosis as a weak candidate. The longest and best known relationship connected him with the French writer George Sand. Their relationship lasted nine years, full of passion, but also difficult conflicts, which ultimately led to parting.
His friends’ circle included the greatest figures of Polish emigration – Adam Mickiewicz, Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz or Cyprian Kamil Norwid, who after the composer’s death called him “the most beautiful figure of Polish romanticism.”
A man sensitive and full of contradictions
Chopin never married and did not wait for children. He struggled with the disease that made him physically fragile, but he remained spiritually extremely strong. In his letters he wrote about his fears – one of the biggest was the fear of burying alive. At the same time, he was a cheerful person, full of humor and an extraordinary gift of imitating others. Friends valued him for brilliant conversations and cordiality.
He loved sweets, especially chocolate and ice cream, and although he ate little, he remembered Polish dishes with nostalgia – borscht or country bread from their homeland. He was also vividly talented – he drew, wrote poems and short comedies, which today reveal his less known face.
Immortal heritage
The memory of Chopin continues continuously. His name is called the Warsaw airport, streets in hundreds of cities around the world, as well as one of the most prestigious Globe Piano competitions, held in Warsaw since 1927. The monumental monument in the Royal Łazienki became a symbol of the capital, and its copies can be admired from Tokyo to Chicago.
Chopin also had extraordinary commemorations in space – his name is called a crater on Mercury, an asteroid and a star in the constellation of Hercules, around which a planet called Polonez circles. The manuscripts of his works even flew on board the space ferry Endeavour.
Fryderyk Chopin – a Pole and a citizen of the world
For Poles, he was and remains a symbol of national culture, for the French – a great romantic related to Paris, and for the world – the ambassador of classical music. He expressed his identity the most accurately when he said: “I am Polish, my heart beats for Poland.”