Front: L. Warynski

Back: Old paper

Front: J. Dabrowski

Back: Woman standing at wall

Front: Frédéric-François Chopin (1810-1849), one of the greatest Polish composers for the piano

He was born "Fryderyk Franciszek", of French and Polish parentage in the village of Zelazowa Wola, Poland. In Warsaw he was hailed as a child prodigy for his keyboard and composition skill. He adopted the French variant of his name, "Frédéric-François", when he left for Paris at the age of 20, having already composed his two piano concertos, and he never returned to live in Poland.

In Paris, he made a career as a performer and teacher as well as a composer. In 1836 he met the French writer Amandine-Aurore-Lucile Dupin, Baroness Dudevant, better known by her pseudonym George Sand, with whom he had a relationship for nine years until 1847. After suffering poor health for much of his life, his condition forced him to give up performing and teaching shortly before he died.

Back: Polonaise music score