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| Parisian high society gathered in private salons to hear Chopin perform — evenings often closing with a sequence of refined nocturnes. |
1810
Born in Żelazowa Wola, in the Duchy of Warsaw.
1817
Publishes his first composition, a Polonaise in G minor — an early sign of his lifelong connection to Polish national forms.
1818
Makes his first public appearance at a charity concert in Warsaw.
1826
Enrolls at the newly founded Warsaw Conservatory, where his formal musical education consolidates his compositional voice.
1830
Gives his official Warsaw debut, performing the Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor. In July, he leaves Poland permanently, initially settling in Vienna.
1831
Arrives in Paris. Composes the Étude in C minor, later known as the “Revolutionary Étude,” under the emotional impact of the failed Polish uprising.
1832
Gives his first Paris recital on February 22. His refined, intimate pianism distinguishes him immediately from the more theatrical virtuosi of the time.
1833
Becomes a central figure in Parisian aristocratic salons. Performs in a charitable concert alongside Franz Liszt.
1835
Visits Germany, falls in love with Maria Wodzińska, and composes the Waltz in F minor, later known as the “Farewell Waltz.”
1836
Meets the writer George Sand at the home of Countess d’Agoult.
1837
Makes his first visit to England.
1838
Begins his long and complex relationship with George Sand. Starts composing the 24 Preludes, a work that would distill his harmonic daring and emotional range.
1840–1844
Composes major works including the Fantaisie in F minor, the Barcarolle, and the Piano Sonata in B minor. His health steadily declines due to tuberculosis.
1847
His final break with George Sand deeply unsettles him. Composes the Three Waltzes, Op. 64. His illness worsens.
1848
Travels to England at the invitation of his former student Jane Stirling. Gives his last Paris recital before returning to France in November, physically exhausted.
1849
Returns gravely ill to Paris in January. Dies on October 17 at the age of 39.
- The so-called “Minute Waltz” was never intended to last sixty seconds; the title refers to a miniature dance rather than its duration. A popular legend later claimed that only Chopin himself could perform it in a single minute — a romantic exaggeration that endured well beyond his lifetime.
- Chopin was uncompromisingly self-critical. He revised his works repeatedly, leaving a comparatively small output. Mozart remained his lifelong ideal; he often traveled with the scores of Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro in his luggage.
- On June 19, 1839, George Sand carved that date into the wooden paneling of her bedroom in Nohant. Whether it marked an anniversary or the end of their intimacy remains open to interpretation.