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Renowned for his haunting piano compositions, Frederic Chopin was a Polish composer who lived from 1810 to 1849. Those that witnessed the composer perform on the piano were awestruck by his ability to become one with his music and his reluctance to return to the real world once a piece was finished.

Although he received some training in Viennese Classicism and the music of Bach , Chopin was largely self-taught as a performer, though he did study composition at the High School of Music in Warsaw. With the Russian occupation of Poland, he became somewhat of an exile from his homeland. He spent much of his life in Paris and associated with other artists such as Liszt, Berlioz, and his long-time lover, George Sand.

The artist’s body of work enjoys popularity through this day. Some of the major works by Chopin that are still performed regularly include two piano concertos, several orchestra pieces and a variety of chamber music featuring piano and cello. His is most well known for his solo piano works, including Nocturnes, Impromptus, Sonatas and Waltzes.

Chopin’s health deteriorated throughout his thirties and he died in 1849.