Frédéric François Chopin (1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for solo piano.
He has maintained worldwide renown as a leading musician of his era, one whose "poetic genius was based on a professional technique that was without equal in his generation".
All of Chopin's compositions include the piano.
Most are for solo piano, though he also wrote two piano concertos, a few chamber pieces, and some 19 songs set to Polish lyrics.
His piano writing was technically demanding and expanded the limits of the instrument, his own performances noted for their nuance and sensitivity.
His major piano works also include mazurkas, waltzes, nocturnes, polonaises, the instrumental ballade (which Chopin created as an instrumental genre), études, impromptus, scherzos, preludes, and sonatas, some published only posthumously.
Eugène Delacroix | Portrait of Frédéric Chopin and George Sand, 1838 (unfinished)
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