Frederic Chopin
Frederic Chopin (1810-49), Polish composer and pianist. A child prodigy, he studied the piano and com-position at the Warsaw Conservatory. In 1831 he settled in France, where he met the composers Berlioz and Liszt, leaders of- the Romantic school. He befriended the novelist George Sand and lived with her in Majoica (1838-39) and later in France. After the 1848 revolution he Visited Britain and played before Queen Victoria, de-spite suffering from tuberculosis. His health worsened and he died the following year. Chopin was influenced by Polish folk music and Italian opera. Most of his compositions are for solo piano; they include mazurkas, nocturnes, sonatas, preludes, waltzes, and polonaises.
