Chopin
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
FRÉDÉRIC FRANÇOIS, a Polish composer and pianist, born near Warsaw in 1810. His musical education began when he was still a mere boy and before he was 9 years of age he played in public. In August, 1829, he gave two concerts in Vienna and his playing was widely praised by many musical celebrities who were present. This was followed by concerts in Warsaw, Munich, and other cities. As a result of the FREDERIC FRANÇOIS CHOPIN Russian occupation of Warsaw in 1831 he removed to Paris, which was his home for the next 18 years. During this period he was surrounded by many men and women of genius and talent and he was one of the most conspicuous figures of this circle. During his residence in Paris he wrote and published many important musical compositions. He made also frequent appearances as a pianist. In 1835 he visited Germany, Leipsic, and other cities, and in the same year made a trip to England, which, while it lasted only 11 days, was sufficient to develop the germs of consumption. In 1837 he met George Sand who was then living separately from her husband. Chopin was at the time ill and she undertook to nurse him, and, in the years following, they lived in Paris, where they were both conspicuous in social and musical circles. A break in their relations came in 1847 as the result of a quarrel. Chopin continued to give concerts in spite of the fact that he continually grew weaker physically. He visited London again in 1848. He died in 1849. Chopin is considered to be the creator of a new style of writing for the piano, and his achievements as a composer entitle him to a foremost place among the masters of music.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's 1921 sketch of the life still holds in outline, though a few details have shifted. The claim that an 11-day trip to England in 1835 "develop[ed] the germs of consumption" no longer stands: Chopin was already chronically ill by then, and while tuberculosis remains the usual diagnosis, researchers have proposed cystic fibrosis and other conditions, and a 2017 visual examination of his heart -- preserved in alcohol in a pillar of Holy Cross Church in Warsaw -- pointed to pericarditis as the immediate cause of death. His birthplace is now given precisely as Żelazowa Wola, with the birth date disputed between the baptismal record's 22 February 1810 and the family's own 1 March. The judgement that he created a new style of piano writing has if anything hardened: the International Chopin Piano Competition, founded in Warsaw in 1927 and held every five years, has become one of the most watched events in classical music.
Written for this edition, 2026.