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 Frederick Chopin
Chopin's Childhood
Frederick Chopin was born in a village not
far from Warsaw in Poland in 1809. Chopin was one of four children,
each was gifted and destined to become famous in their own way, but
Frederick was exposed to greatness from a very young age. In his early
years Frederick Chopin was described as very sensitive to music, often
crying whenever he heard it. Childhood habits can be strange
precursors, however, as Chopin eventually began to study the very music
that once moved him to tears.
Chopin's Early Performances
While he learned many instruments he
focused on the piano
giving his first public concert at age nine. In his youthful ignorance
he honestly believed that the people that were so enthralled with his
music were actually only applauding for his fancy clothes. Eventually
this youthful ignorance abated as young Frederick Chopin was invited
again and again to perform for audiences both public and private. On
one occasion young Chopin, dressed in rich velvet, was picked up at his
home by the duke's personal carriage clad in silver and drawn by four
fine horses.
Early Compositions and Continued Success
Frederick Chopin's career was not limited to performance, however.
He began to compose music at age ten with the creation of a march for
the grand duke. Additional compositions followed, until Chopin
graduated from the Polish equivalent of high school and turned his life
completely to music, moving to Berlin to study and learn from the great
masters such as Mendelssohn. In 1831 Frederick moved on to Paris,
giving concerts in cities across Europe along the way. One might think
that this all of this attention might spoil an individual's character,
however Chopin often showed that his feet were firmly rooted in
humility. Of all of the praise he garnered Chopin was said to be most
proud of the attention he gained in a small, rural inn as he played for
hours on end in an impromptu concert as he and others around him waited
for the carriage to arrive and take them to their destination. He was
once quoted as saying, "My success in the old inn and the cheers of
those music-loving Germans are dearer to me than any other praise that
I ever received." Indeed, the youthful Frederick Chopin was a darling
of society wherever he might travel but one that still seemed to
remember where he came from.
At the time few would have been able to predict that this aspiring prodigy would become one of the most famous Classical era composers , on par with some of the greatest musical minds in history.
Tags: Frederick Chopin Chopin pianist composer childhood
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