Frédéric Chopin

Although most of Poland had been annexed by Prussia, Russia, and Austria at the end of the eighteenth century, Polish nationalism remained strong, and the early nineteenth century saw the first significant Polish composer, Frédéric Chopin.

A child prodigy and piano virtuoso, Chopin's compositions include over 200 works for solo piano, as well as some piano concerti and chamber music. He left Poland in 1830, but his style includes a unique blend of traditional Polish music with Classical techniques and styles. He popularized mazurkas, a kind of Polish dance, and is well known for publishing pieces called nocturnes and fantasies, terms which really don't tell you anything about the piece but are typically evocative Romantic titles.

He spent most of his professional career in Paris working as a teacher and selling his compositions.