Frédéric François Chopin, born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era who wrote primarily for solo piano. As a pianist, his talents were beyond emulation and had an impact on other musicians entirely out of proportion to the number of concerts he gave — only 30 public performances in 30 years of concertizing. If you want to learn more about one of the world’s most renowned musicians, keep reading!

“Minute Waltz”

Chopin’s “Minute Waltz” doesn’t mean minute, as in small, but minute as in the unit of time measurement. The 138 bars of music, however, take around 90 to 120 seconds to play. Chopin’s publishers decided on the nickname.

He Always Played Piano in the Dark

Chopin played the piano in the dark throughout his entire life. He would always put out the candles in the room, and even when playing at an event or party, he would ask to extinguish the light in the room. He was shy, and only gave around 30 public concerts in his lifetime; he preferred to play to small gatherings in the salons of wealthy Parisians.

His Favorite Piano Maker

Chopin’s favorite piano maker was “Pleyel”. When he was recuperating from tuberculosis in Majorca, Spain, his Pleyel piano was to go with him. However, the piano took too long to go through the Spanish customs, so he had to play on an inferior piano when he was in Spain during his final years. However, some of his most famous pieces were composed on his Pleyel piano.

His Final Request

As Chopin was on his death bed, he was surrounded by friends and admirers for some days. When he knew he wasn’t going to make it, Chopin asked Delfina Potocka, a Polish countess who had been tending to him, to sing the National Anthem of Poland. It is believed that he gave his last breath as she finished the anthem. His last words were, “mother, my poor mother.”