Born in March 1810 AD in Poland, Fryderyk Franciszek Szopen came from an émigré middle-class family of French origins. The precocious boy published his first composition at the age of seven. His father, Nicholas, found employment as a tutor to aristocrats in Warsaw soon after Frédéric’s birth, thereby exposing the child to civilized society. Thus, by 1818 the musical prodigy was performing in salons across the city.

Having completed his studies at the Warsaw Conservatory of Music, Chopin’s parents sent him to Vienna to find his fortune, which he did when he made his concert debut there in 1829. Over the next three years, he meandered across Austria, Poland, Germany, and France, eventually settling in Paris. There he found employment and acclaim as a recitalist and teacher of debutants in the homes of the wealthy. This lucrative pursuit allowed him both to live well and to devote time to composing some of the greatest works in musical history, the likes of the Nocturnes of Op. 9 and 15, the Scherzo in B-Flat Minor, Op. 31 and the Sonata in B-Flat Minor, Op. 35.

Though Chopin had had various affairs, and even been engaged once, none lasted more than a year … until he took up with the French novelist Amantine Lucile Dupin, better known as George Sand, in 1839. Having spent intimate time in Majorca together, Sand realized that Chopin’s health was deteriorating; he was diagnosed with consumption, better known as tuberculosis. Their relationship turned stormy, but they managed to remain together until 1848, when Sand finally broke it off. Chopin, after a grueling concert tour of Britain, returned to Paris and died in October of the following year.