Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) is Poland’s greatest composer. In fact, he is almost certainly the most popular composer of solo piano works in all of history. The 19th-century English poet Jean Ingelow suggested that Chopin was to music as Tennyson was to poetry. The characterization of him as the “poet of the piano” has now become commonplace, for it conjures up imagery that serves far better than mere words, especially as the grace and beauty of his music often beggar description.

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