Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.
Frédéric Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the early Romantic period who wrote mainly for solo piano. He is renowned as a leading composer of his era, whose "poetic genius was based on a professional technique that was without equal in his generation."
Born in Żelazowa Wola, he grew up in Warsaw, where as a child prodigy he completed his musical education and composed his early works. He left Poland at age 20, shortly before the November 1830 Uprising, and settled in Paris at 21. After that he gave only 30 public performances, preferring the intimate atmosphere of the salon, and supported himself by selling compositions and giving piano lessons. He became friends with Franz Liszt and was admired by contemporaries including Robert Schumann.
Born in Żelazowa Wola, he grew up in Warsaw, where as a child prodigy he completed his musical education and composed his early works. He left Poland at age 20, shortly before the November 1830 Uprising, and settled in Paris at 21. After that he gave only 30 public performances, preferring the intimate atmosphere of the salon, and supported himself by selling compositions and giving piano lessons. He became friends with Franz Liszt and was admired by contemporaries including Robert Schumann.
Bach is an astronomer, discovering the most marvellous stars. Beethoven challenges the universe. I only try to express the soul and the heart of man.
When one does a thing, it appears good, otherwise one would not write it. Only later comes reflection, and one discards or accepts the thing. Time is the best censor, and patience a most excellent teacher.
As long as I have health and strength, I will gladly work all my days.
I wish I could throw off the thoughts which poison my happiness, but I take a kind of pleasure in indulging them.
Man is never always happy, and very often only a brief period of happiness is granted him in this world; so why escape from this dream which cannot last long?