Frederic Chopin was born on March 1, 1810 in Żelazowa Wola, some 46 km west of Warsaw. When he was only seven months old, his family moved to Warsaw. He attended the High School of Music in 1826. After graduation, he traveled and performed. In December 1829, at the Warsaw Merchants' Club, Chopin premiered his Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21. He followed that up with the first performance of his Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 on March 17, 1830, at the National Theater.

During his short stay in Vienna in 1830, Chopin managed to compose his first nine mazurkas. He departed Vienna in 1831 and headed toward Paris. While in Paris, Chopin gave concerts and earned the friendships of other great pianists such as Franz Liszt and Hector Berlioz. He became the "premier" piano instructor. Chopin made his last public appearance on a concert platform at London's Guildhall on November 16, 1848. He died on October 17, 1849.

Chopin is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music.

Selected Works by Frederic Chopin

By AARON GREEN

Piano

Mazurka

Op. 68/2 - A minor - 1827

Op. 68/3 - F major - 1830

Op. 68/1 - C major - 1830

Op. 67/1 - G major - 1835

Op. 67/3 - C major - 1835

Op. 41/1 - E minor - 1838

Op. 68/4 - F minor - 1846

Op. 67/4 - A minor - 1846

Op. 67/2 - G minor - 1848

Nocturne

Op. 72/1 - E minor - 1829

Op. 15/3 - G minor - 1832

Op. 27/1 - C-sharp minor - 1835

Op. 27/2 - D major - 1835

Op. 37/1 - G minor - 1838

Op. 37/2 - G major - 1839

Polonaise

Op. 71/1 - D minor - 1828

Op. 71/2 - B-flat major - 1828

Op. 71/3 - F minor - 1828

Op. 40/1 - A major - 1838

Op. 40/2 - C major - 1839

Op. 44 - F-sharp minor - 1841

Op. 53 - A-flat major - 1843

(Source: ABOUT.COM and Wikipedia)