DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Frédéric Chopin's Birthday - March 1st, 1810
A drawing of Chopin by his fiancee Maria Wodzińska. Drawn in 1835 when Chopin was 25 years old.
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Frédéric Chopin was a very famous and talented composer. He was born in a small village in Poland on March 1st, 1810. Chopin fell in love with music at a young age—when he was only 6 he was already an excellent piano player and was taught by a professional musician, Wojciech Zywny. However, Chopin was incredibly imaginative and a gifted pianist so he quickly surpassed what Wojciech was able to teach him.
Chopin started composing and performing soon after. He had a composition printed when he was only 7 years old and did his first public performance at 8. When he was only 11 years old, Chopin played for the Russian tzar, Alexander I. He began a three-year education at the Warsaw Conservatory of Music when he was 16 years old. Chopin's creativity and technical skills meant that he learned quickly, so his parents ended up sending him to Vienna.
It was at the point that Chopin started to engage in large performances in Vienna, Poland, Germany, Austria, and Paris. His first performance in Paris did not go as well as it had in other places because his style was quite different than the Parisian concert-goers were familiar with. However, he ended up moving to Paris and working as a recitalist and teacher. At the same time, Chopin composed some of his greatest pieces.
Chopin never married and his longest relationship was with the famous novelist "George Sand", which was the pen name for Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin.
Chopin also had some health issues over the last decade of his life. One winter he suffered from tuberculosis but was able to recover. He was also known to behave unpredictably, which may have been a result of undiagnosed epilepsy. When he was invited to England and Scotland to perform and teach, he spent almost a year engaged in exhausting work before returning to Paris where he passed away at the age of 39 on October 17th, 1849.
Below are several music themed crafts and activities that are great to accompany a celebration of Chopin's birthday and incredible musical talent! You can even try listening along to some Chopin songs while you do these crafts and activities.
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Other Holidays You May Be Interested In:
- Music in our Schools Month (March)
- Strange Music Day (August 24th each year)