CHOPIN, FRDRIC (FRANCOIS)

Polish Fryderyk Franciszek Szopen born March 1, 1810, Zelazowa Wola, near Warsaw, Duchy of Warsaw [now in Poland] died Oct. 17, 1849, Paris, France Polish-French composer and pianist of the Romantic period, best known for his solo pieces for piano and his piano concerti. Although he wrote little but piano works, many of them brief, Chopin ranks as one of music's greatest tone poets by reason of superfine imagination and fastidious craftsmanship.