October 20 2022
Each week, discover one of the members of the Network of Houses and Museums of European Musicians. These places link the past, present and future, they honor a tangible and intangible heritage and fulfill an essential cultural purpose in Europe. This week, discover the most important centre dedicated to the illustrious Frédéric Chopin has been in Warsaw, Poland, since 2001: Narodowy Instytut Fryderyka Chopina (Frédéric Chopin Institute).
Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) was one of the greatest composers of the Romantic period. He is also considered one of the most talented pianists of the 19th century. This virtuoso, who was noticed as soon as he entered the Warsaw Conservatory, became known throughout Europe and settled in Paris in the early 1830s. He became friends with George Sand, who became his companion.
On his arrival in Paris in 1831, Chopin moved to Boulevard Poissonnière, pictured above by Isidore Dagnan (1834).
He shared his time between Nohant with George Sand and Paris and many places in Europe. Chopin met and made friends with the greatest figures of 19th century European culture: Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Liszt and Pauline Viardot. Pauline Viardot was invited by George Sand to Nohant on several occasions, particularly to sing.
Frédéric Chopin was painted and drawn by many artists who were contemporaries of him, including George Sand, Ary Scheffer and Eugène Delacroix. Here he is represented by Pauline Viardot (copyright reserved).
Chopin often accompanied her at the piano. Sand, in a letter to Champfleury in 1854, describes these brilliant moments: ''I have seen Chopin, one of the greatest musicians of our time, and Mme Pauline Viardot, the greatest musician in existence, spend hours transcribing a few melodic phrases from our singers and pipers. So it is not as easy as one might think''. Thus, six Mazurkas by Frédéric Chopin are transcribed for voice and piano by Pauline Viardot.
3D portrait of Frédéric Chopin by Iranian artist Hadi Karimi.
An important part of the archives, memory and legacy of the rich and short life of this great composer and pianist are preserved in Warsaw by the Chopin Institute, which also houses a museum.
The aim of the Institute, which in April 2022 joined the network created by the Centre Européen de Musique, is the promotion, protection, study and dissemination of the rich legacy left by Chopin. It encompasses Fryderyk Chopin's birthplace, the park of Żelazowa Wola and a museum dedicated to the life and work of the musician. The museum is located in the Ostrogski Palace in Warsaw. It contains a collection of 7,500 items dedicated to the great musician. This collection, invaluable for its richness, is registered as "Memory of the World" by UNESCO. It includes historical objects such as the last piano used by the composer, a collection of works of art, correspondence and Chopin's musical manuscripts "which reveal in detail his creative process", as the Institute explains on its website.
Chopin and Sand (collection of the Chopin Institute Museum).
The Institute, established in 2001 by a decision of the Polish Parliament and remaining under the direct control of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, has taken care of Chopin's legacy, continuing a tradition of perpetuating his legacy. This tradition began at the end of the 19th century with the Warsaw Musical Association, then with the Chopin Committee, the Fryderyk Chopin Institute from the post-war period and the Fryderyk Chopin Association.
The Institute's activities focus on music, including the organisation of the international festival "Chopin and His Europe", one of the most important and recognised festivals in Poland. It is the main source of a series of CDs and DVDs published by the Institute, which include performances of Chopin's music on period and contemporary instruments. Every five years, the Institute also organises the Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition. This competition opens up international career prospects for the winners. Lastly, the Institute carries out important editorial and scientific activities, including the organisation of international conferences and symposiums, the publication of a series of academic books and a project to publish facsimiles of all of Chopin's remaining musical manuscripts, which has been planned for decades.
The Institute carries out activities dedicated to all generations with, for example, the admirable work done by the Little Chopin Academy, the organisation of educational and artistic events (such as the International Children's Day in Żelazowa Wola), cycles of lectures for adults in the museum or cycles of concerts entitled "Young talents".
More information: Chopin Institute website
October 20 2022
Each week, discover one of the members of the Network of Houses and Museums of European Musicians. These places link the past, present and future, they honor a tangible and intangible heritage and fulfill an essential cultural purpose in Europe. This week, discover the most important centre dedicated to the illustrious Frédéric Chopin has been in Warsaw, Poland, since 2001: Narodowy Instytut Fryderyka Chopina (Frédéric Chopin Institute).
Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) was one of the greatest composers of the Romantic period. He is also considered one of the most talented pianists of the 19th century. This virtuoso, who was noticed as soon as he entered the Warsaw Conservatory, became known throughout Europe and settled in Paris in the early 1830s. He became friends with George Sand, who became his companion.
On his arrival in Paris in 1831, Chopin moved to Boulevard Poissonnière, pictured above by Isidore Dagnan (1834).
He shared his time between Nohant with George Sand and Paris and many places in Europe. Chopin met and made friends with the greatest figures of 19th century European culture: Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Liszt and Pauline Viardot. Pauline Viardot was invited by George Sand to Nohant on several occasions, particularly to sing.
Frédéric Chopin was painted and drawn by many artists who were contemporaries of him, including George Sand, Ary Scheffer and Eugène Delacroix. Here he is represented by Pauline Viardot (copyright reserved).
Chopin often accompanied her at the piano. Sand, in a letter to Champfleury in 1854, describes these brilliant moments: ''I have seen Chopin, one of the greatest musicians of our time, and Mme Pauline Viardot, the greatest musician in existence, spend hours transcribing a few melodic phrases from our singers and pipers. So it is not as easy as one might think''. Thus, six Mazurkas by Frédéric Chopin are transcribed for voice and piano by Pauline Viardot.
3D portrait of Frédéric Chopin by Iranian artist Hadi Karimi.
An important part of the archives, memory and legacy of the rich and short life of this great composer and pianist are preserved in Warsaw by the Chopin Institute, which also houses a museum.
The aim of the Institute, which in April 2022 joined the network created by the Centre Européen de Musique, is the promotion, protection, study and dissemination of the rich legacy left by Chopin. It encompasses Fryderyk Chopin's birthplace, the park of Żelazowa Wola and a museum dedicated to the life and work of the musician. The museum is located in the Ostrogski Palace in Warsaw. It contains a collection of 7,500 items dedicated to the great musician. This collection, invaluable for its richness, is registered as "Memory of the World" by UNESCO. It includes historical objects such as the last piano used by the composer, a collection of works of art, correspondence and Chopin's musical manuscripts "which reveal in detail his creative process", as the Institute explains on its website.
Chopin and Sand (collection of the Chopin Institute Museum).
The Institute, established in 2001 by a decision of the Polish Parliament and remaining under the direct control of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, has taken care of Chopin's legacy, continuing a tradition of perpetuating his legacy. This tradition began at the end of the 19th century with the Warsaw Musical Association, then with the Chopin Committee, the Fryderyk Chopin Institute from the post-war period and the Fryderyk Chopin Association.
The Institute's activities focus on music, including the organisation of the international festival "Chopin and His Europe", one of the most important and recognised festivals in Poland. It is the main source of a series of CDs and DVDs published by the Institute, which include performances of Chopin's music on period and contemporary instruments. Every five years, the Institute also organises the Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition. This competition opens up international career prospects for the winners. Lastly, the Institute carries out important editorial and scientific activities, including the organisation of international conferences and symposiums, the publication of a series of academic books and a project to publish facsimiles of all of Chopin's remaining musical manuscripts, which has been planned for decades.
The Institute carries out activities dedicated to all generations with, for example, the admirable work done by the Little Chopin Academy, the organisation of educational and artistic events (such as the International Children's Day in Żelazowa Wola), cycles of lectures for adults in the museum or cycles of concerts entitled "Young talents".
More information: Chopin Institute website
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