Profile Text
Birth Name: Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin
Date of Birth: 1 March, 1810
Place of Birth: Żelazowa Wola, Duchy of Warsaw, Poland
Date of Death: 17 October, 1849
Place of Death: Paris, Île-de-France, France
Ethnicity: * father – French * mother – Polish
Frédéric Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist, of the Romantic period. He wrote mainly for solo piano, and is known as a leading musician of his era.
Frédéric was the son of Tekla Justyna Chopin (born Tekla Justyna Krzyżanowska) and Nicolas/Mikołaj Chopin. His father was French, born in Marainville-sur-Madon, Vosges, and had emigrated to Poland as a teacher of French, in 1787. His mother, born in Długie, Brześć Kujawski Voivodeship, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, was a Polish nanny, amateur musician, and pianist. Her family was of the noble class. She was Frédéric’s first music teacher. His Latin name was Fridericus Franciscus. His family spoke Polish in the house. His sister was musician Ludwika Jędrzejewicz. Frédéric was raised mostly in Warsaw, which became part of Congress Poland in 1815; he lived with his family on the grounds of the Saxon Palace, where his father taught.
Frédéric’s paternal grandfather was François Chopin (the son of Nicolas Chopin and Elisabeth Bastien). François was born in Ambacourt, Vosges, France, and was a wheelwright and village administrator for Marainville. Nicolas was born in Xirocourt, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Grand Est, the son of François Chopin and Catherine Oudot. Elisabeth was from Ambacourt, and was the daughter of Estienne Bastien and Anne Maton.
Frédéric’s paternal grandmother was Marguerite Deflin (the daughter of Jean Charles Deflin and Suzanne Renard). Marguerite was born in Diarville, Meurthe-et-Moselle, and was an educator. Jean was the son of Jean Deflin and Catherine Henry. Suzanne was the daughter of Claude Renard and Anne Barbe.
Frédéric’s maternal grandfather was Jakub Bonawentura Krzyżanowski (the son of Mikołaj Krzyżanowski and Barbara Jeż). Jakub was an administrator of the Skarbek noble estate in Izbica.
Frédéric’s maternal grandmother was named Antonina Kołomińska.
Sources: Genealogies of Frédéric Chopin – https://www.geni.com https://gw.geneanet.org