The 70 best famous phrases of Frédéric Chopin

Polish-born Frédéric François Chopin became one of the genius pianists of his time, enchanting the masses with his harmonic and stylistic melodies. Making him worthy of a high position among the most recognized musicians worldwide, even reaching be known also as the representative of the music of Romanticism.

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Famous quotes from Chopin

To learn a little better about his life, we present, below, the most iconic phrases of Chopin.

1. I am not cut out to give concerts; the audience intimidates me, I feel suffocated by his precipitous impatience, paralyzed by his curious glances, speechless before those unfamiliar features.

Chopin was not a fan of the public.

2. Not a corpse has a loved one. A corpse is also pale, like me. A corpse is cold, as I am cold and indifferent to everything.

Reflections on his deathbed.

3. Play Mozart in my memory, and I will listen to you.

A Mozart fanatic.

4. He has accused me of saying that I am the best architect in the world, and if I did, I don't think I was too arrogant.

Chopin knew the value of his talent.

5. Every eluded difficulty will later turn into a ghost that will disturb our repose.

A reflection on solving our problems in the moment.

6. Sad but kind tears! What a strange emotion! Sad but blessed.

A feeling of melancholy that relieves.

7. Simplicity is the ultimate achievement.

The simpler things are, the better they are.

8. One only needs to study a certain position of the hand in relation to the keys to obtain with ease the most beautiful sounds, know how to play long and short notes and [achieve] a certain dexterity unlimited.

Talking about proper playing techniques.

9. I wish I could get rid of the thoughts that poison my happiness.

There are obsessive ideas that only destroy us.

10. Too many of us think "That Peace" is impossible. Too many of us think it is unreal. But this is a dangerous and defeatist opinion. It leads us to think that war is inevitable ...

Why is war the only way to find peace?

11. If I were dumber than I am, I think I would have reached the pinnacle of my career.

Talking about the spontaneity of his dedication.

12. When the pains of the heart turn into diseases, we are lost.

Many ills that afflict us come from a sadness.

13. A well-formed technique, I find it to be one that can control and vary a beautiful sound quality.

Each musician handles his own technique.

14. Time is still the best critic and patience the best teacher.

Time is always wise.

15. When you do something, it looks good, otherwise you wouldn't write it. Only later does reflection come, and one discards or accepts the thing.

The reflections always come after the acts take place.

16. It is useless to go back to what has been and is no longer.

Do you miss going back to some point in your past?

17. There are many women, men from 70 to 80 years old, but not young people: they are all shooting. You cannot go outside because it has been raining and blowing for several days.

Speaking of how monotonous his life had become.

18. There is nothing more hateful than music with no hidden meaning.

For Chopin, all music must have some meaning.

19. How weird! This bed in which I will lie has been slept by more than one dying man, but today it does not disgust me! Who knows what corpses have been on him and for how long? But is he a worse corpse than me? A corpse also knows nothing of his father, mother or sisters or Titus.

Things that are unimportant when he's on his deathbed.

20. I tell my piano the things I used to say to you.

A loss that is captured in art.

21. Paris responds to everything the heart desires. You can have fun, get bored, laugh, cry or do whatever you want without attracting attention, since thousands of people do the same... And each one as he wants.

Speaking of how much he loves Paris.

22. It is terrible when something weighs on your mind, not having a soul in which to vent.

Not expressing feelings can become a self-imposed ordeal.

23. Sometimes I can only moan, suffer and pour out my despair on the piano!

Art is an excellent means of catharsis.

24. You know when I'm writing, so don't be surprised if it's short and dry, because I'm too hungry to write something fat.

Being honest about your writing.

25. Playing the piano is like singing with your fingers.

A beautiful reference to her profession.

26. Happiness is fleeting; the certainty, misleading. Just wavering is lasting.

An interesting phrase to ponder.

27. Let me be what I should be, nothing more than a piano composer, because this is the only thing I know how to do.

Always insist on being what you decide to be and not what others want you to be.

28. I could express my feelings more easily if I could put them in the music notes, but as the best concert I would not cover my affection for you, dear dad, I must use the simple words of my heart, to expose myself to you, my greatest gratitude and filial affection.

Short but profound words to his dad.

29. Life is an immense dissonance.

Interesting comparison from the musician.

30. After one has played with a large number of notes, it is the simplicity that emerges as a reward of art.

The result that comes after a very good effort.

31. I love to please him, even if everything is wrong.

There are times when we try to do our best to please someone.

32. But why should one be ashamed to write badly despite knowing better? It is the results that show errors.

You never have to fear failing. Well, they teach us to do things better.

33. I don't like people who don't laugh. They are frivolous people.

Laughter is vital.

34. The enemy has entered the house. Oh God, do you exist? You do and still do not take revenge. Didn't you get enough of the Moscow crimes? OR... Or maybe you are a Muscovite!

Excerpt from the Stuttgart newspapers on the fall of Warsaw to Russian troops.

35. If Paganini is perfection, Kalkbrenner is his just like him, but in a completely different style.

Speaking of the great exponents of music in his time.

36. Therefore, I am right to be angry that I was born into this world!

Chopin seems to have questioned his existence before he died.

37. I am a revolutionary, money means nothing to me.

For Chopin, the most valuable thing was being able to interpret his music.

38. And here I am, condemned to inaction! Sometimes it happens to me that I can't help but sigh and, filled with pain, I pour my despair onto the piano.

Apparently, when he was in a sad state, even his health was affected.

39. Here, no doubt, he will observe my tendency to do wrong against my will.

Sometimes we are not in control of our decisions.

40. Simplicity is the highest milestone. It can be achieved when all difficulties have been overcome.

Overcoming problems brings us to a better state.

41. Concerts are never real music, you have to give up the idea of ​​listening to all the most beautiful things in art.

Showing his disdain for concerts.

42. We use sounds in order to make music, how we use words in order to create language.

The way to create music.

43. According to the general opinion, my interpretation has been characterized by a too weak sound or, rather, too delicate for the taste of Viennese listeners, used to listening to artists destroying their instrument.

Chopin had a rather marked delicate style.

44. I am angry and depressed, and people bore me with their excessive attentions.

When we are overwhelmed, we are unable to appreciate others.

45. You already know how easily things come out of nowhere, when they pass through a mouth that smears them on all sides and turns them into something else.

Gossip can cause more damage than you think.

46. I'm leaving Poland to die surrounded by strangers.

Regretting not spending his last moments in his homeland.

47. It seems that dying is the best action of man, and what could be the worst? Born, since that's the exact opposite of his best feat.

Somewhat strange thoughts about life and death.

48. Because I have too much respect for my audience and I don't want the unworthy pieces of my audience to be distributed on my responsibility under my name.

Focusing on perfection.

49. Time is the best way to check who is the wisest and most patient instructor.

the things need their time.

50. I am satisfied with what I have found, I have the best musicians in the world and the best opera in the world.

Despite everything, he was quite happy with his achievements.

51. Why was I not prevented from staying in a world where I am completely useless? What good can my existence bring to someone?

A very particular and somewhat heartbreaking analysis of its existence.

52. In general, the greater the health, the less patience in people's sufferings.

Nobody wants to endure unnecessary suffering.

53. No matter; it is impossible that there is not some but, and I prefer this to hearing that I play too hard.

Chopin was an idealist that music should be played delicately.

54. I do not wish to be a copy of Kalkbrenner.

Chopin always sought to be himself.

55. A corpse has stopped living and I too have had enough of life…. Why do we continue to live this miserable life that only devours us and serves to turn us into corpses?

A sign of the rush he was in for death to claim him.

56. He was a member of the Warsaw family by nationality, Polish by heart and a citizen of the world because of his talent, who today has left the earth.

A press release about Chopin's death.

57. I can't breathe, I can't work; I feel alone, alone, alone, even though I am surrounded.

Loneliness and melancholy were very common states for Chopin.

58. My piano hasn't arrived yet. How do I send it? By Marseille or by Perpignan? I dream of music but I can't make it because there are no pianos here... In this sense this is a wild country.

A criticism of the bad service of that time.

59. It is not good that one is sad and yet how pleasant it is, a strange state.

A sign that he got along with those feelings of sadness.

60. But there are forces in nature! Today you will dream that you are hugging me! You have to pay for the nightmare you caused me last night!

Fragment of one of his writings.

61. Nothing could take away the idea or desire, perhaps daring, but noble, to create a new world for me.

Here you can see the idealistic inclination of the musician.

62. What great joy I feel in my heart. May such a pleasant, dear and glorious day begin, a day that I greet with desire. Have long happy years. In health and vigor, in peace, with success. May the gift of heaven fall on you in abundance.

Despite his melancholy states, there were many moments of happiness and gratitude.

63. Steel fingers. Silk doll.

A very common phrase of Chopin for his students.

Memorable phrases towards Chopin

This is a small section where we present some quotes from other artists who recognized Chopin's talent and praised his work.

1. Bach speaks to the universe, Beethoven, to humanity, and Chopin to each one of us. (Joaquín Achúcarro)

Talking about the impact of Chopin's music on our senses.

2. Chopin, the boldest and proudest poetic inspiration of our time. (Robert Schumann)

Only the musician could bring so much pure emotion.

3. If Chopin belongs to Poland, his country has offered him to the world. (Nino Salvaneschi)

Many, even now, deeply appreciate the works of this composer.

4. Now for the first time I understand his music and I can also explain to myself the great enthusiasm of the ladies. The sudden modulations that I couldn't grasp when he performed his works no longer worry me. His piano is so ethereal that you don't need a forte to create a contrast. Listening to him, one surrenders with all the soul, like a singer who, forgetting the accompaniment, lets himself be carried away by his emotion. In short, he is the only one among pianists. (Ignaz Moscheles)

A beautiful reflection on the meaning of Chopin's music.

5. Chopin is so weak and shy that he can be injured even by the crease of a rose petal. (George Sand)

A criticism of his delicacy.

6. Each Chopin note is a diamond that fell from the sky. (Franz Liszt)

This metaphor beautifully expresses Chopin's works.

7. Chopin is a great poet of music, an artist so great that he can only be compared to Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini and Berlioz. (Heinrich Heine)

A more than deserved place among the best.