100 Heroes: Chopin
The gay man who became one of the world's most famous composers.
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leading musician of his era.
Chopin was born in 1810 and grew up in Warsaw where he was identified as a child prodigy and completed his musical education.
At the age of 20, Chopin left Warsaw for Paris - less than a month before the outbreak of the November 1830 uprising, when Polish forces revolted against the command of the Russian Empire.
Avoiding public performances, Chopin supported himself by selling his compositions and by giving piano lessons.
He died in Paris in 1849 at the age of 39, probably because of complications caused by tuberculosis.
Sexuality
Biographies of Chopin have created a confusing picture of his sexuality.
It’s likely that any evidence of same-sex attraction was downplayed to avoid a negative impact on his reputation.
However, more recent analysis of letters written by Chopin seem to clearly indicate where his interests lay. Chopin’s private correspondence reveals numerous declarations of love towards men.
Important men in his life included Tytus Woyciechowski, and Julian Fontana.
