Two centuries ago an elfin musical prodigy, Frederic Chopin, was born in a village near Warsaw. At n, he dazzled the Russian tsar, Alexander I, with his own piano music. His poetic performances continued to enthrall; at 22, he was at the pinnacle of Parisian society. By the time he died at 39 he had written music of sublime beauty that "revolutionised the art form and opened the way for all modem music", thought Camille Saint-Saeens.
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