Frédéric Chopin

Though born in Poland in 1810, Chopin emigrated to Paris in 1831 and lived there until his death in 1849. He never returned to Poland after the November 1830 Uprising against Russian rule made it politically dangerous for him to do so.

Chopin composed virtually all of his major works for solo piano, making him unique among major Romantic-era composers. His output includes roughly 55 mazurkas, 21 nocturnes, 27 études, and four ballades, all centered on the instrument.

Yes, Chopin had a famous romantic relationship with the French novelist George Sand—the pen name of Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin—lasting from 1838 to 1847. Their winter together at a former monastery in Mallorca in 1838–1839 was later chronicled in Sand's book A Winter in Majorca.

The Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2, composed when Chopin was around 20, remains one of the most recognizable melodies in all of classical music. His Revolutionary Étude (Op. 10 No. 12), reportedly written in response to the 1831 Russian suppression of the Polish uprising, is also among his most celebrated works.