Frederic Chopin was a true genius. It sounds like a banal statement, but there’s nothing that could describe him better. You need to take into account that the beginning of the 19th century was an epoch which produced „wonder children” almost like a factory line.
There were however no major distractions to a child’s education, no playstations, no video games, nothing to glue your kid to the screen. So, for pure fun, children played instruments. If you came from a good family, it was almost an obligation to play something. And the little Frederic played too. What was the outcome of that „playing”, we all know, and that’s mainly what the pubic admires him for. But it was not only the musical talent and sensitivity that made him a fine man. Maybe not everyone is aware, which is clear when you concentrate just on his music, that Chopin was simply a fun person to be with, a great comic, a talented sketcher, a strong patriot and a humble and modest person at the same time. All that in such a weak body…
Chopin – a village courier
Did you know that this seriously looking young genius was a guy with a great sense of humour and a careful eye for observation? Want a proof? Read his „Szafarnia courier”, letters sent to his parents from his school friend’s estate in a form of newspaper articles. All according to the rules: domestic and foreign division. Take this abstract as an example:
„On day 15 c. m. & y. the important news arrived that a baby turkey had happened to hatch in a corner behind the pantry. An important incident this, in that, not only did it cause the family of turkeys to increase, but it also increased the tax revenue and ensured its continued augmentation”. Funny and to the point. Or another fragment: „Last night a cat stole into the wardrobe and smashed a bottle of juice; but just as on the one hand apt for the scaffold, on the other it also merits praise, as it chose the smallest among them. – On 12th inst. a hen fell lame and a drake lost a leg in a duel with a goose. A cow fell so violently ill that she even grazes in the garden. – On 14th inst. the sentence fell that, under pain of death, no piglet should dare enter the garden.”
Chopin – a loyal friend
Another feature to praise him for is his loyalty in friendship. Chopin had a particular relation with his school-time pal Tytus Wojciechowski. He confided in him his most deeply hidden secrets, asked for advice on musical matters and even dedicated his two works to his best friend. Even after being separated by thousands of kilometres between Warsaw (Tytus) and Paris (Frederic), they remained in close contact, exchanging letters. Who wouldn’t like to have a friend like that?