Silver Coin Set Frédéric Chopin Anniversary 2009 Proof Andorra

RAZITKO_POSTOVNE_ZDARMA_NENI

Series Single issues (Single issues)

An exclusive set of eight silver coins issued by Andorra in 2009 from the Single issues series is dedicated to the musical genius Frédéric Chopin on the 160th anniversary of his death.

The deluxe set comes in a luxurious black gift box along with a certificate of authenticity in a limited edition of only 1,810 pieces for the entire world! (only 1610 pieces officially issued in piano shape)

Each coin depicts an important event in Chopin's life:

Warsaw 1821: Chopin and Tsar Alexander I, Chopin's first performance for Alexander I, partially coloured

Vienna 1829: Chopin and the Kaerntertor Theatre, Chopin's debut at this theatre in 1829, classic silver coin

Paris 1832: Chopin and the Polonaise, depicts a painting by Teofil Kwiatkowski of Chopin playing the Polonaise, mostly coloured

Dresden 1836: Chopin and Maria Wodzinska, both portraits painted by Maria herself. Maria was Chopin's companion, partially coloured and accompanied by a Swarovski crystal in the centre of the coin

Mallorca 1838: Chopin and George Sand, George Sand was the other companion. They spent time together in Mallorca. The portraits are by the French painter Delacroix, partially coloured with a Swarovski crystal in the centre of the coin

Paris 1848: Chopin and his piano, depicts a gilded portrait of Chopin and his piano, partly gilded

Paris 1849: Chopin, his hand and signature, shows a realistic cast of his hand plus signature, classic silver coin

Warsaw 1849: Chopin's photo and tomb, shows the only known photo of Chopin and the tomb where his heart is kept in a silver box, classic silver coin

The obverse shows the state emblem of Andorra with the inscriptions "PRINCIPAT D'ANDORRA" and the face value.

Frédéric Chopin

Frédéric François Chopin, born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopen (22 February or 1 March 1810 - 17 October 1849) was a Polish classical music composer and piano virtuoso of the Romantic period, who became known as the "poet of the piano".

Chopin's father was a French émigré, his mother came from an impoverished noble family from Poland. Frédéric Chopin had a beautiful childhood in Warsaw. In 1816 he began to learn the piano with the Czech Vojtěch Živný and at the age of seven he attempted his first compositions. From 1822 he was a pupil at the Warsaw Lyceum and between 1826 and 1829 he studied music theory with Józef Elsner at the conservatory. His first composition, Piano Rondo in C minor, was then published. After school he enjoyed success with concerts in Vienna, Prague, Teplice and Dresden. In 1830 he left Poland for Vienna.

His art, charm, penetrating intelligence and refined manners attracted the attention of society. In 1831 he moved to Paris, where he also worked as a music teacher. There he began a relationship with George Sand, but remained unmarried for the rest of his life. Between 1838 and 1839 he stayed in Mallorca (George Sand recounts one of their stays in Winter in Mallorca), where he fell seriously ill with a lung disease. He frequently stayed in spas throughout Europe, and in 1848 he also travelled in England and Scotland. He succumbed to tuberculosis on 17 October 1849 in Paris. He is buried there, but his heart in a silver box is kept in Warsaw. International competitions for young pianists are held in Warsaw in Chopin's honour.

Most of Chopin's works are dedicated to the piano. His improvisatory skills are displayed in the Preludes, while the Nocturnes of the 1930s and 1940s showcase his very delicate, sing-songy and figurative melodicism. He composed his dance pieces exclusively in three-period metre, while the Polish national element permeates most strongly in the 60 mazurkas and the festive polonaises. His waltzes have a predominantly salon character. The 3rd Piano Sonata and the 1st Cello Sonata (1846) show unusual formal solutions (the famous Funeral March preceded the composition of the other movements of the B minor sonata by two years). In the Czech lands, Chopin had a great influence on Smetana, who declared: 'I had his compositions to thank for my success in the concertos, and since I had known and understood his compositions, I also knew what my task was'.