How and when did Frederic Chopin die?

It belonged to arguably Poland's most famous son, the great composer and pianist Frederic Chopin. The scientists wanted to check that it was in good condition and to answer the question - what killed the man whose works are regarded by Poles as the musical embodiment of their country? read more

When Polish composer Frederic Chopin died in 1849 he seemed to have suffered a classic Romantic death from tuberculosis. But doubts soon arose about the diagnosis, and a scientific examination of the heart earlier this year, while at first appearing to confirm the TB theory, left the mystery unresolved. read more

It's all about his heart: after his death in Paris in 1849 (he left Warsaw in 1830, never to return, thanks to political and social upheaval), the composer's will stipulated that his heart should be returned to Warsaw. His sister, Ludwika, came back to Poland, with Chopin's most vital organ pickled in a jar of cognac. read more

Chopin was born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin in the Duchy of Warsaw and grew up in Warsaw, which in 1815 became part of Congress Poland. A child prodigy, he completed his musical education and composed his earlier works in Warsaw before leaving Poland at the age of 20, less than a month before the outbreak of the November 1830 Uprising. read more