Play the way you feel . . .

Happy Birthday salute to Frédéric Chopin (March 1, 1810 – October 17, 1849), pianist and composer.

Chopin died on the morning of Wednesday, October 17, 1849 and his funeral was held at the Church of the Madeleine, in Paris, on 30 October 1849 and was attended by nearly three thousand people.

"Before the funeral, pursuant to Chopin's dying wish (which stemmed from a fear of being buried alive), his heart was removed and preserved in alcohol, perhaps brandy. His sister later took it in an urn to Warsaw, where it was sealed within a pillar of the Holy Cross Church on Krakowskie Przedmieście, beneath an inscription from Matthew VI:21: "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Chopin's heart has remained there—except for a period during World War II, when it was removed for safekeeping—within the church that was rebuilt after its virtual destruction during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising." direct quote source (1)

"Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art." - Chopin

"Put all your soul into it, play the way you feel!" - Chopin

Image source (1)