Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin was a child prodigy born to a French father and Polish mother in the village of Zelazowa Wola, in the Duchy of Warsaw. His father was a French professor at The Warsaw University. It is said that even though his father was a French language professor, Chopin himself never was able to fully master the French language. Chopin's father played the flute and violin, and his mother played the piano. His sister, Ludwika, was Chopin's first piano teacher. Chopin began giving public concerts at the age of 7. He also published his first compositions that same year.

At the age of 20 he left Poland, one of the many to participate in the "Great Emigration" from Poland after the "November Uprising" or "Caduet Revolution." It is said Chopin carried with him a silver cup that held soil from his native Poland.     (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_Uprising) 

Chopin settled in Paris and became a French citizen, adopted the French spelling of his name: Frédéric Chopin, and making a good living as a musician. His concerts were greeted with much success. A review written of Chopin in 1832 by François-Joseph Fétis:

                     "Here is a young man who, taking nothing as a model, has found, 
                     if not a complete renewal of piano music, then in any case part of 
                     what has long been sought in vain, namely, an extravagance of original 
                     ideas that are unexampled anywhere..."

In December 1831, Robert Schumann said of Chopin: "Hats off, gentlemen! A genius."
 
Chopin enjoyed playing at small social gatherings and actually preferred to play for very small gatherings in his own apartment. He made a good living from teaching and from composing. Because of this, he eventually stopped giving performances at all except for one single annual concert at a small venues in Paris.

Chopin had several failed love interests by 1836, at which time he met French author and feminist Amandine Aurore Lucille Dupin, better known as "George Sand." At this point, Chopin already was frail and in bad health. In hopes of improving his health, Chopin went with Sand and her two children to Majorca, which actually made him worse. Chopin said of the doctors in Majorca:

                   "I have been sick as a dog during these past two weeks. Three doctors have 
                   visited me. The first said I was going to die; the second said I was breathing 
                   my last; and the third said I was already dead."

As Chopin's illness progressed, Sand became more of a nurse to Chopin, a responsibility she did not care for. In 1847 after 10 years, their relationship came to an end.

Chopin died 2 years later in his sunny apartment at Place Vendôme. With him were his sister Ludwika, one of George Sand's daughters, Solange, and her husband, as well as several friends. (Tad Szulc, Chopin in Paris.)