Talk:Frédéric Chopin

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Frequently asked questions

Q1: Why is Chopin described as a "Polish composer" in the lead (first paragraph)?

A1: There is a consensus between Wikipedians that the majority of secondary reliable sources refer to Chopin as solely a Polish composer. See the last request for comment for further information.

Q2: Why doesn't this article include more information on Chopin's sexuality?

A2: Opinions on Chopin's sexuality, particularly as to whether he was homosexual, are equivocal or absent in the majority of secondary reliable sources. Since this article is a featured article, it is required to utilize only "high quality" sources; such sources do not generally give a direct declaration on whether Chopin was homosexual or not. See this request for comment for further information.

Q3: Why doesn't this article give 22 February as Chopin's birthdate?

A3: Although Chopin's baptismal record gives his birthdate as 22 February, this is now considered a mistake by modern scholars. Chopin himself and his family considered his true birthdate to be 1 March, which is now accepted by most scholars. See Britannica and the UK Chopin Society for further information.

Frédéric Chopin is a featured article; it (or a previous version of it) has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Wikipedia community. Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do so.

This article appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page as Today's featured article on October 17, 2014.

Article milestones
Date	Process	Result
January 5, 2014	Peer review	Reviewed
February 23, 2014	Good article nominee	Listed
July 17, 2014	Peer review	Reviewed
August 17, 2014	Featured article candidate	Promoted
July 10, 2021	Featured article review	Kept
A fact from this article appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "Did you know?" column on March 1, 2014. The text of the entry was: Did you know ... that Frédéric Chopin (pictured) left his homeland of Poland in 1831 and never returned?
Facts from this article were featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "On this day..." column on March 1, 2010, and February 22, 2017.
Current status: Featured article

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Semi protected glitch

The semi - protected icon is not showing up in the main article, only in the edit section. Is there intentional?

P.S. Has there been an attempt at trying to list the page as pending changes protection instead of semi protection?

Apologies in advance if these have already been answered. Wikieditor662 (talk) 06:18, 20 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Good question, and I'm not sure. It should last until 2028 per this edit. It looks like it is indeed semi-protected, but the icon was not added; I'm not sure if that's something anyone can add. @Antandrus? Aza24 (talk) 14:24, 24 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Huh. Maybe I'm missing something. @Wikieditor662: can you give me an example of a temporarily semi-protected article that has the icon you want to see? the pp-semi template just puts an unsightly banner-tag on the top. Antandrus (talk) 14:57, 24 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Well, I believe the only other composers to be semi protected are Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, and the semi protection lock works fine on them as far as I'm aware. Wikieditor662 (talk) 04:07, 25 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, ok, I added {{pp|small=yes}} to place the little silver icon. (It should be easier to find that in the documentation. Usually I just let the bot add it after I've placed a protection.) I'd rather not use pending changes because then we'll just have a flood of IP edits changing Chopin's nationality or birthdate showing in the history but not approved; in my opinion that's just a lot of unnecessary bother. Antandrus (talk) 15:04, 24 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds good to me. Thank you! Aza24 (talk) 23:26, 24 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 10 September 2024

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

Change Maine name from frederic Francois Chopin to Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin He felt completely Polish and longed for Poland (that is why before his death he asked for his heart to rest in Poland). He changed his name only for practical reasons and so that the Russian authorities would not have a problem with him.the main name at the very beginning of the page is misleading 85.221.145.240 (talk) 20:13, 10 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Not done We go by what reliable English language sources say. I think this may have been discussed previously. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:31, 10 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

sorry i dont know about previous discussion 85.221.145.240 (talk) 20:40, 10 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Those who say that Chopin had a French father decidedly overlook the fact that his mother came from a well-known (for those times) noble family (its origins go back to the Middle Ages), the krzyżanowski family of the świnka coat of arms, which at the very beginning of the debate makes Chopin 50% Polish and most historical sources agree that he was born in Poland. These arguments led me to believe that we should change Chopin's name to the Polish one he was born with and, in parentheses, write that he later changed it due to emigration problems (as it is now written that he was born under a surname, I propose a change). However, if anyone has sources confirming his Frenchness, please provide them 85.221.145.240 (talk) 20:39, 10 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I'm one of those who say that "Chopin had a French father". Because he did. What may have been written, on a Polish birth certificate (or a parish baptismal record), in 1810, doesn't necessarily dictate how his name is spelled, on English-language Wikipedia, in 2024? Regards. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:45, 10 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Chopin never feld Polish, and all interesting music composed went through his times in Paris and France, he had to leave Poland to feel free, he caractarised the polish people as weak, especially when Russinas took over, its written in his letters to his familly, then he asked to be french citizen, he never returned to his birthplace in Poland, as all great musicians and creativity was alive in Paris.. lot of bias from neo nationalists in Poland will never hide the truth! the only link, affective link in Poland was his mother.. 78.112.174.183 (talk) 13:33, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Permanent dead link

This link from the "Further reading" section: Chopin iconography, has become a gambling website. Should I delete this and keep the archived link? ChopinChemist ^Talk? 23:48, 13 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I've removed it - non-English links aren't generally included per WP:NONENGEL. Nikkimaria (talk) 00:33, 14 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Dead link (part 2)

The URL for British Library Sounds is inaccessible at the moment. While I was able to found an archive URL that supports the statement in the "Recording" section, the archived URL does not have full information on the list of artists whose records have been saved in the library. What should we do about this? ChopinChemist ^Talk? 19:45, 11 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Chopin and the Stalinist period in Poland

@Smerus @Nihil novi @Aza24 pinging three editors with highest contributions to this article about their thoughts on adding a paragraph on Chopin's reception in Stalinist Poland.

This aspect, I think, becomes particularly interesting in 1949, the 100th anniversary of Chopin's death, when his work was coopted by Bierut's regime to craft a broader martyrological narrative of Poland on its way to socialism in line with state propaganda. The government exploited the work of other crucial Polish Romantic figures, most notably Adam Mickiewicz, in a similar manner.

There is limited scholarship on the topic, though a 2018 peer-reviewed article (see below) seems sufficient for this purpose. Given that this is an FA, I figured I would consult first before adding more information. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts (and, of course, potential contributions for other editors interested in this topic).

Bruliński, Michał. "Chopin on Barricades: About the 100th Anniversary of Chopin’s Birth (1949) and Socialist Realism Doctrine in Poland." Kwartalnik Młodych Muzykologów UJ 01 (36) (2018): 77-114. Per Exemplum 17:09, 8 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I have the impression that Chopin took little interest in partisan politics. According to Wikipedia's "Frédéric Chopin" article, "Chopin was indifferent to [George] Sand's radical political pursuits, including her enthusiasm for the February Revolution of 1848."

I wonder how Chopin might have viewed Bolesław Bierut's appropriation of him.

I wonder, also, what other Wikipedia readers and editors think?

Nihil novi (talk) 21:01, 8 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

This article is already rather long (just under the recommended 10,000 word page length), and I would be hesitent to add anything in which "there is limited scholarship" for, as you say; see due weight. The reception section is currently set up to be more direct and detailed after Chopin's death, and then zoom out quite a bit to fit in the the next century. To suddenly zoom back into the latter would be a bit sudden. Aza24 (talk) 04:47, 9 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

In my opinion, this issue is a suitable topic for an academic essay (such as the one cited) but not relevant to a WP article on the composer. It tells nothing about Chopin, only about the way his name was used by political partisans over a century after his death. If there is a WP article on arts policy in Communist Poland (?is there?), it might merit a footnote there. Best, Smerus (talk) 10:32, 10 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]