Chopin Among the Pianists in Paris

This chapter demonstrates how, while in the French capital, Chopin immersed himself in the world of opera and developed friendships with numerous opera stars. The French grand opéra influenced his harmonic and dramatic language, but it was the Italianate bel canto style that nourished his predilection for the singing tone. Yet, however French his disposition, the seeds for all these elements of Chopin's musical aesthetic and pianism were sown in Warsaw, long before he ever sought the wider world. In his early years, Chopin would also have had the opportunity to learn from performances by other first-rate artists, a host of opera stars, and several pianists in Warsaw whose performance styles he is known to have admired.