Frédéric Chopin is buried in Paris, in the Père Lachaise cemetery. His heart is not. It rests in a pillar of the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw, after one of the strangest journeys in music history.
A last wish
Chopin left Poland at twenty and never returned. He died in Paris on 17 October 1849, aged 39, after years of illness. He had asked that his heart be taken back to his homeland.
Carried across Europe
His older sister Ludwika, who was with him at the end, carried the heart home to Warsaw in a sealed jar of alcohol, most likely cognac. Poland was then under Russian rule, and the story goes that she hid it under her skirts at the border.
War and return
The heart was placed in a pillar of the Holy Cross Church. During the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 it was taken out of the church, and it was returned to the pillar in 1945. Poles came to see it as a symbol of the nation.
Opened in secret
In 2014 a small team examined the jar at night, without opening it. In a study published in 2017, doctors suggested from its appearance that Chopin died of complications of tuberculosis.
The music at his funeral
At Chopin's funeral in Paris, his Prelude in E minor, Op. 28 No. 4, was played on the organ. It is one of the most touching short pieces he wrote, and a wonderful piece to read: slow, quiet, with harmonies that slide by half steps, full of sharps and naturals.
- F sharp: right half black. Play the black key to the right of F.
- B flat: left half black. Play the black key to the left of B.
- B natural: no natural sign. A note that is all black or all white is played on a white key.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Chopin's heart?
In a pillar of the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw. His body is buried in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.
What did Chopin die of?
Most likely complications of tuberculosis, according to doctors who examined his preserved heart in 2014.
What music was played at Chopin's funeral?
Among other music, his Prelude in E minor, Op. 28 No. 4, and Mozart's Requiem.