In 1831, a failed political insurrection in Warsaw left a permanent mark on the music and spirit of Frédéric Chopin. Beginning in the 17th century, explore the history of invasions, “partitions,” and occupations of Poland by neighboring European powers, which effectively destroyed the Polish Commonwealth. Learn about Chopin’s early life, and delve into the doomed “November Uprising” of the Poles against their Russian overlords that fueled the writing of his passionate, revolutionary etude for piano.