Frederic Francois Chopin was a 19th century Polish composer and virtuoso pianist who wrote primarily for the solo piano. He was a poetic genius and one of music's earliest superstars. He was blessed with a professional technique that was unparalleled in his generation. He was a child prodigy and had started giving public concerts by the age of seven He left for Vienna a month before the November 1830 Uprising; by this time he had already completed his musical education and had composed many works in Warsaw. Eventually he settled in Paris and obtained French citizenship. Primarily he earned his living by selling his compositions and teaching piano. His piano compositions were very popular and included sonatas, mazurkas, waltzes, nocturnes, polonaises, études, impromptus, scherzos, and preludes. He mostly preferred to perform in salons and gave just 30 public performances in the last 18 years of his life. He became involved in a love affair with the French novelist Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin, a.k.a. George Sand and this relationship had a deep influence on his creativity. Frederic's health remained an area of concern throughout his life and took a severe toll on his productivity, which was further compounded by the ending of his relationship with Sand. After several years of indifferent health he finally succumbed to tuberculosis and passed away in Paris. His pupil and admirer, Jane Stirling, supported him financially in the last years of his life.