Preludes (Chopin)

Frédéric Chopin wrote a number of preludes for piano solo. The first 24 comprise a cycle covering all the major and minor keys. Chopin wrote three other preludes as well.

24 Preludes, Op. 28

Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 28, are a set of short pieces for the piano, one in each of the twenty-four keys, originally published in 1839.

Chopin wrote them between 1835 and 1839, partly at Valldemossa, Majorca, where he spent the winter of 1838–39 and where he had fled with George Sand and her children to escape the damp Paris weather. In Majorca, Chopin had a copy of Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, and as in each of Bach's two sets of preludes and fugues, his Op. 28 set comprises a complete cycle of the major and minor keys, albeit with a different ordering.

The autograph manuscript, which Chopin carefully prepared for publication, carries a dedication to the German pianist and composer Joseph Christoph Kessler. The French edition was dedicated to the piano-maker and publisher Camille Pleyel, who had commissioned the work for 2,000 francs (equivalent to nearly $30,000 in present day). The German edition was dedicated to Kessler, who ten years earlier had dedicated his own set of 24 Preludes, Op. 31, to Chopin.

Surname

A surname or family name is a name added to a given name. In many cases, a surname is a family name and many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name". In the western hemisphere, it is commonly synonymous with last name because it is usually placed at the end of a person's given name.

In most Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries, two or more last names (or surnames) may be used. In China, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Madagascar, Taiwan, Vietnam, and parts of India, the family name is placed before a person's given name.

The style of having both a family name (surname) and a given name (forename) is far from universal. In many countries, it is common for ordinary people to have only one name or mononym.

The concept of a "surname" is a relatively recent historical development, evolving from a medieval naming practice called a "byname". Based on an individual's occupation or area of residence, a byname would be used in situations where more than one person had the same name.

Chopin (vodka)

Chopin – name of single-ingredient vodka, 4 times distilled from potatoes grown in the Polish region of South Podlasie. It is produced by Siedlce-based Podlaska Wytwórnia Wódek Polmos. Chopin was first introduced to North America in 1997. The production is done in small batches. Seven pounds of potatoes are used to make every bottle of Chopin.

The vodka is named after the famous Polish Romantic composer Frédéric Chopin.

Chopin potato vodka has been submitted to a number of international spirit ratings for evaluation, including the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Wine Enthusiast, and the Beverage Testing Institute. Outcomes have generally been favorable, particularly in the latest years. For instance, between 2006 and 2011, Chopin potato vodka earned one double gold, three gold, and two silver medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Proof66's aggregate rating, which incorporates these scores and others, puts the spirit in the Top 90th percentile among all rated vodkas.

Chopin (crater)

Chopin is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of 129 kilometers. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1976. Chopin is named for the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin (lived 1810–49).

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