All you need to know about the love story between George Sand and Frédéric Chopin

All you need to know about the love story between George Sand and Frédéric Chopin

George Sand and Frédéric Chopin by Alquiler de Coches – Flickr

Is there anything better than a love affair between two artists in Paris in the mid-19th century? For me, there isn’t much! I love discovering the rich history that Paris has to offers and when it includes the story of a juicy relationship, I’m here for it.

I only recently stumbled across the affair between the writer George Sand and the composer Frédéric Chopin. It’s important to note that Sand had several love affairs throughout her life and many of them were with other artists. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she left her unhappy marriage with a man she married at age 18 and decided to go out on her own. It would be 4 years before she was legally separated from him, but in the meantime, she had her fun with new and adventurous relationships.

When Sand and Chopin came together for the first time, Chopin was seriously ill with tuberculosis, but it didn’t stop the pair from pursuing a relationship that would go on for nearly 10 years. Are you curious yet? Let’s dive into the love story between George Sand and Frédéric Chopin!

Unsure Beginnings

Monument to Frédéric Chopin, Parc Monceau – WikiCommons

Before I jump into the story of Sand and Chopin I want to give a bit of background on both of them. George Sand was a talented French writer. She originally began to go by the name of George so that her writing would be taken seriously. She was also known for going so far as to act like a man: she conducted open affairs although she was still technically married, she smoked cigars, and she wore trousers.

What sounds like a good time today was actually very inappropriate behavior for the time period. She actually disgusted Chopin the first time he met her as he was quite a traditional person. Chopin was a Polish classical music composer who grew to fame thanks to his amazing talent for the piano.

In 1837, Chopin was introduced to Sand by his friend Franz Liszt. You’ll remember that Chopin was appalled by Sand’s behavior when he first met her, and rumor has it he actually asked Liszt if Sand was a woman!

Honeymoon gone wrong

Portrait of George Sand, 1838 by Auguste Charpentier – WikiCommons

Against all odds, by 1838, the two had begun to engage in a romantic relationship. Opposites attract, after all! At the beginning of their affair, legendary French painter Eugène Delacroix, a close friend of their’s, completed a painting of the two. The painting would remain in Delacroix’s possession until his death when it was discovered and cut in two!

In November, Chopin and Sand decided to bring along Sand’s two children from her marriage on a sort of honeymoon in Majorca, Spain.

The trip started off with good intentions, passion, and the sea. Chopin even completed his 23 preludes, a set of 10 preludes for solo piano, in all of the major and minor keys. Some historians consider it to be his most productive time. Sand wrote a travel novel called Un hiver à Majorque (A Winter in Majorca).

But, as the winter wore on and the weather got worse, so did Chopin’s health. It also didn’t help that the group couldn’t secure lodgings. The residents of Majorca didn’t like Sand and were appalled by her unfeminine behavior. She also didn’t attend church, which was scandalous for the time and location. Plus the fact that the couple was living together out of wedlock ensured that the deeply Catholic island-dwellers would reject them.

Back to France

Frédéric Chopin by Gratia, 1838 – WikiCommons

Between the weather, lack of accommodation, and virtually non-existent hospitality, Sand and Chopin decided to make their way back to France. After a stop in Barcelona, the couple found themselves in Marseilles in the South of France. Here, Chopin recovered for a few months before going to Sand’s countryside residence in the town of Nohant.

For the remainder of their 9-year relationship, Chopin and Sand stayed in Nohant for half of the year and Paris the other half. While in Paris they didn’t live together, but their respective apartments were just a few blocks away. In 1842, they both moved into adjacent apartments in a residence called the Square d’Orléans in the 9th arrondissement.

Things take a turn for the worse

You could say that things between Chopin and Sand took a turn for the worse when Sand based a character on Chopin. In her novel, Lucrezia Floriani, Sand modeled a character named Karol, an Eastern European (a nod to Chopin’s Polish origins) prince who is ill and being cared for by the main character of the book, Lucrezia. Many took the fictional couple to represent Sand and Chopin’s relationship. Chopin took the comparison badly and things began to quickly deteriorate between the pair.

Chopin on His Deathbed, by Teofil Kwiatkowski, 1849 – WikiCommons

Chopin also had a soft spot for Sand’s daughter, Solange. He sided with Solange in an argument between her and her mother, and Sand took this to mean that Chopin was in love with her daughter. Sand’s son was never a fan of Chopin and this exacerbated the situation. From 1848 on, Chopin was never again invited back to Nohant. He then died in 1849, alone and poor.

There were close to 3,000 people at Chopin’s funeral at the Madeleine church in Paris, but George Sand was not one of them.

Conclusion

Alas, like so many historical love affairs, the story between Chopin and Sand ended in tragedy. I always wonder if George Sand ever regretted how things turned out between herself and Chopin. Was she so bitter over his apparent betrayal (choosing Solange over her) that she refused to go to his funeral? Or, was she so devastated by his death that she couldn’t bring herself to attend? One can only wonder!

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about this love story. If you’re interested in discovering more tales of famous former Paris residents, I encourage you to check out our walking tours in the French capital! Click here to learn more about all of the options and to make a booking.