There’s a story behind the piece below, Chopin’s “Heroic” Polonaise, performed by Vladimir Horowitz, the pianist most people deem to be the world’s top interpreter of Chopin.

Frederic Chopin was born in 1810 near Warsaw, Poland, and was known as a child prodigy as a pianist and composer by the time he was six or seven.

Russia had long ruled Poland, but in the 1820s, Russian rule grew more arbitrary, and secret societies were formed by Polish intellectuals in several cities to plot an insurrection. In November 1830, Polish troops in Warsaw rose in revolt.

Chopin moved to Paris shortly after his 22nd birthday, where he would spend the rest of his life composing, teaching, and concertizing, but his love for his native land remained fierce.

But what could he do? Chopin was a small and sickly person, barely five feet tall, perhaps 90 pounds in weight. He certainly couldn’t be a physical part of an uprising, but he could inspire his native Poles with his compositions.

There are a few good examples of his works along these lines, but the Heroic polonaise stands by itself. When I hear it, a single word comes to fore: bravery.

Enjoy, and don’t be embarrassed if you have goosebumps.

Chopin — Music that Inspires