1 March—A special treat. Today is Freddy Chopin’s birthday, so as I promised on his 22 February birthday, here’s some of his piano music.

How can Chopin have two birthdays? Well you may ask. The Żelazowa Wola parish baptismal record gives Freddy’s birthday as 22 February 1810. But, doubtless because they didn’t want to minimize George Washington’s birthday (even though George was a slave owner), the Chopin family used 1 March. And that’s now the generally accepted date.

Here, then, is some of Chopin’s music. Unlike audios on the Borough of Litchfield’s derelict website, the ones on LitchfieldMonitor.com will play—on mobile phones as well as computers. Certainly these six pieces are what music snobs call warhorses; they’re popular for a reason. Today it’s not about the performer, but the composer. So enjoy 20 minutes of sheer delight. Or however many suit your fancy . . .