Two hundred years ago next March will be the anniversary of the birth of Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin (1810 – 1849), Frédéric Chopin to you and me. But there appear to be some quandaries with Chopin that may have started already with his birth: some sources have him born on March 1st, whereas others give February 22nd as his birthday.

Mallorca and the town of Valldemossa are rather proud of the composer’s brief visit to the Real Cartuja de Valldemossa. The Govern de les Illes Balears has big plans to make this year the Año Chopin. The annual Festival Chopin will be extended to present the cultural wealth of Valldemossa, Mallorca and the Balears (see press for details).

Valldemossa does not seem to be quite sure as to which cell the composer and his entourage (George Sand et al) occupied during the Winter of 1838-39. Was it cell no. 2 or was it cell no. 4? Which of the two pianos on display at either cell was actually touched by the prodigy? The proprietors of cell no. 4 have recently gone to court over this matter and the Mallorcan Chopin quandary is now in the hands of Justitia, the Goddess of Justice. Let’s hope the blindfolded lady has some sense for Scherzos and Mazurkas.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Valldemossa, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: January 7th, 2009. The time was 13:58:14.