Chopin's heart exhumed in secret, like a relic

[Omaha Steve]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20141117/eu--poland-chopins_heart-676fc4a666.html

Nov 17, 7:22 AM (ET)

By VANESSA GERA

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — As Frederic Chopin gasped for air on his deathbed in Paris in 1849, he whispered a request that became the stuff of musical legend: Remove my heart after I die and entomb it in Poland. He wanted the symbol of his soul to rest in the native land he pined for from self-imposed exile in France.

Ever since, the composer's body has rested in peace at the famed Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris — while his heart has endured a wild journey of intrigue and adulation.


This photo from Nov. 5, 2014, shows front of the Church Holy Cross where the heart of the 19th century composer Frederic Chopin is buried in Warsaw, Poland. Chopin{2019}s heart was exhumed in April so that officials could determine what condition it is in. It turns out is remains very well preserved in a vessel of alcohol believed to be cognac. The exhumation took place in April amid huge secrecy, a reflection of the mystique the relic-like object holds over Poland.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)


First it was sealed in a jar of liquor believed to be cognac. Then it was smuggled into Warsaw past Russian border guards. Once in his hometown, Chopin's heart passed through the hands of several relatives before being enshrined within a pillar in Holy Cross Church. During World War II, it briefly fell into the clutches of the Nazis. The organ has been exhumed several times, most recently in a secret operation to check whether the tissue remains well preserved.

Chopin's heart inspires a deep fascination in Poland normally reserved for the relics of saints. For Poles, Chopin's nostalgic compositions capture the national spirit — and the heart's fate is seen as intertwined with Poland's greatest agonies and triumphs over nearly two centuries of foreign occupation, warfare and liberation.

FULL story at link.

[Fred Sanders]

1. A stones throw away from Haitian juju magic.

[femmocrat]

2. There is a movie script in there somewhere!

How interesting!

[pinboy3niner]

4. With Tom Hanks decoding mysterious clues and getting to the bottom of it!

I smell a blockbuster.

[femmocrat]

5. LOL

They already made that one.

I was thinking of George Clooney searching Nazi-occupied villages instead.

[pinboy3niner]

6. With Clooney pursued all the while by Jennifer Lopez!

[femmocrat]

7. Jennifer Lopez as a Nazi?

You crack me up.

[pinboy3niner]

9. Who better to hunt smuggled illegal booty?

[UTUSN]

3. Well, somebody with the musical spiritual gift he had is fine with me!1 nt

[brer cat]

8. He is one of my all time favorites.

It is a pretty amazing story, and good that it worked out as he requested.

[longship]

10. Apparently many here do not appreciate, or have never heard Chopin.

I suspect the latter. After all, Frederick Chopin never played electric guitar or loud drums, apparently the only sounds some folks listen to.

Myself, I find this story intriguing, as I do Chopin. Hard Rock? Rap (or whatever it's called these days). Not so much.

R&K

[pinboy3niner]

11. Never heard of him? Some of us remember Chopin's nefarious contribution to violins on television!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

13. Violins on television? Oh, yeah-- must be "Chopin Broccoli"

[Art_from_Ark]

12. My first non-cartoon exposure to classical music (that I remember)

was Chopin's Raindrop Prelude, as introduced by my 3rd grade practice music teacher, Miss Cable. It-- and she-- really made a big impression on me

[BrotherIvan]

15. "This happens to be a Nocturne"

[LeftInTX]

14. Ode to Chopin's heart

(I didn't know he was Polish until we had that Pole Poll a few days ago. I had always thought Chopin was French)

[freshwest]

16. My dad got me started on this album in elementary school.

Listened to it so many times, it's hard wired in my head.

[Omaha Steve]

17. I didn't think this post would get much traffic

I'm pleasantly surprised.