Frédéric Chopin, born on March 1st 1810, is one of the most popular composers in the history of classical music.

Although he specialised in writing for piano, he composed in a variety of forms: ballades, impromptus, nocturnes, scherzos, and more.

Of course, art is subjective, so everyone will have different favourites, making it impossible to crown truly objective “bests” of his career.

But we do have Youtube! I did searches for “Chopin [form]” (e.g., “Chopin ballade”, “Chopin impromptu”, “Chopin nocturne”, etc.) and took notes of which was the most popular by view count.

Here are the results as of 2025.

Frédéric Chopin © filharmonija.si

Most Popular Chopin Ballade

Ballade No. 1 in G-minor

Chopin wrote his first Ballade in 1835 when he was just twenty-five years old.

Robert Schumann, who was both a composer and critic, famously called it “the work closest to his genius (though not the most brilliant).”

Schumann once told Chopin that it appealed to his heart the most. Chopin answered, “I am glad, because I too like it the best, it is my dearest work.”

This Ballade has proven its cultural appeal and relevance for generations. It has also been featured in countless movies. Possibly, its most famous cinematic appearance was in the 2002 Holocaust film The Pianist.

Chopin’s Ballade in G Minor Scene- The Pianist

Most Popular Chopin Concerto

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-minor

Chopin wrote two piano concertos when he was twenty. Confusingly, the second one he wrote was published as the first concerto.

He premiered his Piano Concerto No. 1 in October 1830 at the National Theatre in Warsaw. Soon after that performance, revolutionary unrest forced him to leave Warsaw for Paris. That move ended up being permanent.

He pays tribute to Polish musical tradition in the third movement by using Krakowiak rhythms, a syncopated rhythm common in Polish folk music.

Most Popular Chopin Etude

“Winter Wind” (Op. 25, No. 11)

The etude known as “Winter Wind” comes from his collection of twelve etudes from his op. 25, composed in 1836 and published in 1837.

“Winter Wind” is one of the most difficult Chopin etudes. Its cascades of notes showcase a player’s stamina, dexterity, and artistry, all while calling to mind a cutting wind rattling bare branches.

Most Popular Chopin Impromptu

Fantaisie-Impromptu

Chopin wrote the Fantaisie-Impromptu in 1834. However, he never published it during his lifetime. We don’t know why exactly, but it has been theorised that Chopin may have thought it too similar to the third movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.

Chopin requested that his unpublished manuscripts be burned after his death. Fortunately for us, his sister Ludwika Jędrzejewicz didn’t follow her brother’s instructions.

The piece was published in 1855 and has become one of his most famous works.

The slow section in the middle was used as inspiration for the melody of the song “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows.”

I’m Always Chasing Rainbows-Judy Garland

Most Popular Chopin Mazurka

Mazurka, Op. 24, No. 1

Chopin published his op. 24 – a set of four mazurkas for solo piano – in 1836. A mazurka is a Polish folk dance in triple time.

Because of Russia’s occupation of Poland and the failed November Uprising of 1830, writing mazurkas became a way for the Polish-born Chopin to demonstrate his patriotism.

The hopeless political situation and Chopin’s overwhelming homesickness combined to create an irresistible bittersweet melancholy.

Most Popular Chopin Nocturne

Nocturne, Op. 9, No. 2

Chopin was just 21 when he wrote the three nocturnes that make up his opus 9.

He dedicated these works to one of the great pianists of the age, a woman known as Camille (also known as Marie) Pleyel. She had just married into the wealthy, influential Pleyel piano-making family, who also operated the concert hall where Chopin made his Parisian debut.

Camille Marie Pleyel playing the piano

As legend has it, their friendship continued until 1835, when Liszt asked to borrow Chopin’s apartment and then used it to have a romantic assignation with Camille. Chopin was unhappy about the whole situation.

The two great pianists may have quarrelled later, but this famous nocturne proves how highly he thought of her.

Most Popular Chopin Prelude

Prelude in E-minor, Op. 28, No. 4

Chopin’s Op. 24, published in 1839, is a collection of twenty-four preludes for solo piano.

In classical music, preludes are usually short works that set a mood or provide an introduction to a larger work. These, however, are so striking and so beautiful that groups of them (and sometimes, all of them!) are often played at once.

Aside from their wistful beauty, the most striking feature of this particular set of preludes is that they include pieces written in all twelve major keys and all twelve minor keys, demonstrating Chopin’s technical mastery.

The most famous prelude of the twenty-four is this grief-stricken one in E-minor.

Most Popular Chopin Scherzo

Scherzo in B-minor

The word scherzo means “joke” in Italian. In classical music, it often refers to an impetuous movement for an instrument or orchestra. (Composers especially enjoyed using scherzos as the third movement of symphonies.)

Scherzos usually draw on dance rhythms and evoke a sense of mischief or impetuousness.

Chopin wrote four scherzos. This one in B-minor is his most popular. He wrote it in 1835 and published it in 1837.

Composer and critic Robert Schumann was a big fan of this scherzo, comparing it to a Byronic poem. The Romantics loved to explore the intersection between the arts, and even if the connection is not literal, the dramatic spirit of Romanticism is certainly present here.

Most Popular Chopin Sonata

Piano Sonata No. 3

Chopin is most famous for his smaller-scale single-movement works, but he did write three piano sonatas. He wrote his final one in 1844 at the age of 34.

He dedicated this sonata to the salon organiser, Countess Élise de Perthuis. (Interestingly, Chopin dedicated his op. 24 mazurkas to her husband.) He played the sonata for the first time at their home on December 23, 1845.

In this work, Chopin expressed his inexhaustible love of opera music. The famous third movement requires the pianist to play like how a singer sings.

Most Popular Chopin Waltz

Waltz, Op. 64, No. 2

Chopin’s waltzes are beloved by pianists and audiences alike. Waltzes are a wonderful lens through which to view Chopin’s entire career: he wrote his first waltz at fourteen and continued writing them until shortly before his death.

The most popular Chopin waltz on Youtube is his op. 64, no 2. His op. 64 consists of three waltzes in total. (The first one is his famous Minute Waltz.)

This second one is in a minor key, which lends it a more mysterious atmosphere than its predecessor.

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