Frédéric Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era, who wrote primarily for the solo piano. He gained and maintained renown worldwide as one of the leading musicians of his era, whose 'poetic genius was based on a professional technique that was without equal in his generation'. Most of his works include mazurkas, waltzes, nocturnes, polonaises, études, impromptus, scherzos, and preludes.