(Schirmer Performance Editions). The name Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) is synonymous with the piano. Indeed, every one of his compositions includes the instrument. His Preludes , several of which are of only moderate difficulty, show superb polish and inventive detail. Shaped by the tastes of the Parisian aristocratic salon, these pieces make the most of a pianist's technical and musical abilities, both in passages of virtuosity and in the variety of possibilities for emotional expression.