LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Frederic Chopin: George Sand
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In July 1837, Chopin travelled to London in the company of Camille Pleyel in the hope of forgetting all unpleasant memories. Soon afterwards, he entered into a close liaison with the famous French writer George Sand. This George Sandauthor of daring novels, older by six years, and a divorcee with two children, offered the lonely artist what he missed most from the time when he left Warsaw: extraordinary tenderness, warmth and maternal care. The lovers spent the winter of 1838/1839 on the Spanish island of Majorca, living in a former monastery in Valdemosa. There, due to unfavourable weather conditions, Chopin became gravely ill and showed symptoms of tuberculosis. For many weeks, he remained so weak as to be unable to leave the house but nonetheless, continued to work intensively and composed a number of masterpieces: the series of 24 preludes, the Polonaise in C minor, the Ballade in F major, and the Scherzo in C sharp minor.
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In 1845 a serious problem emerged in Chopin's relationship with Sand at the same time as a further deterioration in Chopin's health. Their relationship was further soured in 1846 by family problems; this was the year in which Sand published Lucrezia Floriani, which is quite unfavourable to Chopin. The story is about a rich actress and a prince with weak health, and it is possible to interpret the main characters as Sand and Chopin. The family problems finally brought an end to their relationship in 1847.
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In 1837, Chopin met a novelist by the name of George Sand. She came from a social class Chopin would consider "bohemian." He once said, "What an unattractive person La Sand is. Is she really a woman?" Nevertheless, a year later they met again and instantly fell in love. Chopin became very ill while staying in Majorca with Sand. However, he was still able to write. He mailed several preludes to his friend, Pleyel. Upon his recovery, Chopin moved to Sand's manor in Nohant.
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Chopin would ... later complain of having to go to great lengths to obtain a piano from Paris and of the difficulty of moving it uphill to the monastery. Chopin reflected much of the mood of this desperate time in the twenty-four préludes, Op. 28, the majority of which were written in Majorca. The weather had such a serious impact on Chopin's health and his chronic lung disease that he and George Sand were compelled to return to Paris to save his life. He survived but never recovered from this bout.
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Many of Chopin's greatest works were composed during his summer stays in Nohant. Although Chopin's works were blossoming, his relationship with Sand was slowly deteriorating. Many family feuds broke out between Sand's children and Chopin. Tensions between Sand and Chopin ... increased; apparent in her later writings, "...a strange conclusion to nine years of exclusive friendship." Chopin never fully recovered from the break up. Chopin died of consumption in 1849.
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By the 1840s Chopin's health was rapidly deteriorating. He and Sand took several trips to remote locations, such as Nohant-Vic, to no avail. By 1849 most of his major works were completed and Chopin concentrated on mazurkas and nocturnes. His last work was a mazurka, in F minor.
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