Chopin was a Romantic-era composer who mainly wrote piano music.

His solo piano works include (in no particular order):

  • Ballades: narrative-styled long piano pieces
  • Scherzos: energetic and oftentimes dark pieces ironically named “jests”
  • Fantaisies: pieces teeming with creative freedom, unbound by form
  • Impromptus: piano pieces written as if they were improvised
  • Nocturnes: short piano pieces reminiscent of the night
  • Polonaises: although polonaises are supposedly a form of Polish dance, Chopin’s polonaises aren’t really meant to be danced to (source)
  • Mazurkas: mazurkas are also a form (or rather a mix) of Polish dances, but just like his polonaises, Chopin’s mazurkas aren’t danceable
  • Waltzes: …likewise undanceable
  • Etudes: pieces meant for practices, but sound beautiful nonetheless
  • Preludes: while preludes were originally meant to serve as an improvisatory introduction to a complex piece, Chopin’s preludes are short, standalone pieces