Chopin Bolero, Op. 19

Frédéric Chopin composed the Boléro, Op. 19, in the year 1833. It was published the following year, dedicated to Mademoiselle la Comtesse Émilie de Flahaut. The piece was apparently inspired by Chopin's friendship with Pauline Viardot, a French singer whose father (famous tenor Manuel Garcia) had introduced the bolero in Paris. It has also been speculated that Chopin may have been inspired by the Bolero in Daniel Auber's 'La muette de Portici'. Despite it's evocative title, the Boléro features more elements of Polish music than Spanish music.