Up to the age of fifteen, Frederic was taught at home, in his father’s school.  He now entered the Warsaw Lyceum, and proved a good student, twice carrying off a prize.  With this studiousness was joined a gaiety and sprightliness that manifested itself in all sorts of fun and mischief.  He loved to play pranks on his sisters, comrades and others, and had a fondness for caricature, taking off the peculiarities of those about him with pose and pen.  Indeed it was the opinion of a clever member of the profession, that the lad was born to become a great actor.  All the young Chopins had a great fondness for literature and writing; they occasionally tried their hand at poetry, and the production of original one-act plays, written for birthday fetes and family parties.

The most important event of Frederic’s fifteenth year was the publication of his first composition for piano, a Rondo in C minor.  This was soon followed by a set of Variations, Op. 2, on an air from Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.”  In these early pieces, written perhaps even before he was fifteen, we find the first stages of his peculiar style.  Even at this early time he was pleased with chords that had the tones spread apart in extended harmony.  As his hands were small he invented a contrivance which separated the fingers as far apart as possible, in order that he might reach the new chords more easily.  This he wore even during the night.  The contrivance however, did not result in injury to his hands, as did Schumann’s efforts to strengthen his fourth finger.

In 1827, Chopin finished his studies at the Lyceum and determined to adopt music as his profession.  He was now seventeen, of slender figure, finely cut features, high forehead, delicate brows above dreamy, soulful eyes.  Though not weak or sickly, as some accounts make out, he was never very robust; he would far rather lie under beautiful trees in delightful day dreams, than take long excursions afoot.  One of his aversions was smoking or tobacco in any form; he never used it in his whole life.  He was vivacious, active, hard working at music and reasonably healthy in early youth, but not of a hardy organism.  His mother and sisters constantly cautioned him to wrap up in cold or damp weather, and like an obedient son and good brother, he obeyed.

Young Chopin greatly wished to travel and see something of the world.  A much longed-for opportunity to visit Berlin came to him the following year.  An old friend of his father’s, Dr. Jarocki, Professor in the Warsaw University, was invited to attend a Philosophic Congress, presided over by Alexander von Humboldt, to be held in that city.  The good Professor was willing to take his friend’s son under his wing, and Frederic was quite beside himself with joy, for now he believed he could meet some of the musical celebrities of Berlin, and hear some great music.  As to the latter his hopes were realized, but he did not meet many musicians, and could only gaze at them