Fryderyk Chopin (1810 – 1849) is one of the most universally loved composers. He devoted himself almost exclusively to writing for the piano. The Cobbe Collection’s unique holding of Chopin instruments includes no less than three pianos that Chopin lived with and gave performances upon in 1848. All three pianos are associated with his 1848 visit to England, though two of them he would also have used in Paris. When Chopin came to London he gave in two months more concerts than he had done in the previous ten years in Paris. Further concerts in Manchester and in Scotland followed, with a final concert in London before his return to France. Thus in an exceptional burst of musical activity, he endowed British audiences with the final performances of his life.

For Chopin's very first performance in England, he used the Pleyel piano No.13819 (No. 33; left top) that he had brought with him from Paris. This piano is the only instrument he ever referred to as being his own, and he had almost certainly used it for the last concert he ever gave in Paris in February 1848, two months before his departure for England. This instrument may also be that seen in the celebrated watercolour of Chopin’s salon in the Square d'Orléans.

For six of his public and private concerts in England Chopin chose the Broadwood instrument No. 17047 (No. 34; left middle). Poignantly these included the last concert of his life given at Guildhall, London, on 18th November 1848. For most of these concerts Broadwood took the piano directly from their factory to the concert venue; however for the very last concert on 18th November, the Broadwood piano was taken to Chopin’s rooms in St James’s Place two weeks before, so that he could rehearse on it.

The third instrument at Hatchlands with strong Chopin associations is the Erard piano No. 713 (No. 30; left bottom) which belonged to Chopin’s close friend and pupil Jane Stirling and which was chosen for her just around the time she became Chopin's pupil in Paris in 1843/44. It was Jane who organised his visit to Britain and whom, at this time, he was seeing almost every day. The Erard was brought up to Scotland in 1848 and stood in Chopin’s private sitting room in the Stirling seat of Keir House when the composer spent a sojourn there.