Jocelyn Wang writes ...

>That being said, there can be little doubt that Chopin was bisexual.
>Zamoyski quotes amply from letters Chopin wrote as a young man to another
>man that can hardly lead one to conclude otherwise.

I have read Chopin's letters and do find that kind of language but dismiss
that as the letter writing style of the day i.e.  My dearest and most
beloved friend, etc.  Those Romantics loved to write in a flowerly style
and talk of loving each other profoundly, etc.  As Beethoven signed his
letters "Your most humble and loyal servant" I doubt he felt much humility
or felt like anyone's servant.  It was just the style of the day.  Young
boys first discovering sex with their close friends often grow close to
each other but I have not seen any evidence that it went much beyond that.
Perhaps I'm wrong.  I do feel that if he was, people would have known about
it, especially in those times and in Paris, the city of love, and I feel
that history would have made that more clear.

I have often wondered about Chopin myself and looked for an answer in his
letters and books about him, including writings by George Sand.  She once
wrote about living with Chopin as if they never had sex anymore but that
might be more a reflection of his good taste than his sexuality.  He did
love a woman deeply and possessed her letters to him until his death.

Bill Pirkle