This exhibition gives a window into Chopin's closest surroundings in the mid-19th century, a time rife with political revolutions. It was also a time when art and culture became more available to the public. Public taste began to shape culture and music; concerns became mass events, as did shows at the theater. And competition between incoming artists and longstanding ones boomed. 

As these letters and the museum show, Chopin viewed music as an art, not a profession. He sought out artistry at a time in which musical culture was turning professional and also corresponding to the needs of popular, mass entertainment. And in Paris, Chopin was in the heart of it.