On Chopin's deathbed he asked his family to destroy any works that he hasn't released. However, his family asked a close friend of Chopin's, Julian Fontana, to pick only the best of the unreleased materials. Nearly 23 piano pieces were grouped together in opus numbers and published in 1855. However, it is estimated that nearly 244 were in the running for the selections. This illustrates the extreme talent Chopin had for music as well as creating new works in record time. His collection is much larger than many modern day musician's entire career accomplishments.