Frédéric Chopin was an outstanding Polish composer and pianist, one of the leading representatives of Western European musical romanticism and the founder of the Polish national compositional school. Born in 1810 in the village of Żelazowa Wola near Warsaw, he received his musical education from Wojciech Żywny and later from Józef Elsner at the Higher School of Music. Even in childhood, he showed himself to be a virtuoso whose performance was compared to that of Mozart. In 1830, Chopin left Poland forever and, after traveling through Europe, settled in Paris, where he quickly gained recognition as a brilliant pianist and composer. He devoted most of his life to teaching piano and creating works almost entirely dedicated to this instrument. He revived musical forms such as preludes, études, and impromptus on a romantic basis, and also created masterpieces in the genres of nocturne, mazurka, waltz, polonaise, and ballade. From 1837, the composer maintained a close relationship with the writer George Sand, spending much of his time at her estate in Nohant, where many of his famous works were created, including the "Sonata in B minor". Chopin died in Paris in 1849 from a lung disease, presumably tuberculosis. According to his will, his heart was transported to Warsaw and interred in the Holy Cross Church. The Bakhrushin Theatre Museum's online collection features materials related to the works of Frédéric Chopin, including photo postcards depicting Tamara Karsavina as La Sylphide in the ballet "Chopiniana".