The exhibits in the Chopin room at the Polish American Museum in Port Washington, New York, portray the life of the famed composer who was born in Warsaw in 1810. Chopin’s mother taught piano and his father played the flute and violin, so it is not surprising that their son developed an interest in music. His use of Polish folk melodies as the basis for his complex piano and orchestral works brought Polish music to the world’s attention at a time of intense repression by Russian forces in his occupied country.

Chopin suffered from a variety of health afflictions from childhood through his adult years. He died in 1849 after a long illness.