Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin (1872-1915) was a Russian composer of mystical bent whose works were almost entirely for the piano. Born to an aristocratic family in Moscow, he not only played the piano but also built pianos from an early age. His first compositions were heavily influenced by Chopin, but later he came up with his own atonal system of music independently of Arnold Schoenberg. He was influenced by the theosophical movement in Russia and dreamed of a giant multimedia work performed in the Himalayas that would bring about the end of the world and the birth of a new one. He also had the neurological condition now known as synesthesia, associating different musical notes with different colors, which helped him come up with his atonal music system based on the color wheel. He died of an infected sore on his lip.