Stanisław Moniuszko
belarusian composer (1819–1872)
Stanisław Moniuszko (May 5, 1819 in Ubiel, near Minsk – June 4, 1872 in Warsaw, Congress Poland) was a Polish composer, conductor and teacher. He is generally called the father of Polish national opera.
Biography
changeYouth
changeMoniuszko was born in Ubiel (Minsk district in modern Belarus) to a Polish-Armenian [1] noble family of landowners.[2] He showed an early ability in music, and began private piano lessons with August Freyer[3] in 1827. Moniuszko began to formally study composition in Berlin with Karl Friedrich Rungenhagen,[4] who also taught him in choral conducting. While in Berlin, he had an unexpected early success when he set three songs to the words of the Polish national poet, Adam Mickiewicz.[5]
After three years in Berlin, he returned to Poland in 1840 to marry Aleksandra Müller. He got a job as an organist in Vilnius and also worked as a private piano tutor.[4] The Moniuszkos had ten children.
Around 1840, he began to compose strongly, writing his first operas and several other stage works, as well as sacred music and secular cantatas.[6]
During his lifetime Moniuszko traveled many times to St. Petersburg where his concerts were very well received.[2] He was the mentor of César Cui.
Maturity
changeIn 1848 in Vilnius, he staged and conducted the first performance of his opera Halka. After the triumph of his new four-act version of Halka at Warsaw on 1 January 1858, he toured France. It was soon later staged in Prague, Moscow and St. Petersburg,[3] where it met with great success.[7]
On 1 August 1858 he was made conductor of the Polish Opera in the Grand Theatre in Warsaw. In 1864, Moniuszko started lecturing at the Music Institute in Warsaw, where he also directed a choir. His disciples included, among others, Zygmunt Noskowski and Henryk Jarecki.[4]
Stanisław Moniuszko died on 4 June 1872 in Warsaw of a sudden heart attack. He was buried in Powązki Cemetery.
Works
changeStage works
changeOperettas
change| Work | Form | Composed | Libretto | Première |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biuraliści (The Bureaucrats) | operetta in one act | c. 1835 | I F Skarbeck | unperformed |
| Nocleg w Apeninach (A Night in the Apennines) |
operetta in one act | c. 1837-9 | A Fredro | Vilnius, 1839 |
| Cudowna woda (The Miraculous Water) | operetta in two acts, lost except overture | 1840-1 | ||
| Ideał, czyli Nowe Precjoza (Perfection, or The New Preciosa) |
operetta in two acts | c. 1841 | O Milewski | Vilnius, 1840 |
| Karmaniol, czyli Francuzi lubią żartować (Carmagnole, or The French Like Joking) |
operetta | c. 1840-1 | O Milewski (after Théaulon de Torges and E Jaime) |
unperformed |
| Nowy Don Kichot, czyl Sto szaleństw (The New Don Quixote, or 100 Follies) |
operetta in three acts | 1841 | A Fredro (after M de Cervantes) | Lwów 1849 Warsaw, 1923 |
| Żółta szlafmyca (The Yellow Nightcap) | operetta | c. 1841 | F Zablocki | lost |
| Loteria (The Lottery) | operetta in one act | c. 1842-3 | O Milewski | Minsk, 1843 |
| Cyganie (The Gypsies) (revised as Jawnuta 1860) |
operetta | c. 1852 | F D Kniaźnin | Vilnius, 20 May 1852 |
| Beata | operetta in one act | c. 1870-1 | Jan Chęciński | Warsaw, 2 February 1872 |
| Pobór rekrutów (Conscription) | operetta | 1842 | Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich | lost |
Operas
change| Work | Form | Composed | Libretto | Première |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halka (Helen) | opera in two acts, later enlarged to four acts |
c. 1847-8 & 1857 |
Włodzimierz Wolski (after Kazimierz Władysław Wójcicki) |
Vilnius, 1 January 1848 |
| Sielanka (Idyll) | opera in two acts | c. 1848? | Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich | lost |
| Betty | comic opera in two acts | c. 1852 | F Schober (after Scribe and Melesville) |
Vilnius, 20 May 1852 |
| Flis (The Raftsman) | opera in one act | c. 1858 | S Boguslawski | Warsaw, 24 September 1858 |
| Rokiczana (The King of Peasants) | incomplete | c. 1859 | J Korzeniowski | unperformed |
| Hrabina (The Countess) | opera in three acts | c. 1869 | Włodzimierz Wolski | Warsaw, 7 February 1860 |
| Jawnuta | opera in two acts | c. 1860 | Warsaw 5 June 1860 | |
| Verbum nobile | opera in one act | c. 1860 | Jan Chęciński | Warsaw, 1 January 1861 |
| Straszny Dwór (The Haunted Manor) | opera in four acts | c. 1861-4 | Jan Chęciński (after Kazimierz Władysław Wójcicki) | Warsaw, 28 September 1865 |
| Paria | opera in three acts with prologue |
c. 1859-69 | Jan Chęciński (after a play by Delavigne) |
Warsaw, 11 December 1869 |
| Trea | incomplete | c. 1872 | J Jasiński after a Femish legend | unperformed |
| Nowy dziedzic (The New Landlord) | incomplete | undated | unperformed | |
| Sen wieszcza (The Seer's Dream) | incomplete | undated | Władysław Syrokomla after J B Rosier and A de Leuven |
unperformed |
| Walka muzyków (The Musicians' Struggle) |
incomplete | undated | Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich | lost |
Ballet
change- Monte Christo, after Alexandre Dumas (1866)
- Na kwaterunku (On the Bilet) (1868)
- Figle szatana (Satan's Tricks aka Devil's Frolics) (1870)
- Merry Wives of Windsor (c. 1849), ballet music composed for the opera of Otto Nicolai
Theatre
change- Kasper Hauser (1843), melodrama by Anicet, Bourgeois and d'Ennery. First performance: Minsk, November 18, 1843
- Sabaudka (Savoyardess or the Mother's Blessing) melodrama in 5 acts by d'Ennery and Lemoine. First performance: Vilnius, May 6, 1845
- Hamlet. Shakespeare's tragedy. First performance: Warsaw, March 24, 1871
- Zbojcy (Die Rauber). Schiller's tragedy. First performance: Warsaw 1870 and 1871
- Hans Mathis, drama (1872). Finished by Adam Munchheimer
- Karpaccy gorale, drama by J. Korzeniowski
Vocal
changeCantatas
change| Work | Form | Composed | Text | Première |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milda | cantata for solo voices, mixed choir and orchestra |
1848 | J.I. Kraszewski, after Witolorauda |
Vilnius, 18 December 1848 |
| Nijoła (Wundyny | cantata for solo voices, mixed choir and orchestra |
after 1848 | partly from Witolorauda | Vilnius, 8 March 1852 |
| Florian Szary (The Grey) | ballad from unfinished opera Rokiczana for baritone solo, choir and orchestra |
1858-9 | J. Korzeniowski | Warsaw, 16 December 1860 |
| Widma (The Ghosts) | cantata for solo voices, mixed choir and orchestra |
before 1859 | Adam Mickiewicz, after Dziady (The Forefathers) |
Warsaw, 1865 |
| Sonety krymskie (Crimean Sonnets) |
cantata (8 sonnets) for solo voices, mixed choir and orchestra |
1867 | Adam Mickiewicz | Warsaw, 16 February 1868 |
| Pani Twardowska | ballad for solo voices, choir and orchestra |
1869 | Adam Mickiewicz | Warsaw, December, 1869 |
| Kurmine | cantata | unfinished |
Sacred
change| Work | Form | Composed | Text | Première |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Litanie ostrobramskie (Litanies of Ostra Brama) no.1 |
solo voices, mixed choir, organ and orchestra |
1843 | Latin | |
| Mass in A minor | soprano, alto and organ | 1848 | A.E. Odyniec | |
| Litanie ostrobramskie (Litanies of Ostra Brama) no.2 |
solo voices, mixed choir, organ and orchestra |
1849 | Latin | |
| Funeral mass in D minor | 4-part mixed choir and organ | 1850 | F. Felinski | |
| Litanie ostrobramskie (Litanies of Ostra Brama) no.3 |
solo voices, mixed choir, organ and orchestra |
1854 | Latin | |
| Litanie ostrobramskie (Litanies of Ostra Brama) no.4 |
solo voices, mixed choir, organ and orchestra |
1855 | Latin | |
| Mass in E minor | 2 sopranos, alto and organ | 1855 | A.E. Odyniec (Polish), Achilles Bonoldi (Latin) |
|
| Mass in E-flat major | solo voices, mixed choir, organ and string quintet |
1865 | Latin | |
| Mass in B-flat major "Piotrowinska" (Piotrowin Mass) |
solo voices, mixed choir and organ |
1872 | Warsaw, 19 May 1872 | |
| Oto drzewo krzyza (Ecce lignum crucis) |
motet for baritone solo, mixed choir and organ |
1872 | Latin or Polish translation by M. Kotarbinski |
Warsaw, 29 March 1872 |
| Modlitwa Panska "Ojcze nasz" (The Lord's Prayer "Our Father") |
4-part mixed choir and orchestra or organ |
Warsaw, 17 June 1859 | ||
| Psalm "Ne memineris" | solo voices, mixed choir, organ and string quintet |
Latin | ||
| Psalm "Vide humilitatem meam" | mixed choir, sting quintet and organ |
Polish | ||
| Requiem aeternum | 11 solo voices, mixed choir and orchestra |
Songs
changeMore than 300, listing the most popular:
- Chochlik (The Imp). Text by A.E. Odyniec
- Czaty (The Ambush), ballad. Text by A. Mickiewicz. Also in a version with orchestra
- Czarny krzyżyk (The Little Black Cross). Text by Bruno Bielawski.
- Dziad i baba (The Old Man and The Old Woman). Text by J.I. Kraszewski
- Dziadek i babka (Grandpa and Grandma). Text by P. Jankowski
- Entuzjasta (The Enthusiast). Text by J. Prusinowski
- Kozak (Cossack). Also known as Tam na gorze jawor stoi
- Kum i kuma (Chums). Text by J. Czeczot
- Łzy (Tears). Text by A.E. Odyniec
- Maciek. Text by T. Lenartowicz
- Magda karczmarka (Magda, the Innkeeper). Also known as W pustej karczmie Magda siedzi, ballad. Text by E. Sztyrmer
- Nad Nidą (On Nida River). Text by Włodzimierz Wolski
- Panicz i dziewczyna (The Young Master and The Girl). Also known as W gaiku zielonym. Text by A.E. Odyniec
- Pieśń wieczorna (The Song at Dusk). Also known as Po nocnej rosie. Text by W. Syrokomla
- Piosnka żołnierza (Soldier's Song). Also known as Już matka zasnęła. Text by J. Korzeniowski
- Polna różyczka (The Little, Field Rose). Text by J. Grajnert
- Powrót taty (Father's Return). Text by A. Mickiewicz
- Prząśniczka (The Spinner). Text by J. Czeczot. Also in a version with orchestra
- Rozmowa (Conversation). Also known as Kochanko moja, na co nam rozmowa. Text by A. Mickiewicz
- Rybka (The Fish). Text by A. Mickiewicz
- Świerszcz (The Cricket). Text by J.N. Kaminski
- Świtezianka (The Nymph of Lake Switez). Text by A. Mickiewicz
- Tren X (Lament No. X). Also known as Urszulo moja wdzieczna. Text by J. Kochanowski
- Trzech Budrysów (Three Budryses). Text by A. Mickiewicz. Also in a version with orchestra
- Trzy śpiewy: Niepewnosc, Pieszczotka, Sen (Three Chants: Uncertainty, Cuddlesome One, Dream). Text by A. Mickiewicz. German translation Blankensee
- Wilija (Christmas Eve). Text by A. Mickiewicz
- Znaszli ten kraj (Do You Know Such Land). Text by A. Mickiewicz, after J. W. Goethe
Instrumental
changeChamber
change- String quartet no.1 in D minor (1839)
- String quartet no.2 in F major (before 1840)
Organ
change- Organ compositions on the themes of church songs, among others Vespers and Song of Ostra Brama. Published: Warsaw, 1862.
Piano
change- Fraszki (Trifles). Two books. Published: Vilnius, 1843
- Nocturne in A-flat major. Published: Vilnius, 1846
- Mazurka in D major. Published: Vilnius, before 1846
- Six Polonaises. Published: Vilnius, 1846
- Polka in C major. Published: Warsaw, 1851
- Polka, "Daniel". Published: Warsaw, 1852
- Polka, "Gabirela". Published: Warsaw, 1855
- "Spring" Polka. Published: Warsaw, 1860
- Vilanelle in B flat major. Published: Warsaw, 1851
- Three Waltzes. Published: Warsaw, 1852
- "Wedding" Mazurka. Published: Warsaw, 1872
- Kolysanka (Cradle Song) in D major. Published: Warsaw, 19 March 1872
- Piano transcriptions of opera fragments and of works by other composers, among others Six Polonaises of Michal Oginski. Published: Warsaw, before 1858
- Original compositions and transcriptions for piano duet
Symphonic
change- Bajka (Fairytale), fantastic overture (1848). Two versions. First performed: Vilnius, 1 May 1848
- Kain, overture (1856). First performance: St. Petersburg, March 1856
- War Overture. First performance: Vilnius, 19 March 1857
- Polonez koncertowy (concert polonaise) in A major, for large orchestra (1866)
- Polonez obywatelski, civic polonaise in F major (after 1863)
Recordings
changeDue to the current obscurity of Moniuszko outside Poland, this list more or less represents a complete discography.
Opera
change- Halka: Andrzej Hiolski, Barbara Zagorzanka, Jerzy Ostapiuk, Ryszarda Racewicz, Wieslaw Ochman. Robert Satanowski cond., Polish National Opera Orchestra & Chorus. 2 CDs, DDD, CPO Records, Live (recorded 1987?), 18 January 1995
- Halka (highlights): Andrzej Hiolski, Edmund Kossowski, Barbara Nieman, Halina Slonicka, Bohdan Paprocki. Zdizislaw Gorzynski cond., Polish National Opera Orchestra & Chorus. CD, Polskie Nagrania Muza, 6 April 1994 (originally 1992)
- Halka: Harmonia Mundi/Chant du Monde?
- Halka: Tatiana Zacharczuk, Władimir Kuzmienko, Zbigniew Macias, Katarzyna Suska, Piotr Nowacki. Antoni Wicherek cond., Soloists, Choir, Ballet and Orchestra of The Great Theatre National Opera in Warsaw. DVD, 2h10m, ZPR Records, 1999
- Halka: Tatiana Borodina, Oleh Lykhach, Aleksandra Buczek, Mariusz Godlewski, Radosław Żukowski, Zbigniew Kryczka, Jacek Ryś, Rafał Majzner, Andrzej Kalinin, Rafał Majzner, Janusz Zawadzki. Ewa Michnik cond., Wroclaw Opera Orchestra, Chorus & Ballet. DVD, 2h16m, subtitles in Polish, English, German. DUX Recording Producers/Metronome, 19 March 2007. Cat. no DVD : DUX 9538, Barcode: 5902547095387
- Hrabina: Halina Slonicka, Agnieszka Kossakowska, Edmund Kossowski, Kazimierz Pustelak, Bogna Sokorska. Mieczysław Mierzejewski cond., Orchestra & Choir Teatru Wielkiego w Warszawie. CD, Polskie Nagrania Muza, 2004
- The Haunted Manor: Adam Kruszewski, Iwona Hossa, Jacek Parol, Anna Lubanska, Krzysztof Szmyt, Dariusz Stachura, Piotr Nowacki, Stefania Toczyska, Zbigniew Macias, Romuald Tesarowicz, Agnieszka Zwierko. Jacek Kasprzyk cond., Wielki Theatre Orchestra. 2 CDs, DDD, EMI Classics, Studio, 13 July 2004
- The Haunted Manor: Bozena Betley-Sieradzka, Wiera Baniewicz, Zdzislaw Nikodem, Wieslaw Ochman, Andrzej Hiolski, Leonard Mroz, Andrzej Saciuk, et al. Jan Krentz cond., Orchestra & Choir of the PRiTV, Kraków. 4 CDs, Polskie Nagrania Muza, 1 January 2003. SX 0253
- The Haunted Manor: Andrzej Hiolski, Bernard Ładysz, Bogdan Paprocki, Halina Słonicka, Zdzisław Nikodem. Witold Rowicki cond., Orchestra & Choir Teatru Wielkiego w Warszawie. Polskie Nagrania Muza, 1992. PNCD093
- The Haunted Manor: Bogdan Paprocki, Edmund Kossowski, Antonina Kawecka, Marian Woźniczko, Barbara Kostrzewska, Felicja Kurowiak, Radzisław Peter, Zygmunt Mariański, Henryk Łukaszek, et al. Walerian Bierdajew cond., Poznań Opera. Early 1950s
- Verbum Nobile: Andrzej Kizewetter, Krystyna Pakulska, Marian Kondella, Jan Czekay, Edward Kmiciewicz. Robert Satanowski, cond., Orchestra & Choir Państwowej Opery. CD, AAD, 1h5m, Polskie Nagrania Muza, 1993. PNCD 247
Vocal
change- Canons: Krzysztof Szmyt, Pawel Skaluba, Piotr Kusiewicz, Ryszard Minkiewicz. CD, DDD, DUX Recording Producers, 27 March 2001
- Litanies of Ostra Brama: Czeslaw Galka, Anna Lubanska, Iwona Hossa, Adam Zdunikowski. Henryk Wojnarowski cond., Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. CD, CD Accord, 5 September 2006
- Religious Songs: Andrzej Hiolski, Jaroslaw Malanowicz, Joanna Kozlowska, Piotr Kusiewicz. CD, DDD, CD Accord, 26 June 2001
- Religious Works: Marian Sawa, Witold Pilewski, Anna Malewicz, Krystyna Szoslek-Radkowa, Krystyna Szostek-Radkowa, et al. Edmund Kajdasz cond., Warsaw Chamber Orchestra. CD, ADD, Olympia, 4 October 1993
- Śpiewnik domowy I: Bożena Betley, Alina Bolechowska, Maria Fołtyn, Jadwiga Romańska, Hanna Rumowska-Machnikowska, Halina Szymulska. CD, Polskie Nagrania Muza, 1996. PNCD348
- Śpiewnik domowy II: Andrzej Hiolski, Bernard Ładysz, Wiesław Ochman, Maciej Witkiewicz. CD, Polskie Nagrania Muza, 1996. PNCD349
Instrumental
change- Opera Overtures: Grzegorz Fitelberg; Jan Krenz; Witold Rowicki cond., Polish Radio Orchestra & Chorus Katowice; Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra. CD, ADD, Olympia, 4 October 1993
- Overtures: Robert Satanowski cond., Filharmonia Pomorska Bydgoszcz. CD, DDD, CPO Records, 25 January 1995
- Overtures & Dances: Roland Bader cond., Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra. CD, DDD, Koch Schwann, 21 January 1997
- String Quartets (w/ Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński): Camerata Quartet. CD, DDD, DUX Recording Producers, 29 May 2007
- Новае неба Станіслава Манюшкі: Classic Avantgarde ensemble (Belarus). CD, 2008.
- Mazur from Act IV Straszny Dwór with Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Witold Rowicki, 1967, Orchestral CDs, CD12/2011
References
change- ↑ "Jan T. Z. (24 IV 2005 r)"Вспоминая геноцид Армян. Польские армяне"(на польском)". Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "University of Southern California: Polish Music Center |Stanisław Moniuszko". Archived from the original on 2006-04-10. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Culture.pl |Stanisław Moniuszko
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Polish Music Information Centre |Stanisław Moniuszko". Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
- ↑ EditionSilvertrust.com |Stanisław Moniuszko
- ↑ Karadar.com |Stanisław Moniuszko
- ↑ Polish Art Center |Stanisław Moniuszko and His Operas