Kalergis, Maria (EN)

Kalergis, Calergis, Maria, married for the 2^nd time to Muchanow, née Nesselrode, *7 August 1822 Warsaw, †22 May 1874 Warsaw, Polish amateur pianist. Her musical interests came from her family home; her father, General Fryderyk Count Nesselrode (adjutant of Grand Duke Konstanty, and then head of the gendarmerie in Warsaw) and mother Tekla (née Górska) were music lovers. From the age of 6, Kalergis grew up in St. Petersburg, in the house of her uncle Karol, Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, where she began to learn music; at the age of 13, she played Kalkbrenner’s concerto and Thalberg’s works. In 1839, she married John Kalergis, a millionaire of Greek origin; from 1840, the spouses were separated. Kalergis spent the years 1840–44 in Warsaw; here she met W. Wolski, Deotyma and others. In 1843, Kalergis made her first public appearance, playing in Warsaw at a charity matinee for the poor. In 1845, she went on a longer trip around Europe, during which she met R. Wagner. In 1847, she settled in Paris, but her whole life was filled with numerous journeys around Europe; while visiting her uncle in St. Petersburg and her father in Warsaw, she used to stop in Berlin, Vienna, Dresden and other cities. In Paris in 1848–49, she took lessons from Chopin and opened an art salon frequently visited by outstanding personalities from the political and artistic world. The Kalergis summer residence in Baden-Baden hosted, among others, Liszt, Rossini, and in later years Wagner, K. Schumann, P. Viardot, the King of Prussia, the King of Belgium, the Duke of Baden, of Hesse and others. Kalergis’ extensive contacts, especially her family connections, led to the suspicion (including V. Hugo) that she was a Russian agent; however, on the other hand, the fact that she used her family relations to save B. Dąbrowski and H. Kamieński remained in the memory of the fighters for Poland’s independence. From December 1857, she chose Warsaw as its headquarters; she opened an art salon here (in 1859 A. Rubinstein played there and in 1869 – K. Tausig), and she organised public concerts, including 25 March 1858 to S. Moniuszko. During a meeting with Moniuszko at the house of K. Sayn-Wittgenstein in Weimar in 1858, she played for four hands with Liszt Highland Dances, polonaises and mazurka from Halka; in the same year, she obtained permission from the Russian authorities to establish a Music Institute (her name is among the founding members), she took part in concerts organised to raise the funds necessary for this purpose, and in the inaugural concert (1860). On 30 September 1863, Kalergis remarried, marrying Sergiusz Mukhanov. She then lived in Baden-Baden, where Mukhanov served as adjutant to Grand Duke Constantine; in 1868 Mukhanov was appointed administrator of the imperial palaces and president of the Directorate of Theatres in Warsaw. From 1864, Kalergis began to be plagued by illnesses, in the spring of 1870, she presented piano transcriptions of Wagner’s operas at concerts in Warsaw, and in May 1872, she took part in the ceremony of laying the foundation stone for the construction of the theatre in Bayreuth. Kalergis’ funeral on 25 May 1876 became – against her will – a great celebration; she was buried in her father’s tomb at the Powązki Cemetery. On the anniversary of her death, celebrations were held in Weimar on the initiative of F. Liszt, with the participation of many outstanding artists and crowned friends of the deceased. Her bust by C. Godebski is in the Liszt Museum in Weimar.

Kalergis improved her skills throughout her life and took a prominent place among amateur pianists of her time. Based on enthusiastic, sometimes even admirable mentions in the contemporary press, it is difficult to determine the actual level of Kalergis’s performing art; a more reliable indication is the flattering opinions of Chopin (“in fact, she plays very beautifully” – letter from 26 December 1847–6 January 1848), Liszt, and Rossini. She played mostly in aristocratic salons, but she also performed at public concerts, usually organised for philanthropic purposes; her repertoire included compositions by Chopin, Schumann, Hummel, Kalkbrenner, Thalberg and others, often piano transcriptions of fragments from operas, symphonic and chamber works; she played arrangements for 2 pianos with outstanding pianists (Liszt, J. Wieniawski, A. Zarzycki) and Beethoven’s violin sonatas with K. Lipiński. Kalergis’ life was focused on music and literature, and she was also passionate about politics. She went down in history as the muse of poets and the protector of musicians. Kalergis’ life is intertwined with the biographies of many famous artists, and her figure appears in numerous memories from those years. She was friends with Liszt, C. and R. Wagner, to whom she provided material help and spiritual support in difficult situations; Norwid had great, unrequited love for her, poets (T. Gautier, A. Musset, W. Sołłohub, H. Heine) praised Kalergis in poems, composers (Liszt, Moniuszko, Tausig) dedicated their works to her. Kalergis brought an invigorating ferment to the musical life of Warsaw; she supported charity concerts, invited outstanding musicians, patronised young artists, enabled Moniuszko to travel abroad (1858), and significantly contributed to the establishment of the Music Institute. Being Mukhanov’s wife, she had an influence on the selection of artists and the repertoire of the theatre in Warsaw; her intervention with the Russian censor enabled H. Modrzejewska’s performances and the introduction of Shakespeare’s and Słowacki’s (Mazep) dramas to the Warsaw stage.

Literature: Briefe Liszts, 8 vol. and Briefe hervorragender Zeitgenossen an F. Liszt, 3 vol., published by La Mara, Leipzig 1893–1905 and 1895–1904; Maria von Mouchanoff-Kalergis […] in Briefen an ihre Tochter, published by La Mara, Leipzig 1907; R. Wagner Mein Leben, 2 vol., Munich 1911; Korespondencja F. Chopina, published by B.E. Sydow, vol. 2, Warsaw 1955; W. Rudziński S. Moniuszko. Studia i materiały, 2 vol., Kraków 1955, 1961; H. Modrzejewska Wspomnienia i wrażenia, Kraków 1957; S. Szenic Maria Kalergis, Warsaw 1963.