Sołtyk Karol, count, *1791, †1831 Warsaw, Polish violinist, and composer, a relative of Franciszek. He began his musical education in Kielce and Krakow and continued in Vienna as a student of J. Mayseder (violin). Living lavishly, he lost his father’s fortune and had to play second violin at the Hofkapelle in Vienna for a year. After his family had paid off his debt, he returned to Krakow and around 1824 became a member of the orchestra of the Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Muzyki; he also played in amateur string quartets, e.g., for Bishop J.P. Woronicz. He travelled to Warsaw several times; on 25 August 1813 he performed Lafont’s Violin Concerto, at the National Theatre in Warsaw, achieving great success. In 1827, he settled permanently in Warsaw, and became friends with J. Brzowski, A. Orłowski and F. Chopin. He died during a cholera epidemic. Karol Sołtyk’s works are preserved in the collections of the library of the Institute of Musicology of the Jagiellonian University, the Czartoryski Library in Krakow, the Silesian Library in Katowice, and the N. Saltykov-Shchedrin State Public Library in Saint Petersburg.
In the opinion of critics, Karol Sołtyk’s playing was “expressive and full”, but not as perfect as that of Franciszek Sołtyk. Among his compositions, the Mazurs, correctly constructed and not devoid of melodic freshness, played at balls and concerts, gained particular popularity; they were regarded as the best Mazurs to dance to, printed in Warsaw at the time.
Literature “Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung” 1814 No. 39 (correspondence from Warsaw); O. Kolberg Karol Hrabia Sołtyk, “Tygodnik Ilustrowany” 1869 No. 82.
dances for instrumental ensemble with various instrumentation (orchestral, chamber), including around 40 mazurkas, cotillions, and waltzes, some published in a version for piano, e.g.,
Deux mazurs et une gallopade, published in Warsaw 1827 A. Brzezina
Nowy mazur i galopada, published in Warsaw 1829 A. Brzezina
Masure…executée au bal de la cour, published in Warsaw 1829 A. Brzezina
Mazure…executée aux soirées de l’ancienne ressource, published in Warsaw 1829 K.L. Magnus
Mazurek, published in Warsaw 1829 F. Klukowski
3 Mazurs (released individually), published in Warsaw 1830 A. Brzezina
5 valses sentimentales et une mazure, published in Warsaw 1828 A. Brzezina
Cottillon (8 cotillions), published in Warsaw 1829 F. Klukowski
6 nowych walców z introdukcją for violin and piano, published in Warsaw 1828 A. Brzezina
Rondeau avec variations A major Op. 2, for violin and orchestra, published in Leipzig before 1845 by Breitkopf & Härtel
reprints of dances by Karol Sołtyk were published by:
A. Kratzer in collection of works Mazury różnych autorów na fortepian, published in Warsaw 1860, A. Dzwonkowski and K. Czerniawski published in O tańcach narodowych…, published in Warsaw 1860 and “Tygodnik Ilustrowany” 1869 No. 82
