Ogiński, Michał Kleofas (EN)

Ogiński Michał Kleofas, *25 September 1765 Guzów (near Warsaw), †15 October 1833 Florence, composer, writer, diplomat, Grand Treasurer of Lithuania, Michał Kazimierz’s nephew. As a diplomat, he travelled to the Hague, Amsterdam and London in 1790–91. He participated in the work of the Great Sejm (1788–92) but was not a supporter of the Constitution of 3 May; in 1792, he joined the Targowica Confederation; he was in the group of politicians who signed the partition treaties with Russia and Prussia, but in 1794 he took part in the Kościuszko Uprising. After the defeat of the uprising, he left for Venice, and his property was confiscated. On behalf of the Committee of Public Safety, he sought support in Constantinople, unfortunately without success. In 1797–98, he stayed in Paris, where he met Bonaparte personally. For several years, he lived in Brzeziny near Warsaw; at the end of 1801, he obtained permission to return to Russia on condition that he took an oath of allegiance to Tsar Alexander I; at that time, he settled in Zalesie near Vilnius. During the 1812 campaign, he adopted a loyal stance to Alexander I. After 1812, he mainly conducted local activities: he became involved with the intelligentsia and cultural circles of Vilnius, organised performances and concerts, was president of the Typographical Society and a member of the Charitable Society. In 1823, due to the illness of his second wife, the Italian singer M. Neri, he settled permanently in Florence; he died there and was buried, first in the cemetery at the church of Santa Maria Novella, then in a tomb in the Basilica of Santa Croce. With his first wife, Izabela née Lasocka, he had two sons: Tadeusz Antoni (1798–1844, author of Marche à quatre mains) and Franciszek Ksawery (1801–37), composer of, among others: Trois polonaises, ca. 1825 F. Klukowski, 3 polonaises, ed. Warsaw 1827–28 A. Brzezina, Romance “Le page blessé à Pavie”, text in French by L. Chodźko, published by Petersburg no year, Trois romances: 1. Le lis and 2. Le retour du Croisé, words after W. Scott, 3. Triolet, words by T. Zan, published by Warsaw 1829 J. Dąbrowski. Daughter Amelia (1803–58) from his second marriage, an amateur composer, was the author of Polonaise a 4 mains in C minor and 2 vocal romances (in manuscript).

Already in his childhood, Michał Kleofas Ogiński took music lessons: J. Kozłowski taught him violin and harpsichord playing, theory and basso continuo in Guzów, and from 1782, Ogiński took violin classes from I.M. Jarnovic in Warsaw; during his stay in Paris in 1798, he took classes from G.B. Viotti, and in 1810 from P.M.F. Baillot. He would often play by himself, learning new chamber repertoire (J. Haydn, W.A. Mozart, early compositions by Beethoven), in 1791–92, he played with a Viennese pianist and composer J. Wölfl. He came into contact with Italian and French opera, as well as with early Polish opera, already in the 1770s in his uncle’s estate in Słonim, other magnate estates and during journeys with his parents (e.g. to Warsaw or Vienna).

Michał Kleofas Ogiński is known primarily as the creator of polonaises, among which the most popular is Polonaise in A minor, called Pożegnanie Ojczyzny [Farewell to the Fatherland]. He began composing in the 1990s; 28 pieces are known (26 piano pieces and 2 vocal pieces with the composer’s text), but some of them may be attributed to Michał Kazimierz Ogiński. In the introduction to Listy o muzyce [Letters on Music], T. Strumiłło draws attention to the piano technique of Michał Kleofas Ogiński’s polonaises, referring to the sonata works of Clementi, Kuhlau and Mozart. The composer himself unequivocally described his compositions as piano pieces, taking into account the technical, sound and performance possibilities of this instrument. These pieces, which testify to Ogiński’s talent and knowledge of compositional technique, are characterised by elegance and an atmosphere of melancholy typical of sentimentalism.

In the polonaises, Ogiński used the ABA form, consistently based on a 4-bar arrangement, with a low-contrast trio in a single-name key in a modified mode (only two of the later polonaises – A minor and D minor – have trios in parallel keys). As in Kozłowski’s works, characteristic melodic and rhythmic phrases and motifs appear in them, as well as figurations in the left-hand part; Ogiński also repeatedly used themes taken from contemporary operatic works and popular French romances. At the same time, however, for the first time in the history of Polish music, he created an original type of stylised dance, later masterfully developed by Chopin. In addition to the polonaises, Ogiński also composed other minor piano pieces, and thanks to these works, he is considered one of the main representatives of piano miniature of the pre-Chopin era.

The second group in Ogiński’s works are romances, typical sentimental songs in the galant style, with an idyllic, lyrical or sentimental character; these are short compositions with a simple stanza structure (periodic structure within the stanza), usually in one part with an instrumental introduction. Only two romances have a two-part structure, three have a three-part, irregular structure; among the others, the irregularly structured romance Le réveil, which is 176 bars long, stands out. Romances, sometimes referred to in France as arias, gradually entered the stage genres of vaudeville, operetta and even opera at the turn of the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Ogiński wrote a dozen or so romances, their number varies according to different researchers from 13 to 17, and the dates of their composition are also unknown.

In his songwriting, Ogiński used means typical of pre-Romanticism: he relatively often used chromatic progressions and willingly reached for minor keys to express sentimental content; he occasionally introduced sound illustrations, more typical of German ballads than French romances. He primarily used French texts by J.E. Esménard, G.B. Perucchini and probably also his own.

As a composer of songs, Ogiński stands out among other amateur composer of that time (W. Pohl, A. Radziwiłł), and even among professional musicians like J. Elsner, Jan and Józef Stefani or K. Kurpiński. Researchers point out the correct use of the specificity of the human voice and the avoidance of the instrumental technique of violin and piano origins, which was omnipresent in vocal music of the time; they also emphasise that in terms of vocal technique, Ogiński’s romances, although intended for salon performance, posed considerable performance problems.

Ogiński’s opera Zélis et Valcour was probably written in 1799–1801 during the composer’s stay at the estate of his father-in-law A. Lasocki in Brzeziny. The libretto was written in non-numerical verse to a French text. This opera differs significantly from the typical Polish opera of the Stanisław August Poniatowski period, in which contemporary, often rural themes dominated, and composers tried to give the works a national character through content or musical elements (such as liedisms and mazurka rhythms). Zélis et Valcour belongs to the opera comique type, with spoken inserts interspersed with short instrumental sections (so-called melodramatic scenes preceding arias, duets, and choirs); the composer also introduced recitativo accompagnato. The structure of subsequent opera fragments is based on repetitions of the same motifs, using simple variation techniques. The soprano arias with syllabic voice leading predominate, usually in 2 parts (in different keys), linked by motifs. The opera was enriched with ballet scenes and 4-voice choirs (in reality 2- or 3-voice), composed of syllabic texts in paired rhythm.

The authorship of the opera raised doubts among some musicologists (Jachimecki, Strumiłło, Bełza). However, it was obvious for A. Nowak-Romanowicz: the subject of the piece was chosen to pay tribute to Napoleon, who, according to Ogiński and many of his compatriots, was the only hope for Poland to regain its independence. The composer of Zélis et Valcour had some general knowledge of oriental music, which he encountered often during performances of janissary bands at magnate courts and during his stay in Constantinople (he mentioned that in Listy o muzyce); he skilfully used the tambourine and cymbals in an overture and parts of the flute and clarinet in C were supposed to imitate the sound of Turkish flute; the composer also used monotonous motifs with a typically ‘Turkish’ melodic line, which was to introduce the listener to the atmosphere of oriental Egypt.

Ogiński’s literary legacy includes four volumes of Mémoires de Michel Oginski sur la Pologne et les Polonais…, which are a valuable source for the history of Lithuania from the time of the Kościuszko Uprising, post-uprising emigration and the Napoleonic era. His Lettres sur la musique (collection of 5 letters) are particularly important for the history of Polish music. Using the then fashionable genre of fictional correspondence, Ogiński expressed his opinion on music, its meaning and various manifestations.

Letters are not an aesthetic-philosophical treatise, the author omits the contemporary aesthetic views, referring to J.J. Rousseau only once. In the process of composing, spontaneity, afflation, and the ability to convey emotions were put to the foreground, questioning the rigorous application of rules and craftsmanship of art. These views could be seen as an omen of his Romantic attitude. He was really critical of his music, being aware that, although he was well-educated in compositional technique, he lacked invention and talent.

Ogiński’s letters show his strong connection with the music of the past and his lack of acceptance of the coming era of Romanticism. The composer emphasises the timeless genius of Bach in comparison with the transient – in his opinion – value of the compositions of Moscheles and Hummel. He depreciates the chamber works from the mid-18^th century, comparing them with the legacy of J. Haydn (for whom he repeatedly expresses admiration), W.A. Mozart and Beethoven, he omits Schubert and Schumann, and from Beethoven’s legacy, he values ​​only his early compositions (especially chamber pieces). He does not appreciate Paganini’s artistry, and he also treats other performers of the time (e.g. Angelika Catalani) with disdain, as they “amaze – without affecting.” Among pianists, he singles out M. Szymanowska, including her among the most outstanding artists.

Listy o muzyce is a collection of reflections of an enlightened amateur, concerning issues that Ogiński encountered as a creator and performer: the issue of the utility of music (its tasks and goals), the use of folk and national elements in his work, problems related to opera, the most popular musical genre at the time. Both Ogiński’s views and music belong to the period of early Romanticism when elements of classicism, galant style and salon sentimentalism coexisted and interpenetrated.

Literature: Mémoires de Michel Oginski sur la Pologne et les Polonais depuis 1788 jusqu à la fin de 1815, 4 volumes, ed. A. Chodźko, Paris 1826–27, 2^nd ed. 1833, Polish transl. by K. Żupański entitled Pamiętniki o Polsce i Polakach od r. 1788 do końca r. 1815, 3 volumes, Poznań 1870–73; Z. Jachimecki Dwie opery polskie o Napoleonie, “Muzyka” 1929 no. 1; W. Poźniak Romans wokalny w twórczości Michała Kleofasa Ogińskiego, “Rozprawy i Notatki Muzykologiczne” I, 1934; H. Dorabialska Polonez przed Chopinem, 1938; T. Strumiłło Źródła i początki romantyzmu w muzyce polskiej, Kraków 1956; T. Strumiłło Poglądy na muzykę Michała Kleofasa Ogińskiego, in: T. Strumiłło, A. Nowak-Romanowicz, T. Kuryłowicz Poglądy na muzykę kompozytorów polskich doby przedchopinowskiej, Kraków 1960; I. Bełza Michał Kleofas Ogiński, Moscow1965, Polish transl. by S. Prus-Więckowski, Kraków 1967; S. Burhardt Polonez. Katalog tematyczny, vol. 2, Kraków 1976; A. Nowak-Romanowicz Zélis et Valcour Michała Kleofasa Ogińskiego, in: Muzykologia krakowska 1911–86, ed. E. Dziębowska, Kraków 1987.