Interdisciplinary Studies in Musicology
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Stanisław Moniuszko and Apolinary Kątski: the Slander and the Facts
No full textThis article examines the complex and dynamic relationship between two prominent 19th-century Polish musicians: composer Stanisław Moniuszko (1819–1872) and violinist Apolinary Kątski (1824–1879). Drawing on extensive correspondence and contemporary accounts, the study traces the evolution of their interactions from initial antipathy to ostensible reconciliation and subsequent professional collaboration. The research focuses on key events that shaped their relationship, including their first encounter, public debates over musical aesthetics, and their work together at the Warsaw Institute of Music. Particular attention is given to the controversial circumstances surrounding Moniuszko’s death and subsequent accusations against Kątski. By critically analyzing primary sources, the article challenges some long-held assumptions about their relationship and offers a more nuanced understanding of the personal and professional tensions between these two influential figures in 19th-century Polish musical life. This study contributes to a broader understanding of the social and cultural dynamics within Poland’s musical circles during this period and provides new insights into the careers and legacies of both Moniuszko and Kątski.This article examines the complex and dynamic relationship between two prominent 19th-century Polish musicians: composer Stanisław Moniuszko (1819–1872) and violinist Apolinary Kątski (1824–1879). Drawing on extensive correspondence and contemporary accounts, the study traces the evolution of their interactions from initial antipathy to ostensible reconciliation and subsequent professional collaboration. The research focuses on key events that shaped their relationship, including their first encounter, public debates over musical aesthetics, and their work together at the Warsaw Institute of Music. Particular attention is given to the controversial circumstances surrounding Moniuszko’s death and subsequent accusations against Kątski. By critically analyzing primary sources, the article challenges some long-held assumptions about their relationship and offers a more nuanced understanding of the personal and professional tensions between these two influential figures in 19th-century Polish musical life. This study contributes to a broader understanding of the social and cultural dynamics within Poland’s musical circles during this period and provides new insights into the careers and legacies of both Moniuszko and Kątski
Sociological and Aesthetic Aspects of Polish Symphonic Hip-hop. The Case of 2015 by Miuosh, Jimek and NOSPR
No full textIn the middle of the second decade of the 21st century, Polish hip-hop saw a series of projects combining the genre with classical music in various ways: from classical arrangements, through symphonic rearrangements of existing repertoire, to original instrumental works. The author looks at this phenomenon, its genesis and development, focusing mainly on the 2015 project by Miuosh, Jimek and NOSPR, considered the most popular and influential among them. The analysis will be primarily sociomusicological, showing, on the one hand, how the categories of hip-hop and classical music were and are incompatible with each other in terms of social and aesthetic issues (which prevented their previous syntheses), and, on the other hand, how genre-normative listening situations were shaped during public presentations of the work.In the middle of the second decade of the 21st century, Polish hip-hop saw a series of projects combining the genre with classical music in various ways: from classical arrangements, through symphonic rearrangements of existing repertoire, to original instrumental works. The author looks at this phenomenon, its genesis and development, focusing mainly on the 2015 project by Miuosh, Jimek and NOSPR, considered the most popular and influential among them. The analysis will be primarily sociomusicological, showing, on the one hand, how the categories of hip-hop and classical music were and are incompatible with each other in terms of social and aesthetic issues (which prevented their previous syntheses), and, on the other hand, how genre-normative listening situations were shaped during public presentations of the work
The Audiosphere of Roger Donaldson’s The Bounty Motion Picture in Light of the Theory of Michel Chion
No full textThe study of a film audiosphere with no access to original score nor information about non-musical part of a film audio track poses quite a challenge related to numerous film works. In reference to synthesizer music, the next problem is the analysis of specific sounds and effects, achieved by composers and kept unrevealed. The paper verifies whether Michel Chion’s theory allows of analyzing film music in regard to the shortage of sources. Does the combination of this theory with the comparative method (selective auditory- descriptive analysis of film audio track versus auditory-descriptive analysis of film music itself released on albums) allow of studying film music without access to original score? The synthesis of Chion’s comprehensive theory and the term audiosphere is, in turn, a proposition that addresses the problem of definitions formulated differently by other researchers in the subject literature (in the area of both film musicology and soundscape studies). The term audiosphere (audiosfera in Polish) has significantly different meaning from soundscape concept. It comes from Polish scientific literature and has been introduced at the beginning of this research paper. Another aim of the study is to determine whether Chion’s theory remains complementary to one another with the selected research concepts. According to Chion’s theory assumptions, if music and sound are potentially equally important components of film audiosphere, may non-musical sound function analogously to theme tunes and leitmotivs? The author of this research has studied the key elements of The Bounty’s audiosphere, in relation to the selected definitions of Chion’s theory. The analysis took into account the unusual use of electronic music in historical film, the impact of non-diegetic musicThe study of a film audiosphere with no access to original score nor information about non-musical part of a film audio track poses quite a challenge related to numerous film works. In reference to synthesizer music, the next problem is the analysis of specific sounds and effects, achieved by composers and kept unrevealed. The paper verifies whether Michel Chion’s theory allows of analyzing film music in regard to the shortage of sources. Does the combination of this theory with the comparative method (selective auditory- descriptive analysis of film audio track versus auditory-descriptive analysis of film music itself released on albums) allow of studying film music without access to original score? The synthesis of Chion’s comprehensive theory and the term audiosphere is, in turn, a proposition that addresses the problem of definitions formulated differently by other researchers in the subject literature (in the area of both film musicology and soundscape studies). The term audiosphere (audiosfera in Polish) has significantly different meaning from soundscape concept. It comes from Polish scientific literature and has been introduced at the beginning of this research paper. Another aim of the study is to determine whether Chion’s theory remains complementary to one another with the selected research concepts. According to Chion’s theory assumptions, if music and sound are potentially equally important components of film audiosphere, may non-musical sound function analogously to theme tunes and leitmotivs? The author of this research has studied the key elements of The Bounty’s audiosphere, in relation to the selected definitions of Chion’s theory. The analysis took into account the unusual use of electronic music in historical film, the impact of non-diegetic musi
Die Schweizerhütte – a Moniuszko World Premiere Delayed for Almost Two Hundred Years: Questions, Hypotheses and New Prospects for Research
No full textIn autumn 2011, during research conducted at the Library, Museum and Archives of the Warsaw Music Society, I identified an unknown early work by Stanisław Moniuszko entitled Die Schweizerhütte (c.1839–1840). It is a two-act German-language komische Oper, which, on the list of his early works, is most likely the missing link from the time of his studies with Carl Friedrich Rungenhagen in Berlin. Preserved only in the form of a vocal score, the opera was probably also completed in a full orchestral score.In a new orchestration, the work received its premiere 180 years late, on 16 November 2018, at the Warsaw Chamber Opera, where it was performed several more times, and on 21 August 2019 the same production was also shown in Kudowa-Zdrój during the 57th International Moniuszko Festival. Moniuszko based the German text of Die Schweizerhütte on the libretto of Carl Blum’s comic opera Mary, Max und Michel (from 1836), but shortened or omitted some passages, added different stage directions and inserted textual interpolations of unknown authorship. In my discussion, I focus on surveying the score and presenting the musical setting in relation to the plot. I particularly emphasise the thematic connection between the overture and the finales of both acts, as well as the consistent use of reminiscence motifs. I identify musical quotations from Étienne Nicolas Méhul and Michael Haydn, as well as one self-quotation (from the String Quartet No. 1). I also mention the ‘afterlife’ of certain musical numbers in well-known operas by Moniuszko.Paradoxically, it is precisely this German-language work by the barely twenty-year-old Moniuszko that demonstrates his surprisingly mature reflections on the internal integration of a work and awareness of the musical-dramaturgical rules governing the opera genre. Although on returning from Berlin he did not find favourable conditions for further development, these experiences had a significant influence on his style, which combined local tradition with the poetics of European opera, primarily Italian (Gioachino Rossini) and French (Daniel Auber, Adolphe Adam), but also – through the inclusion of solo number in the form of Lied – German (Carl Maria von Weber).In autumn 2011, during research conducted at the Library, Museum and Archives of the Warsaw Music Society, I identified an unknown early work by Stanisław Moniuszko entitled Die Schweizerhütte (c.1839–1840). It is a two-act German-language komische Oper, which, on the list of his early works, is most likely the missing link from the time of his studies with Carl Friedrich Rungenhagen in Berlin. Preserved only in the form of a vocal score, the opera was probably also completed in a full orchestral score.In a new orchestration, the work received its premiere 180 years late, on 16 November 2018, at the Warsaw Chamber Opera, where it was performed several more times, and on 21 August 2019 the same production was also shown in Kudowa-Zdrój during the 57th International Moniuszko Festival. Moniuszko based the German text of Die Schweizerhütte on the libretto of Carl Blum’s comic opera Mary, Max und Michel (from 1836), but shortened or omitted some passages, added different stage directions and inserted textual interpolations of unknown authorship. In my discussion, I focus on surveying the score and presenting the musical setting in relation to the plot. I particularly emphasise the thematic connection between the overture and the finales of both acts, as well as the consistent use of reminiscence motifs. I identify musical quotations from Étienne Nicolas Méhul and Michael Haydn, as well as one self-quotation (from the String Quartet No. 1). I also mention the ‘afterlife’ of certain musical numbers in well-known operas by Moniuszko.Paradoxically, it is precisely this German-language work by the barely twenty-year-old Moniuszko that demonstrates his surprisingly mature reflections on the internal integration of a work and awareness of the musical-dramaturgical rules governing the opera genre. Although on returning from Berlin he did not find favourable conditions for further development, these experiences had a significant influence on his style, which combined local tradition with the poetics of European opera, primarily Italian (Gioachino Rossini) and French (Daniel Auber, Adolphe Adam), but also – through the inclusion of solo number in the form of Lied – German (Carl Maria von Weber)
Music Criticism on Moniuszko: Sources and Attitudes
No full textThe aim of this article is to present the conditions and issues which, as recurring themes, essentially determined the content and criteria of Moniuszko debates in Polish music criticism, and shaped the scope and formula of commentary on the composer and his work from the first statements (1839) to the beginning of the 21st century. The arrangement of these issues took into account, on the one hand, the historical and social situation in which Moniuszko operated and, on the other, issues universal to art. These issues included, in particular, the aesthetic attitude and profile of Moniuszko’s work under the partitions, the Polish nature of his music, the way it was received and functioned in the public consciousness, the relationship between Moniuszko and Chopin, and the propaganda dimension of the composer’s work.
The permanence of these issues and the questions posed about Moniuszko’s attitude and work were constantly confronted with changing political, social and aesthetic-musical conditions, which fundamentally determined the nature of the answers given to these questions. In the absence of fundamental research into Moniuszko’s work, this meant that the image of Moniuszko in music criticism and, at the same time, in the collective consciousness remained, on the one hand, a function of the changing conditions in which the relevant opinions were formulated and, on the other, was often based on a superficial, ad hoc and non-artistic view.
This arrangement was characterised by the relevance of general relationships in Moniuszko’s reception space: universal – national, artistic – utilitarian, current – timeless, etc., which, it seems, created an adequate space for reflection on the phenomenon of Moniuszko. Perhaps this configuration of space was, in the case of the composer (is it always so?), the source of the creation of his myth in the collective consciousness.The aim of this article is to present the conditions and issues which, as recurring themes, essentially determined the content and criteria of Moniuszko debates in Polish music criticism, and shaped the scope and formula of commentary on the composer and his work from the first statements (1839) to the beginning of the 21st century. The arrangement of these issues took into account, on the one hand, the historical and social situation in which Moniuszko operated and, on the other, issues universal to art. These issues included, in particular, the aesthetic attitude and profile of Moniuszko’s work under the partitions, the Polish nature of his music, the way it was received and functioned in the public consciousness, the relationship between Moniuszko and Chopin, and the propaganda dimension of the composer’s work.
The permanence of these issues and the questions posed about Moniuszko’s attitude and work were constantly confronted with changing political, social and aesthetic-musical conditions, which fundamentally determined the nature of the answers given to these questions. In the absence of fundamental research into Moniuszko’s work, this meant that the image of Moniuszko in music criticism and, at the same time, in the collective consciousness remained, on the one hand, a function of the changing conditions in which the relevant opinions were formulated and, on the other, was often based on a superficial, ad hoc and non-artistic view.
This arrangement was characterised by the relevance of general relationships in Moniuszko’s reception space: universal – national, artistic – utilitarian, current – timeless, etc., which, it seems, created an adequate space for reflection on the phenomenon of Moniuszko. Perhaps this configuration of space was, in the case of the composer (is it always so?), the source of the creation of his myth in the collective consciousness
The Mysterious Glow of the Star: Stanisław Moniuszko and Kazimierz Lubomirski
Full text linkThe article is devoted to the analysis of vocal works by Polish composers of the Romantic period. The article reveals the closeness of ethical and aesthetic beliefs of Stanisław Moniuszko and Kazimierz Lubomirski. It has been found that the musical education in the German tradition received by the natives of the regions of the cultural borderland gave them an impetus to serve Polish culture. In the works of both authors, there is an image of a star, which they interpret in a romantic dimension. The song ‘Little Star’ by S. Moniuszko and the song ‘Star’ by K. Lubomirski bear the imprint of Polish musical folklore. The use of elements of the national musical vocabulary clearly shows the composers’ national identity.The article is devoted to the analysis of vocal works by Polish composers of the Romantic period. The article reveals the closeness of ethical and aesthetic beliefs of Stanisław Moniuszko and Kazimierz Lubomirski. It has been found that the musical education in the German tradition received by the natives of the regions of the cultural borderland gave them an impetus to serve Polish culture. In the works of both authors, there is an image of a star, which they interpret in a romantic dimension. The song ‘Little Star’ by S. Moniuszko and the song ‘Star’ by K. Lubomirski bear the imprint of Polish musical folklore. The use of elements of the national musical vocabulary clearly shows the composers’ national identity
Mystery and artistic veil – Widma [Phantoms] by Stanisław Moniuszko and Paweł Passini
Full text linkThe purpose of this paper is to analyse Moniuszko’s Phantoms with a particular focus on the relationships between music and libretto in order to compare them later with modern strategies of performances staged recently in Polish operas and concert halls. The source-historical context referring to cultural and perceptive aspects of Phantoms serves as a starting point. The question is also raised concerning the relationship and fusion of arts constituting that intriguing work. A search for dramaturgic-theatrical aspects of Moniuszko’s work assumes an attempt to capture a so-called ‘intentio operis’, created at the intersection of Mickiewicz’s text and musical intentions of the composer. The analysis was centered on selected aspects of dramaturgy of a few performances of ‘Phantoms’ staged at the Wratislavia Cantans Festival (2017, dir. P. Passini), the Wrocław Opera, (prem. 2018, dir. J. Fret), and the Polish Royal Opera (prem. 2017, dir. R. Peryt). All stagings were an interesting attempt to reinterpret a starting form of cantata bringing it closer to theatrical work. This paper intends to answer the following questions: what dramaturgic and theatrical strategies are generated by Moniuszko’s cantata? To what extent does the cantata nature of this music-textual work contributes to new theatrical interpretations? To what extent are modern stage productions the answer to an artistic potential present in its music-textual layer? Do the new projects of its visualization and dramatisation result, even indirectly, from the structural and staging potential of the work, or whether they attempt to add new artistic ideas in order to make Phantoms more attractive as a starting, incomplete, music-textual structure?The purpose of this paper is to analyse Moniuszko’s Phantoms with a particular focus on the relationships between music and libretto in order to compare them later with modern strategies of performances staged recently in Polish operas and concert halls. The source-historical context referring to cultural and perceptive aspects of Phantoms serves as a starting point. The question is also raised concerning the relationship and fusion of arts constituting that intriguing work. A search for dramaturgic-theatrical aspects of Moniuszko’s work assumes an attempt to capture a so-called ‘intentio operis’, created at the intersection of Mickiewicz’s text and musical intentions of the composer. The analysis was centered on selected aspects of dramaturgy of a few performances of ‘Phantoms’ staged at the Wratislavia Cantans Festival (2017, dir. P. Passini), the Wrocław Opera, (prem. 2018, dir. J. Fret), and the Polish Royal Opera (prem. 2017, dir. R. Peryt). All stagings were an interesting attempt to reinterpret a starting form of cantata bringing it closer to theatrical work. This paper intends to answer the following questions: what dramaturgic and theatrical strategies are generated by Moniuszko’s cantata? To what extent does the cantata nature of this music-textual work contributes to new theatrical interpretations? To what extent are modern stage productions the answer to an artistic potential present in its music-textual layer? Do the new projects of its visualization and dramatisation result, even indirectly, from the structural and staging potential of the work, or whether they attempt to add new artistic ideas in order to make Phantoms more attractive as a starting, incomplete, music-textual structure
On the intertextuality of Paria [The Pariah] by Chęciński and Moniuszko
Full text linkStanisław Moniuszko’s opera about Pariah which was based on Casimire Delavigne’s tragedy from 1821, expressed the composer’s dream of creating a cosmopolitan and ‘European’ work with universal message. Usually, the researchers review this aspect from the perspective of music and culture studies, e.g. searching for a relationship between The Pariahand Moniuszko’s contemporary opera music or focusing on the 19th-century views on the effect of class inequalities and social exclusion. However, equally interesting are the diverse and complex relationships of The Pariah’s libretto with 19th-century literature, rarely taken up and investigated in the research into Moniuszko’s legacy. Jan Chęciński’s text, apart from the obvious dependence of the story and playwriting on the French playwright’s tragedy, has its theme and linguistic style deeply rooted in Polish and European 19th-century literary tradition created, among others, by Mickiewicz, Malczewski, Byron and Scribe. Given Moniuszko’s desired cosmopolitanism and universality of The Pariah, this is an issue which is undoubtedly very important
Paulina Rivoli – Moniuszko’s Heroines and a Falcon soprano?
Full text linkPaulina Rivoli was the first Warsaw Halka and then the first Countess in Moniuszko’s operas. In this article, I will relate how the singer, who at first frowned on Moniuszko’s proposals, launched the performance tradition of two great Moniuszko operas in which she created the title roles. Her immediate successors had to deal with the inevitable comparisons. Unfortunately, Rivoli suffered from serious vocal complaints. This was nothing unusual: phoniatric disorders plagued singers throughout Europe at that time, when massive changes were occurring in the aesthetics of solo singing. Rivoli was excellent in bel canto repertoire – a style of singing favourable to a maturing voice, which allowed her to develop fully. What was Halka’s original singing style? That was probably a mature period for Rivoli’s voice, which did not necessarily correspond to the notion of a modern, very ‘light’, even Donizettian approach to singing this role. Some of the circumstances surrounding the twilight of Rivoli’s career allow us to draw a comparison between her and another great singer whose career ended prematurely. Cornélie Falcon famously sang the role of Rachel in Halévy’s La Juive, which contributed to her legendary demise, and she had lost her voice irrevocably five years after her debut. Rivoli and Falcon sang similar repertoire, including Alice in Meyerbeer’s Robert le diable (Falcon’s debut and an early role for Rivoli), Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Valentine in Les Huguenots, but Rivoli’s downfall was spread over a longer period, as her career lasted more than 20 years. Nor was her loss of voice as drastic as that of Falcon, who was literally left voiceless during a performance of Niedermeyer’s Stradella. Rivoli’s problems grew gradually, peaking after the premiere of The Countess [Hrabina]. It was probably this last burst of energy that ultimately depleted her powers altogether. Paulina Rivoli, Halka, The Countess, Stanisław Moniuszko, singers, singing, history of singing, Falcon soprano, vocal problems, voicelessnessPaulina Rivoli was the first Warsaw Halka and then the first Countess in Moniuszko’s operas. In this article, I will relate how the singer, who at first frowned on Moniuszko’s proposals, launched the performance tradition of two great Moniuszko operas in which she created the title roles. Her immediate successors had to deal with the inevitable comparisons. Unfortunately, Rivoli suffered from serious vocal complaints. This was nothing unusual: phoniatric disorders plagued singers throughout Europe at that time, when massive changes were occurring in the aesthetics of solo singing. Rivoli was excellent in bel canto repertoire – a style of singing favourable to a maturing voice, which allowed her to develop fully. What was Halka’s original singing style? That was probably a mature period for Rivoli’s voice, which did not necessarily correspond to the notion of a modern, very ‘light’, even Donizettian approach to singing this role. Some of the circumstances surrounding the twilight of Rivoli’s career allow us to draw a comparison between her and another great singer whose career ended prematurely. Cornélie Falcon famously sang the role of Rachel in Halévy’s La Juive, which contributed to her legendary demise, and she had lost her voice irrevocably five years after her debut. Rivoli and Falcon sang similar repertoire, including Alice in Meyerbeer’s Robert le diable (Falcon’s debut and an early role for Rivoli), Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Valentine in Les Huguenots, but Rivoli’s downfall was spread over a longer period, as her career lasted more than 20 years. Nor was her loss of voice as drastic as that of Falcon, who was literally left voiceless during a performance of Niedermeyer’s Stradella. Rivoli’s problems grew gradually, peaking after the premiere of The Countess [Hrabina]. It was probably this last burst of energy that ultimately depleted her powers altogether
The National Element in Polish Music of the Period of the Partitions – Symbolic Violence or Weaponised Culture?
Full text linkThis study presents the concept of nationality in Polish music during the partition period as an interaction of three basic conceptual categories and evolution of their perception. The first one is a modern concept of nation, covering all social strata, being formed since the beginning of the 19th century and developed in the period between the November and January Uprisings. Historians apply the concepts of Johann Georg Herder and Stanisław Staszic unifying the role of a language.
The second category is Romanticism as an aesthetic and social challenge that underlines personality and subjectivity rather than ethnic or social origins; as a concept of deepest spirituality expressed in non-conceptual art of music.
All the elements making up the concept of nationality drew their strength from the third category – historicism which took control over the culture and art of the century. Almost mythical vision of an ideal, historic homeland dominated music, to the highest degree the operas on Polish themes, and, on unprecedented scale, adaptations of the canon of the greatest Polish literature (Słowacki, Mickiewicz, Kraszewski, Sienkiewicz, Wyspiański). In spite of the emergence of Positivism, the Romantic motifs in Polish poetry and belletristic such as the need for sacrifice to save Poland did not vanish. Similarly, in the fine arts, especially in the 2nd half of the 19th century, a remarkable growth in historic painting was observed. ‘Not only a sword but also a book promised salvation’, writes Alina Witkowska.This study presents the concept of nationality in Polish music during the partition period as an interaction of three basic conceptual categories and evolution of their perception. The first one is a modern concept of nation, covering all social strata, being formed since the beginning of the 19th century and developed in the period between the November and January Uprisings. Historians apply the concepts of Johann Georg Herder and Stanisław Staszic unifying the role of a language.
The second category is Romanticism as an aesthetic and social challenge that underlines personality and subjectivity rather than ethnic or social origins; as a concept of deepest spirituality expressed in non-conceptual art of music.
All the elements making up the concept of nationality drew their strength from the third category – historicism which took control over the culture and art of the century. Almost mythical vision of an ideal, historic homeland dominated music, to the highest degree the operas on Polish themes, and, on unprecedented scale, adaptations of the canon of the greatest Polish literature (Słowacki, Mickiewicz, Kraszewski, Sienkiewicz, Wyspiański). In spite of the emergence of Positivism, the Romantic motifs in Polish poetry and belletristic such as the need for sacrifice to save Poland did not vanish. Similarly, in the fine arts, especially in the 2nd half of the 19th century, a remarkable growth in historic painting was observed. ‘Not only a sword but also a book promised salvation’, writes Alina Witkowska