Modern Russia does not particularly favor classical music. This is not to say that classical music is very popular among Russian listeners. To count the well-known and beloved by the people classical musical works, fingers of one hand are enough.
Without a doubt, this number includes the famous “Oginsky Polonaise” (the second name is “Farewell to the Motherland”), authored by Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky (the photos in the article represent reproductions of the composer's portraits).
Man and Polonaise
The school music course in Soviet and then in Russian schools contains information that the famous musical masterpiece was written by Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky during his farewell to his beloved homeland. It is known that he had to leave Poland after the infamous uprising of T. Kosciuszko, in which the composer participated, was defeated. Mikhail Cleofas Oginsky lived a bright, full of dramatic events life. Interesting facts about his biography are presented in this article.
Life is like a novel
The biography of Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky is full of ups and downs, high dedication, soaring creative spirit and bitterness of defeat. A surprising historical fact is known: despite the anti-Russian thrust of the uprising, in which Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky took an active part, the Russians always empathized and sympathized with the misfortune that inspired him to work.
But participation in the defeated uprising and the birth of a musical masterpiece is just one episode from the interesting life of this amazing person. The life path of Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky resembles a fascinating adventure novel. It is closely intertwined with music, politics and love.
Michael Kleofas Oginsky: a brief biography. Origin
The future composer was born on September 25, 1765, not far from Warsaw, in the Guzow Manor of the Masovian Voivodeship. By origin, the Oginsky princes were not Poles. Historians call their ancestors Western Ruthenians (Belarusians who converted to Catholicism). Therefore, according to the researchers, it would be more appropriate to name the author of the famous polonaise not “Michal”, but “Mikhail”. Some scholars also consider the pronunciation of the name of the composer incorrect: its Polish version sounds like “Oginsky”, while in the Russian version there is no softening in the middle of the word.
The princes of Oginski were sure that the beginning of their pedigree dates back to the family of Rurik himself. In their homeland, they occupied a position corresponding to their high descent. Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky was rightly proud of his ancestors: they all held high posts in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was part of the Commonwealth. His great-grandfather was a governor in Vitebsk, and his grandfather and father headed the Trok Voivodship. The uncle of the future composer was governor in Vilnius and the Great Hetman of Lithuania.
Education
Everyone in the family of Mikhail was sure that the boy, like his great predecessors, had a successful political career. From an early age, parents purposefully trained and raised their son, seeing him as a future military leader or statesman. A former tutor of the Austrian emperor, one of the best teachers in Europe, was invited to the family.
Those who would like to understand how serious the preparation of little Oginsky was, you should know that from the age of seven his training sessions lasted 16 hours. in a day. Parents found time to teach their son music, and this was taken very seriously. The boy was not only taught the basics of playing various musical instruments, but also was taught the theory of music. Ironically, the teacher of Mikhail Oginsky, a fiery Polish patriot, was the composer O. Kozlovsky, who later composed the music of the first hymn glorifying the Russian Empire: “Thunder of victories, give out!”
Rebellious Minister
At the age of 19, M. Oginsky became a deputy in the Polish Sejm , then he was sent as an ambassador from the Commonwealth to the Netherlands and Great Britain. At twenty-eight, Oginsky holds the post of Minister of Finance of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
A brilliant political career was overshadowed by internal strife in the country, as well as the fact that some territories of the Commonwealth historically moved to more successful and powerful neighbors - Russia, Austria, Prussia. The young politician had to make a choice: he joined those who did not want to put up with this situation, and became one of the participants in the anti-Russian uprising of Tadeusz Kosciuszko. The young minister’s participation in this rebellion was not formal: having invested his own funds, Oginsky forms and equips a detachment of 2,000 people, and not without success unleashes a guerrilla war against the Russians.
Kosciuszko's uprising was crushed by the troops of the Russian Empire, Austria and Prussia. Kosciuszko himself was captured, and Mikhail Oginsky was forced to flee.
Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky: Polonaise
It was at this time that the famous musical work was written. Oginsky and previously successfully combined political career and musical creativity. By that time, he already had a significant list of musical works, but not one of them could repeat the success of the legendary polonaise.
Catastrophe
The Kosciuszko uprising turned into a real disaster for Poland. As a result of the next territorial division, the country disappeared from the world map, while Oginsky lost all his estates. All the money and even jewelry of the spouse was spent by him on the organization of the uprising, payment of ammunition, weapons and food for the rebel army. As a result, Oginsky was left without any means of livelihood.
Escape
At this time, the personal life of Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky was also on the verge of destruction. His wife, Michael Isabella, did not share her husband's passionate mood, she soon left him and left for relatives. Oginsky had to hide alone in Europe, changing places of residence and names. It is known that a real hunt followed him. The Russian authorities appreciated Oginsky’s talents as a military and diplomat, he was threatened with a prison.
Preparing a new rebellion
Oginsky met with Polish emigrants abroad, tried to agree on support with the revolutionary French government, and called on the Turkish sultan to start a war with Russia again. But all his diplomatic efforts were unsuccessful. The fate of Poland was not interesting to the governments of other countries, they did not want to start a new war with Russia. Mikhail Oginsky was extremely exhausted and disappointed.
The king of the Netherlands, where he used to be an ambassador, managed to agree with the Prussian monarch on an amnesty for Oginsky. The politician was allowed to reside in Prussia. His reunion with his wife took place, two sons were born - Tadeusz and Xavier. But in 1801, the couple finally parted. Probably, Mikhail could not forget that his wife left him at a difficult moment. Or maybe his wife realized that her husband had not changed at all and could get involved in a new political adventure and again spend all her family money on it.
Sharp turn
In 1802, an amnesty was announced by the new Russian emperor Alexander I for all participants in the Kosciuszko uprising. Oginsky was not only granted the right to return home, he received back all his possessions.
Such mercy was made possible thanks to the influence on the young Russian emperor of the Pole Adam Chartorysky, who was surrounded by the monarch. Prince Oginsky could now be settled in his Zalessky estate, where he built a manor and laid a park.
New marriage
At the age of 37, Mikhail Oginsky marries again. The widow of his deceased friend, Count of Nagursky, 25-year-old Italian Maria Neri becomes the chosen one of the prince. Biographers of Prince Oginsky report that the temperament of his wife was truly unrestrained: it was impossible to count the number of her lovers. In this marriage four children were born - three girls and one boy, but only regarding one of Oginsky’s daughters, Amelia, contemporaries had no doubt about the authenticity of the fatherhood of the prince. Such a bad reputation as the wife of the prince, however, did not prevent their marriage from lasting for 13 years.
Return to big politics
In 1810, the nobility of the Grodno and Vilna provinces, Mikhail Oginsky, was sent to the Russian Tsar Alexander I as an adviser on regional affairs. The candidacy of the former rebel was supported by Mikhail Kutuzov. So Mikhail Oginsky returned to big politics, becoming a Russian senator and becoming one of the Tsar’s proxies. The prince hoped, presenting to Alexander I the project of creating the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as part of the Russian Empire, to achieve at least autonomy for his homeland. But the king rejected the project.
Last years
In 1817, Oginsky realized that he was tired of politics. He freed himself from the powers of the senator and returned to his homeland. For some time, the prince lived on his estate, then in Warsaw and Vilna. It was not opal - in Russia he was never reproached with the past.
In 1823, Oginsky, whose health was significantly shaken, moved to Florence. Here the prince spent his last years. The politician and composer died in Florence on 10/15/1833. After his death, rumors appeared that Oginsky was allegedly killed, stabbed with a dagger in revenge for his adventures in turbulent youth. But historians have not confirmed these rumors. Mikhail Oginsky was buried in the church of Santa Croce (Florence), in the Pantheon of prominent personalities. Next to him lies the remains of Galileo Galilei, Niccolo Machiavelli, Michelangelo Buonarroti and J. Rossini.
And the musical masterpiece he wrote - the polonaise “Farewell to the Motherland” - continues to captivate the hearts of the audience.
Confession
For Russians, Oginsky's polonaise is one of the most popular tunes. Statements about the music of Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky by prominent figures in science, art and politics can be summarized in a phrase from a letter from the Russian writer F. V. Bulgarin: “Who does not know Oginsky’s polonaise?” In one of the letters of the great Repin, there are such lines about the composer: "His name is known throughout Russia." What is especially important, according to historians and musicologists: the polonaise, written by the rebel Oginsky, was music that brought together the winners and the vanquished.
For several centuries, artists, writers, and film figures have been paying attention to the great work and its author. Fragments of immortal music sound like ringtones in cell phones, used in feature films.
Memoirs
It is known that Oginsky wrote his memoirs in French. The translation of the biography of Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky into the Belarusian language was carried out by the former teacher of the Raevsky school-kindergarten (Molodechno), Olga Romanovich, in 2011. For the first time, the memoirs of diplomat and composer Mikhail Oginsky in Belarusian in the same year were published by Arche magazine. The memoirs cover the period from 1788-1794 until the prince’s departure abroad after the uprising of T. Kosciuszko was suppressed.
As evidenced by Ch. the editor of the magazine A. Pashkevich, memoirs of the outstanding cultural and socio-political figure M.K. Oginsky, known far beyond the borders of Belarus, are written in a good literary style, without dryness, on the contrary, they are distinguished by the presence of many details of then life. The memoirs of their great countryman will be interesting not only to historians, but also to a wide range of readers, the Belarusian publisher believes.