Modern Russia is not particularly fond of classical music. It cannot be said that the musical classics are very popular among Russian listeners. The fingers of one hand are enough to count the widely known and loved by the people classical pieces of music.
Undoubtedly, this number includes the famous "Oginsky's Polonaise" (the second name is "Farewell to the Motherland"), authored by Mikhail Cleofas Oginsky (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 Cleofas 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 he participatedcomposer, was crushed. Mikhail Cleofas Oginsky lived a bright life full of dramatic events. Interesting facts of his biography are set out 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. An amazing historical fact is known: despite the anti-Russian orientation of the uprising, in which Mikhail Cleofas 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. Music, politics and love are closely intertwined in it.
Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky: short biography. Origin
The future composer was born on September 25, 1765, not far from Warsaw, in the Guzow estate of the Masovian Voivodeship. By origin, the princes Oginsky were not Poles. Historians call their ancestors Western Rusyns (Belarusians who converted to Catholicism). Therefore, according to the researchers, it would be more appropriate to pronounce the name of the author of the famous polonaise not "Mikhal", but "Mikhail". Some scientists also consider the pronunciation of the composer's surname to be incorrect: its Polish version sounds like "Oginsky", in the Russian versionthere is no softening in the middle of the word.
Princes Oginsky were sure that the beginning of their genealogy goes back to the family of Rurik himself. At home, they occupied a position corresponding to their high origin. Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky was rightly proud of his ancestors: all of them in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was part of the Commonwe alth, held high positions. His great-grandfather was a governor in Vitebsk, and his grandfather and father headed the Trok province. The uncle of the future composer was a governor in Vilna and the Great Hetman of Lithuania.
Education
Everyone in Mikhail's family was sure that the boy, like his great predecessors, was destined for a successful political career. From an early age, parents purposefully taught and raised their son, seeing him as a future military leader or statesman. The 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 also found time to teach their son music, and this was taken very seriously. The boy was taught not only the basics of playing various musical instruments, but also the theory of music was taught. Ironically, the teacher of Mikhail Oginsky, a fiery Polish patriot, was the composer O. Kozlovsky, who later wrote the music for the first hymn glorifying the Russian Empire: “Thunder of Victories, resound!”.
Rebel Minister
At 19 M. Oginsky becomes a deputy in the Polish Sejm, then he is sent as an ambassador from the Commonwe alth to the Netherlands and Great Britain. At twenty-eight, Oginsky is the 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 Commonwe alth historically passed 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 such a situation, and became one of the participants in the anti-Russian uprising of Tadeusz Kosciuszko. The participation of the young minister in this rebellion was not formal: having invested his own funds, Oginsky forms and equips a detachment of 2000 people, and, not without success, launches a partisan struggle against the Russians.
The Kosciuszko uprising was suppressed 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 piece of music was written. Oginsky and previously successfully combined a political career and musical creativity. By that time, he already had a significant list of musical works on his account, but none of them managed to repeat the success of the legendary polonaise.
Disaster
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 the jewelry of his wife were spent by him on organizing the uprising, paying for ammunition, weapons and food for the rebellious army. As a result, Oginsky was left without any means of subsistence.
Escape
At this time, the personal life of Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky was also on the verge of destruction. His wife Mikhail Isabella did not share her husband's passionate mood, soon left him and went to relatives. Oginsky had to hide alone in Europe, changing places of residence and names. It is known that there was a real hunt for him. The Russian authorities appreciated Oginsky's talents as a military man and diplomat, he was threatened with prison.
Preparing a new rebellion
Abroad, Oginsky met with Polish emigrants, tried to negotiate support with the revolutionary French government, called on the Turkish Sultan to start a war with Russia again. But all his diplomatic efforts failed. The fate of Poland turned out to be of no interest to the governments of other countries; they did not want to unleash a new war with Russia. Mikhail Oginsky was extremely exhausted and disappointed.
The King of the Netherlands, where he used to be ambassador, managed to negotiate with the Prussian monarch about an amnesty for Oginsky. The politician was allowed to reside in Prussia. He was reunited with his wife, two sons were born - Tadeusz and Xavier. But in 1801, the couple finally broke up. Probably, Mikhail did not manage to forget that his wife left him in a difficultmoment. 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 the family funds on it.
Sharp turn
In 1802, the new Russian Emperor Alexander I declared an amnesty 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 became possible due to the influence on the young Russian emperor of the Pole Adam Czartoryski, who was part of the monarch's entourage. Prince Oginsky could now settle in his Zalessky estate, where he built a manor and laid out a park.
New marriage
At the age of 37, Mikhail Oginsky is getting married again. The prince's chosen one is the widow of his deceased friend, Count Nagursky, 25-year-old Italian Maria Neri. Biographers of Prince Oginsky report that his wife's temperament was truly unrestrained: it was impossible to count the number of her lovers. Four children were born in this marriage - three girls and one boy, but only with respect to one of Oginsky's daughters, Amelia, contemporaries had no doubts about the authenticity of the paternity 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 RussianTsar Alexander I as an adviser on the affairs of the region. 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 confidants. The prince hoped, by 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 project was rejected by the king.
Recent years
In 1817, Oginsky realized that he was tired of politics. He was released from the powers of the senator and returned to his homeland. For some time the prince lived in his estate, then in Warsaw and Vilna. It was not a disgrace - in Russia he was never reproached by the past.
In 1823 Oginsky, whose he alth deteriorated significantly, moved to Florence. Here the prince spent his last years. The politician and composer died in Florence on 1833-15-10. After his death, there were rumors that Oginsky was allegedly killed, stabbed to death in retaliation for the adventures of a turbulent youth. But historians have not confirmed these rumors. Mikhail Oginsky was buried in the church of Santa Croce (Florence), in the Pantheon of outstanding personalities. The ashes of Galileo Galilei, Niccolo Machiavelli, Michelangelo Buonarroti and G. Rossini rest next to him.
And the musical masterpiece he wrote - the polonaise "Farewell to the Motherland" - continues to captivate the hearts of listeners.
Recognition
For Russians, Oginsky's polonaise is one of the most popular melodies. Statements about the music of Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky of prominent figures in science, art and politics can besummarize with 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 reconciled the winners and the vanquished.
Great work and its author for several centuries paid attention to artists, writers, filmmakers. Fragments of immortal music sound like ringtones in mobile 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 Belarusian was made by the former teacher of the Raevsky kindergarten school (Molodechnoshchina) Olga Romanovich in 2011. For the first time, the memoirs of the diplomat and composer Mikhail Oginsky in Belarusian were published in the same year by the Arche magazine. The memoirs cover the period of 1788-1794 until the prince's departure abroad after T. Kosciuszko's uprising was suppressed.
As Ch. the editor of the journal A. Pashkevich, the 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 the then life. The memoirs of their great compatriot will be of interest not only to historians, but also to a wide range of readers, the Belarusian publisher believes.
