Stanisław Moniuszko

Born on May 5 1819, Stanisław Moniuszko is regarded as one of the most prominent figures in Polish Romanticism and referred to as the father of Polish national opera. Moniuszko was trained in Berlin, Warsaw, and worked in Vilnius as the organist at St. John’s church. Throughout his time at St. John’s, Moniuszko was able to travel to St. Petersburg, where his works were received with acclaim, and became acquainted with famous composers such as Glinka, Dargomyzhsky, Cui, and Sierov. He was appointed to be the conductor of the Polish Opera at the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw, a position which he held for fifteen years. Some of his seminal operatic works include Halka, Straszny dwór (The Haunted Manor), and his one-act opera, Flis. Moniuszko also wrote twelve volumes of art songs to texts of famous Polish poets and Polish translations of other notable poets, called Śpiewnik domowy. Some notable works from these volumes include “Znasz-li ten kraj” (Mignon’s song), “Prząśniczka,” “Dziad i baba,” and “Czaty”. The volumes were published between 1843 and 1872 and were designed to be performed at home to fit various scenarios and moods. 

Moniuszko died suddenly of a heart attack on June 4, 1872, and was buried at Powązki cemetery in Warsaw. He remains a prominent figure of Polish music both domestically and abroad and has become a prominent figure in Belarus culture as well. There is a museum dedicated to Moniuszko in Minsk, Belarus.