Józef Elsner - Polonaises for Four Hands (Jerzy Michał Wardęski; Magdalena Bąk)

Information

Composer: Józef Elsner

1. Polonaise in C major
2. Polonaise in G major
3. Polonaise in F minor
4. Polonaise in E major on the theme of the ouverture from the opera ‘Lodoïska’ by Rudolphe Kreutzer
5. Polonaise in E major on the march theme from the opera ‘Les deux journées’ by Luigi Cherubini

Jerzy Michał Wardęski & Magdalena Bąk, harpsichord

Date: 2023

Label: DUX

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Description

Józef Elsner – composer, conductor, and teacher – today mainly associated as Chopin's teacher. He was born in Grodków (now Opolskie Voivodeship) on June 1, 1769. His native language was German. As a child, he was strongly associated with the German musical tradition – he studied in Breslau – a German university city with a rich musical life (today's Wrocław). At the university there, he began studying theology and then medicine. Obtaining a Grodków municipal scholarship allowed him to continue his studies in Vienna (influences on his works by Haydn and Mozart). Then he moved to Brno, where he held the position of a violinist in a theater orchestra.

In 1792, he moved to Lviv, where he was appointed the bandmaster of a theater, where he staged his operas to German librettos. After Wojciech Bogusławski took the position of director of this theater, Elsner became his associate and composed operas to Polish texts. It was there that the composer's interest in Polish folk music was born – he wove its threads into his instrumental compositions. In 1799 Elsner moved to Warsaw. Until 1824 was the principal conductor at Warsaw's National Theater, where he premiered his thirty operas and two ballets. He also owned and ran a music engraving shop, where he published works by Polish composers. It was the first such an operation in Warsaw. In 1803–1805 he published the first in Poland monthly sheet music entitled "Selection of Beautiful Musical Works and Polish Songs" (24 issues were published).

He thought of music in rhetorical terms, calling it "the language of feelings". Although he had learned the Polish language only as an adult, he authored the "Dissertation on the Metricity and Rhythmicity of the Polish language".

Józef Elsner died on 18 April 1854 in Elsnerów near Warsaw. His grave is located at the Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw.

Compositions for 4 Hands

At the turn of the 18th/19th century, the repertoire of original compositions for four hands was very rich. It included large forms (sonatas, divertimenti, series of variations) and smaller works (sonatinas, rondos, marches, fantasies, dances, small specific works). In addition to original compositions, transcriptions and four-hand arrangements of popular works were created, diverse in character, intended for both professional performers and amateurs. They were performed at concerts (virtuoso performances), in-home music making, as a soundtrack at private dances and social gatherings, and as didactic pieces.

Elsner's works for four hands perfectly fit into this pan-European trend. These are original compositions, written especially for four hands (Sonata in B-flat major, Op. 16, three Polonaises: in C Major, G Major, and F minor), and arrangements of orchestral works for four hands (two Polonaises in E major: on the theme from opera 'Lodoïska' by Rodolphe Kreutzer and on the theme of march from opera 'Les deux journées' by Luigi Cherubini, and Polonaise in G major for Teresa Woydzin).

These are some of the oldest examples of music for keyboard-string instrument four hands in the history of Polish music (1803–1805). They demonstrate the innovativeness of Elsner, who seems to have been a leading composer of the European scale in this respect.

Stylistically, they belong to the late Classical era with all its characteristic features. They are mature works, with a clear structure and perfect respect for the principles of keyboard texture, resulting from two performers' shared playing on one instrument.

In the form of Polonaise, the composer's interest in Polish folk music is most evident. These Polonaises' structure is symmetrical – an extended, three-part, reprise pattern of the da capo type. They contain simple chordal references and conventional metro-rhythmic formulas. In a well-thought-out and mature manner, the composer employs imitative polyphonic elements (Polonaises in C major, G major, and F minor). Whereas in the Polonaise transcriptions, Elsner makes wider use of the instrument's technical capabilities and enriches the texture (due to the playing of two performers on one instrument), which triggers the possibility of producing symphonic stylistic elements on the keyboard. Clear orchestral thinking prevails here.

Nowadays, Elsner's pieces for four hands mainly show the level of Polish music for keyboards and strings at that time. For this reason, as an essential part of our musical heritage, they fully deserve to be protected and restored to concert practice.

Harpsichord and Piano

The period from the middle of the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th century was a time when the problem associated with the proper selection of a keyboard-string instrument was particularly pronounced. It was a problem with the cast and the way the piece was performed. Each of the three instruments common at that time (clavichord, harpsichord, and piano) featured different sound qualities, and they also worked differently in different situations. It should be emphasized that this problem arises from the then-common practice of not determining for which of the keyboard-string instruments the piece was intended.

Due to the popularity of both the harpsichord and the piano, they were mainly taken into account by composers and performers considering the piece's destination. Hence, in sources from this period, it was common to define the work destination as pour le clavecin ou le piano-forte (for harpsichord or piano-forte), alongside the broader term Clavier.

There were different designations depending on the issue or there were differences between the designations in print and manuscripts. Such cases required all the more vigilance from the performers, especially when the compositions could contain notations indicating the need to achieve effects typical of the piano. Then the works were verified in terms of their musical content and suitability for performance on a specific instrument.

While the harpsichord was giving way to the already perfected piano, the tendency to define music as published pour le clavecin ou le piano-forte or Clavier disappeared. The piano remained, perpetuating the (often erroneous) belief that compositions of the second half of the 18th and early 19th centuries were created for this particular instrument. Such unification has permeated the current performing practice, erasing diversity because each of these instruments had distinctive characteristics and offered different specific performance measures.

Why Harpsichord?

Despite the growing awareness of the richness of the music of Polish composers, there are still many outstanding works that are unknown or rarely performed. Also, the harpsichord, despite its growing presence in the music market, is still often perceived stereotypically and associated mainly with early music.

When deciding to choose a harpsichord, we referred to the practice of performance variability at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, where harpsichord and piano were used interchangeably in keyboard music performances. Today, it is widespread practice to perform music from this period on the piano. The harpsichord performance will allow us to go beyond the usual performance framework, look anew at Józef Elsner's work, and bring out the characteristic elements of the "Polish classicism" style.

The harpsichord performance will not only reflect the composer's intention more fully, especially in the polonaises derived from orchestral works, but will also emphasize the clear boundary between Elsner's work and the later music of the Romantics.

— Jerzy Michał Wardęski & Magdalena Bąk

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Józef Elsner (1 June 1769 – 18 April 1854) was a Polish composer and educator. After studying in Wrocław and briefly pursuing theology and medicine, he devoted himself to music, working in Brno and Lvov before settling in Warsaw in 1799. As director of the National Theatre's opera, he expanded its repertoire with numerous operas and ballets. Elsner established and led several music schools, where he taught notable students, including Frédéric Chopin. His lifelong contributions to composition, education, publishing and cultural institutions earned him widespread recognition and lasting influence on Polish musical life.

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Jerzy Michał Wardęski is a Polish harpsichordist and pianist. A graduate of the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, he is recognized for his commitment to promoting Polish musical heritage through historically informed performance. He has collaborated with leading institutions, including the National Philharmonic in Warsaw and the Silesian Philharmonic. His achievements include the first complete recording of Michał Kleofas Ogiński's polonaises on a period instrument. Active as a performer, lecturer, and organizer of cultural projects, he regularly presents Polish music in Poland and abroad.

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Magdalena Bąk is a Polish pianist and harpsichordist. A graduate of the Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music in Łódź, she also studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig under Nicholas Parle. As a soloist and chamber musician, she performs repertoire ranging from early music to contemporary works, collaborating with leading artists and ensembles across Europe. She is co-founder of several early music ensembles, an active educator, researcher, competition juror and organizer, and has played a significant role in promoting Polish musical heritage through performances, recordings and education.

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