On Chopin's Polishness

by Michael Zachowicz

Frederic Chopin Photo taken 1849, the year of his death

In a museum display of manuscripts, original scores, and letters of famous classical composers, I chanced to see a contract, written in English, bearing Frederic Chopin's signature. It was for the publication of his compositions, opus 52 through 56. It thus included the F minor Ballade, the famous "Heroic" Polonaise in A-flat, the E major Scherzo, two Nocturnes and three Mazurkas. The museum display listed Chopin as a "Polish-French" composer, which prompted the writing of this article.

As the world prepares to celebrate Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin's 200th birthday in 2010, it may be fitting to elaborate on the matter of his Polishness. Many of us in the Polish community take this for granted, yet doubts regarding his ethnicity still surface periodically. To those who remark that he just "happened to be born in Poland," I like to say "Chopin's mother was Polish by birth, and his father was Polish by choice," as we shall see.

The story goes back to the 1730s when, following the War of the Polish Succession, the exiled Polish King Stanislaw Leszczyński was granted the Duchy of Lorraine by his son-in-law, King Louis XV of France. The dethroned monarch brought with him a significant Polish community and was able to implement his Enlightenment ideas far from Russian bayonets. It was in this Polish-influenced environment that in the village of Marainville in Lorraine, a French wheelwright by the name of Francois Chopin raised his son Nicolas. They were, respectively, the grandfather and father of the future composer.

In 1787, with revolution brewing in France, armed with "his violin, flute, and a few books by Voltaire," and at the invitation of a Count Jan Adam Weydlich, the 16-year-old Nicolas chose to seek his fortunes in Poland never to return to his native France. Soon, Nicolas would learn Polish, change his first name to Mikołaj, and eventually volunteer for the Warsaw National Guard. Attaining the rank of captain, he fought during Kosciuszko's uprising of 1794, his regiment being transferred shortly before the Russian onslaught. By this point all correspondence with his family in France had ended. He would find employment teaching his native French (one of his pupils was Maria Łączyńska, the future Madame Walewska and mistress of Napoleon), yet became "a Pole indeed" according to Count Skarbek.

Eventually, he would marry Justyna Krzyżanowska, and together they would have four children, Fryderyk Franciszek being the second oldest and the only son. From all accounts, Mikołaj spoke only Polish at home with his family. He and Justyna recognized and fostered the musical talents of little "Frycek," touted as a "second Mozart," providing him with a proper musical background. Fryderyk composed his first work, a polonaise in G minor, at the age of seven. From 1823 to 1826 he studied at the Lycee in Warsaw where his father was one the teachers. He spent his summer vacations in various regions of Poland as a guest of the families of his school friends. In the course of such stays he became particularly interested in the folkloric music and traditions of country folk, becoming familiar with the traditional music of Poland in its authentic form, distinct tonalities, the richness of its rythms, and the vigour of its dances. He composed his first mazurkas in 1825, and he would return, in spirit, to this source of inspiration until the end of his life. In the Fall of 1829 he began his studies at the Warsaw Conservatory first with Wojciech Żywny, and then with the composer dJózef Elsner who wrote, in a report: "Chopin, Fryderyk, third year student, exceptional talent, musical genius."

In November 1930, when Warsaw rose in an uprising against the Russian occupiers, Chopin chanced to be in Vienna. Persuaded not to return to Warsaw to join the uprising, he wrote to Elsner "as an artist, I am still in my cradle, as a Pole, I am already twenty." When he learned in September of the following year, while in Stuttgart, that the Russian had managed to surpress the uprising and had retaken Warsaw, he wrote: "At times I can only groan, suffer, and pour out my despair at my piano!" Going on to Paris, he joind the Great Emigration of Poland's cultural elite that took place in the wake of the uprising's collapse. By refusing to follow Tsarist regulations and apply for extension of his passport at the Russian embassy, he forfeited his right to return to Warsaw, becoming thereby an émigré.

There are plenty of resources on the life and music of Fryderyk Chopin, and all of us should be encouraged to learn and appreciate more about one of Poland's foremost sons, whether it be from our libraries, bookstores, or the internet. Though he spent the second half of his life as a Polish émigré in his father's France, speaking French with a Polish accent, and writing letters in Polish to his family, he brought the plight of his native land to the world's stage through his art. His polonaises and mazurkas reflect the ardent Polish patriotism, while his other compositions, often incorporating Polish melodies and rhythms, transcend national boundaries with a universal appeal.

So the next time someone inquires about Chopin's heritage, you can confidently say that he was thoroughly and proudly Polish.