Józef Elsner

Józef Elsner. Portrait by Maksymilian Fajans, after 1853.

Józef Antoni Franciszek Elsner (often, also, Józef Ksawery Elsner, born Joseph Xaver Elsner; June 1, 1769–April 18, 1854, was a Polish composer, music teacher and music theoretician, and a Freemason.

He composed many symphonic, chamber, solo, and vocal-instrumental (about 120 religious) works, and 38 operas. He is perhaps best known as teacher of the young Frédéric Chopin.

Life

Józef Elsner was born Joseph Xaver Elsner in Grottkau (Upper Silesia), near Breslau, Kingdom of Prussia, on June 1, 1769, to German Catholic parents Franz Xaver Elsner and Anna Barbara Matzke. His mother was from the famous Matzke family of Glatz, which had intensive contacts with Czech culture in Bohemia, as well as with Polish culture in the Ratibor region. Joseph Xaver Elsner was educated at Breslau's Dominican monastery school, St. Matthew's Gymnasium, and a local Jesuit college. In 1832–37 he would compose nineteen religious pieces for Breslau Cathedral.

After completing his studies in Breslau and after a period of time working with the Lwów theater, he went to Congress Poland and became the principal conductor at the National Theatre in Warsaw. During this time Elsner's name and family life polonized gradually. Elsner's ethnicity should not be evaluated in terms of 19th and 20th century national identity, as he probably considered a Silesian primarily.

Elsner taught the famous Polish composers Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński and Frédéric Chopin. Chopin dedicated to Elsner his celebrated Variations on "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's Opera "Don Giovanni", Op. 2 (1827) and his Piano Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 4 (1828) — both composed while Chopin was studying with Elsner.

In 1799-1824 Elsner was the principal conductor at Warsaw's National Theater, where he premiered a number of his operas. Elsner also taught at the Warsaw Lyceum, housed in the Kazimierz Palace.

In 1823–29 Elsner taught Chopin music theory and composition. At the time, Elsner wrote of Chopin in his diary: "Chopin, Frederic, third-year student, amazing capabilities, musical genius."

Elsner died at his estate in Elsnerów, now within the city limits of Warsaw, on April 18, 1854.

Works

Plaque on former Dominican refectory at Plac Dominikański 2/4, Wrocław, commemorating Elsner's connections with Wrocław.

Elsner's compositions included

• the operas, Leszek Biały (Leszek the White) and Król Łokietek (about Władysław I the Elbow-high)
• the oratorio, Męka Pana Naszego Jezusa Chrystusa (The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ)
• eight symphonies
• polonaises, waltzes, marches
• Msza B-dur (Mass in B-flat major) and Msza F-dur (Mass in F major)
• Nieszpory do NMP (Vespers for the Most Sacred Virgin Mary).

Elsner was one of the first Polish composers to weave elements of Polish folk music into his works.

He also wrote Sumariusz moich utworów muzycznych (Summary of My Musical Works, published 1957).

See also

• List of Poles

References

• "Elsner, Józef," Encyklopedia Polski, Kraków, Wydawnictwo Ryszard Kluszczyński, 1996, p. 154.