Michał Kleofas Ogiński

Michał Kleofas Ogiński was a Polish-Lithuanian diplomat and politician, Grand Treasurer of Lithuania, and a senator of Tsar Alexander I. He was also a composer of late Classical and early Romantic music.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article on Michał Kleofas Ogiński.

From the period sources

Michał Kleofas Ogiński, nephew of the elder Prince Michael Casimir, was a figure of considerable political and musical renown in his time. Born near Warsaw in 1765, he began serving his homeland at nineteen, holding positions as a nuncio to the Polish diet, a member of the chamber of finances, and an envoy to Holland and England (Biographie universelle des musiciens, 1837). He fought for Poland’s independence, even taking up arms after Kosciusko raised the standard of independence in 1794, an act that led to the sequestration of his property and his flight abroad.

Ogiński later became Grand Treasurer of Lithuania and a senator of the Russian Empire (Dictionary of Music, 1896). He was particularly celebrated for his Polonaises, of which fourteen were published, with one composed in 1793 gaining widespread fame for its “originality and… profound sensibility” (Biographie universelle des musiciens, 1837). This particular work, known as the “Death Polonaise,” was so popular that a collection of twelve of his polonaises was published in 1820 for the benefit of a poor-house in Wilna, netting over 10,000 francs (Biographie universelle des musiciens, 1837; A History of Pianoforte-Playing, 1897). During his 1823 residence in Paris, Ogiński was well-known in musical circles, even playing in quartets with the violinist Baillot (Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians, 1890). He also wrote songs with French and Italian words, noted for their “charming melodies” (Biographie universelle des musiciens, 1837).