Musical Offerings ⦁ 2026 ⦁ Volume 17 ⦁ Number 1 21 political events often, such as when there was a reception in 1832 for General Józef Dwernicki, a leader in the November Uprising. 8 He apparently did not attend, even though many other important Poles did. Possibly it was because he preferred to socialize with the aristocracy, but also “political divisions and discords among the Polish emigrants probably made him deliberately steer clear of these polarized factions.”9 As a musician, it would not have been helpful for him to make enemies especially in a foreign country on his own. Besides, being involved in politics was not attractive to him. Jolanta Pekacz sheds light on this dichotomy, saying that “although sympathetic to the Polish cause in a generalized sense, Chopin seemed to have a distaste for strong political convictions, much less for extreme political orientations.”10 Practically, he could not afford to make trouble with the powerful Russians, and he still kept up an amicable relationship with the Russian embassy. 11 Chopin was faced with the dilemma of wanting to help his people and wanting to avoid unpleasant situations. Some may see this as disloyalty to his country, but it is understandable that he would want to maintain his career and preserve his life even while he privately held enmity against the Russians. Chopin wanted to genuinely express his love for his people and sympathy for their plight, but the chief way he chose to do this was through composing music. In his Fantasy on Polish Airs, Op. 13, he included the Polish tune “Już miesiąc zaszedł,” a song written by Karol Kazimierz Kurpiński. The beginning of the Fantasy also has a melody harmonized with open fourths, reflecting the sound of Polish popular music.12 Chopin’s teacher in Poland, Józef Elsner, influenced him in the writing of Polish music, but not exactly in the way that Elsner expected. Chopin wrote ten of his nineteen songs while he was still living in Warsaw,13 but even when he moved to Paris, he kept writing Polish art songs.14 This shows how he still cared about his Polish heritage even in a foreign country. However, Elsner wanted him to write an opera honoring Poland’s history, and Chopin did not pursue the idea. This was not out of a lack of care for Poland but rather an artistic choice. He wrote 8 Pekacz, “Deconstructing a ‘National Composer,’” 168. 9 Pekacz, “Deconstructing a ‘National Composer,’” 168. 10 Pekacz, “Deconstructing a ‘National Composer,’” 172. 11 Szulc, Chopin in Paris, 48–49. 12 Bakst, “Polish National Influences in Chopin’s Music,” 59. 13 Swartz, “Elsner, Chopin, and Musical Narrative,” 449. 14 Swartz, “Elsner, Chopin, and Musical Narrative,” 453.
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