Stanislaw Moniuszko was a composer, a musician, a conductor, and a professor.
The musical heritage of Moniuszko includes operas, symphonies, chamber and instrumental pieces. Marked by unique links with Slavonic musical traditions, these works embody the features of Romanticism: emotional elevation and spirituality, and the depth of vivid artistic images.
Education
He received his initial musical education from his mother who was a talented pianist. According to the unanimous opinion of his biographers, from an early age the composer adored folk music, which he heard in his native Minsk area. He received his musical education in Minsk (where Dominik Stefanovich was his teacher) and in Warsaw (under the supervision of organist August Freer) and Berlin (under Karl Rungenhagen). S.Moniuszko made his first attempts to compose music in the 1830s, when he created his first operetta Office Clerks.
Career
At that time, S. Moniuszko started to work as an organist in the St. Jan Cathedral in Vilna, but he often visited his family home in Minsk. It was there, that he staged his operettas, which were written in collaboration with the Belarusian playwright Vincent Dunin-Martsinkevich. These were Magic Water,Jewish Recruitment, The Contest of Musicians, as well as the famous Syalyanka (The Country Girl), in which, for the first time in the history of opera, the Belarusian language was used on stage. The Belarusian national ballad Hel’ka inspired the composer to create the opera Galka (the first version was done in 1846–1847, the second – in 1858).According to researchers, Belarusian culture is also present in the opera Raftsmen, composed in 1858. The same year the composer moved to Warsaw, where he became the main conductor of the Wielki Theatre in Warsaw. On the stage of this theatre, he created his operas The Countess, Verbum Nobile, Pariah, Beata. Heused Belarusian folk tunes in the opera The Haunted Manor, which has become very popular.
Very soon, the composer acquired the European popularity; he visited Berlin, Weimar, Frankfurt-am-Main, Paris, and St. Petersburg. Among the admirers of his talent and his friends were F. Liszt, A. Dargomyzhsky, C. Cui, and other musicians. In the 1860s, Moniuszko was a professor at the Musical Institute in Warsaw.He continued composing music until the last days of his life.
The impact of Moniuszko’s creative work on the development of Slavonic music was enormous. Creative contacts with him influenced the artistic formation of F. Miladowski, C. Cui, N. Orda and Z. Noskowski. During his whole life, he followed with great interest the creative work of his compatriots, interpreted the works of Michal Kleofas Oginski, Antoni Radziwill and others.