Henryk Wieniawski

The second half of the 19th century was the period of an unusual efflorescence of musical life in Europe.

At the time music had already passed from the salons of aristocracy and rich bourgeoisie into the concert halls. Numerous musical institutions and societies, as well as concert agencies, were being founded. The newly invented railway made concert tours both easier and faster while the love for music shared by a much wider portion of society than before. All this went together with an intensive evolution of the performing art.

And one of the finest representatives of that art was certainly Henryk Wieniawski, the virtuoso violinist of genius and probably the internationally best known Polish composer after Chopin.

He was born at Lublin on July 10, 1835. When only five years old he began learning violin regularly with Jan Hornaziel and then with the fine virtuoso Stanislaw Serwaczynski. This private training proving soon inadequate for him the eight-year-old Henry was granted a State scholarship and the left with his father for Paris where he was admitted to famous Conservatoire so breaking the rule according to which those under twelve were not admitted to that school.

After his initial Paris successes he appeared in St. Petersburg where the very exacting poblic received him with delight and admiration, he also gave concerts in Warsaw.

The further stages of his career included concerts in Belgium, Holland and England, he was granted the post of "first violinist to the imperial court" in St. Petersburg and appointed violin teacher at the recently opened Conservatoire in that city. He made a big tour of America together with the famous pianist and composer Anton Rubinstein (215 concerts in the course of eight months in 1872 and 1873!). For a few years he taught at the Royal Conservatoire in Brussels and gave another series of concerts in European capital cities. Alas, this was the last series. Having long suffered from a heart illness he died suddenly in Moscow on March 31, 1880.

Among the major ones are the two violin concertos, of which the second one, Concerto in D minor Op. 22, written in 1862 and often played by the best violinists, is a real masterpiece.

It is noted for the clarity and elegance of its form as well as for the noble melodic invention including the very Polish romanticism of the middle movement. Among his most showy pieces is the brilliant Polonaise in A major Op. 21. One of his famous pieces is also Legend Op. 17, inspired, it is said, by his love for the beautiful Isabel Hampton who in 1860 became his wife.