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The polonaise Farewell to the Homeland (Pożegnanie Ojczyzny; Les adieux à la Patrie) in A minor is a composition for solo piano, commonly attributed to the Polish composer and politician Michał Kleofas Ogiński. This piece was allegedly written around 1794, after the Kościuszko Uprising, which the composer participated in. Farewell to the Homeland is extremely popular and recognizable in Poland and Belarus.

However, there is no known autograph manuscript bearing the composer's signature. There are also no sources to confirm that the date of composition is 1794. The earliest piano arrangement of the piece is from 1831, signed by Kasper Napoleon Wysocki.

Authenicity

Though the piece is commonly attributed to Ogiński, neither the autograph manuscript nor the piano publications during the composer's lifetime have survived or been found. There have also been no mentions of the polonaise in his Letters of Music (1828), where he mentioned other popular compositions of his.

The earliest piano version of the polonaise, c. 1831, coming from the print Marche triomphale suivie d'un Polonaise nationale, was signed by Kasper Napoleon Wysocki. The Polish name Pożegnanie Ojczyzny and the French Les adieux à la Patrie only appeared in the 1860s, after the composer's death. The French name was likely given by Antoni Kocipiński in 1859, while the Polish name was given by Józef Kaufmann after 1860. Ogiński's name appeared in the 1855 arrangement, edited by Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński and published by Rudolf Friedlein in Warsaw.

Though Agnieszka Leszczyńska initially considered Kasper Napoleon Wysocki to be the real creator of this polonaise attributed to Michał Kleofas Ogiński, findings by Wojciech Gurgul revealed three earlier arrangements of Farewell to the Homeland, one in 1829, another in 1836, and one in 1837. Two of these were for the Russian seven-string guitar, while one was for the Spanish guitar.

Early arrangements of Farewell to the Homeland differ significantly from each other, meaning that the editors likely used different sources. WIth an exception to the main theme, parts of the polonaises have their amount of measures divisible by four. The main theme, however, has conflicting measure amounts between them.

Popularity

The piece is well-known in Poland and Belarus. In the 20th century, Halina Szymulska wrote lyrics set to the melody of the polonaise. After the Fall of the Soviet Union, it was considered to make the song the national anthem of Belarus, though this idea was later abandoned.

Many Polish films used this song, including Ashes and Diamonds (director Andrzej Wajda, 1958), Mother of his Mother (director Robert Gliński, 1996), and Suicide Room (director Jan Komasa, 2011). The title of the polonaise became the title of a 1971 Soviet film named Ogiński's Polonaise (Полонез Огинсково), directed by Lev Vladimirovich Golub.

The sixth measure of the polonaise appears on the back of the Belarusian 50-ruble banknote.

References

1. ^ "Polonez „Pożegnanie ojczyzny"". Śpiewajmy Polskę (in Polish). Retrieved 20 December 2024.
2. ^ Leszczyńska, Agnieszka (17 October 2023). "Polonez a-moll „Pożegnanie Ojczyzny": między legendą a rzeczywistością". Muzyka (in Polish). 68 (3).
3. ^ Leszczyńska, Agnieszka (25 September 2024). "O polonezie „Pożegnanie ojczyzny" i innych kompozycjach z fałszywymi rodowodami". Ruch Muzyczny (in Polish). Retrieved 20 December 2024.
4. Gurgul, Wojciech (29 March 2024). "O gitarowych opracowaniach poloneza a-moll „Pożegnanie ojczyzny" pochodzących z pierwszej połowy XIX wieku". Muzyka (in Polish). 69 (1).

External links

• Polonaise 'Pożegnanie Ojczyzny': Scores at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)

• Anonymous musical compositions
• Compositions for solo piano
• Compositions in A minor
• Compositions with a spurious or doubtful attribution
• Polonaises