Adams Morgan in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Songs
Fryderyk Chopin
— Creation —
'Now the little songster,
Lost to vision mortal,
Earth's lament unending
Bears to Heav'n's bright portal'
— Stefan Witwicki, except from the song 'Wiosna' ('Spring')
Chopin invested his nineteen extant songs for voice and piano with comments on contemporary events. They represented a bridge between exile and home, where they were widely sung and distributed in unofficial editions. Hugely popular were the love lyrics to poetry by Stefan Witwicki and Adam Mickiewicz. The song 'Wojak' ('Before the battle'), to words by Witwicki, was composed within the context of Chopin's departure from home and the looming tragic events that brought the November Uprising to an end.
Chopin, keenly interested in Polish poetry, composed his songs solely to texts by Polish poets of his own generation. They were written occasionally and remained on the margins of his main artistic output, not included on the programmers of his official concerts and not published during his lifetime. Gathered together by Julian Fontana, they were published in the posthumous opus 74.
Erected by Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington, DC; The Fryderyk Chopin Institute.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical year for this entry is 1847.
Location.
this page online
We have been informed that this sign or monument is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. Jan Czochralski (here, next to this marker); Polska (here, next to this marker); Ernest Malinowski (here, next to this marker); Embassy of the Republic of Poland / Polish-U.S. Diplomatic Relations (here, next to this marker); Jacek Karpiński (here, next to this marker); Maria Czaplicka (here, next to this marker); Rudolf Weigl (here, next to this marker); Henryk Arctowski (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.
More about this marker.
[Captions:]
Fryderyk Chopin
Song Wiosna [Spring], Op. 74, No 2
piano transcription, presentation
'To Dear Teofil Kwiatkowski FChopin 4.Sept 1847. Paris'
Fryderyk Chopin Museum
Fryderyk Chopin
Collection of Polish Songs with piano accompaniment.
Posthumous Works, Part Two, ed. J. Fontana, Op 74
G. Gebethner i Spółka edition, 1859
National Library of Poland
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 19, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 153 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 19, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
