Oskar Kolberg
1814 — 1890
Henryk Oskar Kolberg was a Polish ethnographer, folklorist, and composer active in Partitioned Poland.
Adapted from the Wikipedia article on Oskar Kolberg.
From the period sources
Oskar Kolberg, a Polish pianist, received his musical training in Berlin from 1835 to 1837, studying under Rungenhagen and Girschner, before settling in Warsaw to teach music (Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians, 1889). His compositions were largely inspired by the national music of Poland, reflecting his extensive journeys and research to gather original airs and songs from his homeland. Kolberg published several collections of traditional Polish forms, including Kujawiaks, Mazurkas, and Krakowiaks, alongside etudes, and a collection of Polish songs titled Pieśń ludu (Lemberg, 1842-45), according to the Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians (1889). His operetta, Le retour de Jean, premiered in Warsaw in 1854. Grove’s Dictionary (1922) also lists a “Kolberg, H. O.” as the author of Pieśni ludu polskiego (Warsaw, 1887) and Pieśni ludu litewskiego (Cracow, 1879), suggesting a continued dedication to documenting the folk music of the region.