Karol Kurpiński
1785 — 1857
Karol Kazimierz Kurpiński was a Polish composer, conductor and pedagogue. He was a representative of late classicism and early romanticism as well as being a member of the Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning. He is also known for having composed the music to the 1831 patriotic song La Varsovienne with lyrics by Casimir Delavigne. He was also a mentor and an influence on young Chopin.
Adapted from the Wikipedia article on Karol Kurpiński.
From the period sources
Karol Kurpiński, a Polish dramatic composer and the son of an organist, was a significant figure in Warsaw’s musical life. He began his career in the orchestra of the Starosty Felix Polanowski in Galicia, before becoming assistant conductor at the National Theatre in Warsaw around 1810 (Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians, 1889). He later succeeded Elsner as first capellmeister at the National Theatre, holding that position from 1825 to 1841, and also served as an imperial Russian court conductor from 1819 (Dictionary of Music, 1896). Kurpiński was a prolific composer, writing no fewer than twenty-six Polish operas for Warsaw between 1811 and 1826, including works like Dwie Chatki (Two Huts) and Palac Lucyfera (Lucifer’s Palace) from 1811, and Jadwiga (Hedvig) from 1814 (Dictionary of Music, 1896; Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians, 1889). In 1819, he was appointed court Kapellmeister to Emperor Alexander I and was decorated with the order of St. Stanislaus in 1823. He subsequently traveled to Germany, France, and Italy to study the state of music, returning in 1824 before retiring to private life in 1841 (Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians, 1889). Kurpiński also taught, with Joseph Brzowski, a pianist and dramatic composer, listed as his pupil (Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians, 1888). His contributions extended beyond opera to include symphonies, overtures, cantatas, masses, and two harmony textbooks (The New Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians, 1924). He is also noted as one of the Polish composers who wrote Polonaises, a form later highly developed by Chopin (A Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 1883).