Michał Kleofas Ogiński– a distinguished composer, diplomat, and Grand Treasurer of Lithuania – was among the leading figures of musical life at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. From an early age, he developed his musical skills, studying piano and violin. He initially trained under I. M. Jarnović in Warsaw and later, in 1798, studied with G. Viotti in Paris. He actively participated in aristocratic salon music-making, performing works by Haydn, Mozart, and early Beethoven. His interest in theatrical music was sparked by Italian and French operas staged in Słonim by his uncle, Michał Kazimierz.

Between 1790 and 1791, he undertook diplomatic missions to The Hague, Amsterdam, and London. Deeply involved in the political affairs of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, he took part in the proceedings of the Great Sejm. Although in 1792 he supported the Targowica Confederation and was among the magnates who signed partition treaties with Russia and Prussia, he joined the Kościuszko Uprising in 1794. After its failure, his estate was confiscated, forcing him into exile in Venice. The years 1797–1798 marked his stay in Paris, where he personally met Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1801, he returned to his homeland and settled near Vilnius. After the 1812 Napoleonic campaign, having declared support for Tsar Alexander I, he became involved in the cultural life of Vilnius, organizing concerts and theatrical performances. He spent the final years of his life in Florence, where he died in 1833. He was buried in the Basilica of Santa Croce.

Ogiński left behind a rich collection of correspondence in which he outlined his artistic views. In his letters, he expressed deep admiration for the works of Bach and Haydn and great respect for Mozart. He appreciated only the early compositions of Beethoven and entirely disregarded the works of Schubert and the young Schumann, due to their alignment with the emerging Romantic musical aesthetic, which he did not embrace. He was critical of the talents of Moscheles and Hummel and did not acknowledge the virtuosity of Paganini. However, he held Maria Szymanowska in high esteem, considering her an artist of exceptional merit.

Ogiński’s compositional output is situated within the current of sentimentalism. Prior to Fryderyk Chopin, he was one of the composers who explored the genre of piano dance miniatures, endowing them with a new expressive depth. The central place in his oeuvre is occupied by polonaises, though he also composed mazurkas, waltzes, minuets, marches, as well as songs and romances in the galant style, often with a pastoral character. His only large-scale vocal stage work was the opera Zélis et Valcour ou Bonaparte au Caïre.

The history of the polonaise dates back to the 16th century, but it was in the 18th century that the dance achieved its formal maturity, taking on a dignified and ceremonial character, closely associated with the Polish nobility. In Ogiński’s polonaises, one can observe a shift in this convention – the formerly dominant majesty gives way to melancholy, lyricism, and elegiac expression. Around the turn of the 19th century, a clear distinction emerged between lyrical polonaises and heroic ones – the latter developed further by composers such as Karol Kurpiński and brought to their fullest expression in Chopin’s so-called heroic polonaises.

While rooted in dance tradition, Ogiński’s polonaises also reflect the influence of the pianistic techniques of Clementi and Mozart. They are characterized by clear texture, simple technical demands, and a classical three-part form with a trio section. This accessibility contributed to their popularity in domestic and amateur music-making, especially during Chopin’s youth, when they formed part of the core repertoire.

It is worth noting that despite their popularity, Ogiński’s name does not appear in Chopin’s letters or diaries. The young composer was more drawn to the brilliance of the style brillant than to popular domestic compositions. Nevertheless, Ogiński’s influence is undeniable – particularly evident in Chopin’s earliest polonaises, such as the Polonaise in B-flat major, WN 1, which shows clear echoes of Ogiński’s famous Polonaise in A minor, Farewell to the Homeland.Ogiński played a pioneering role in initiating the stylization of the polonaise and in shaping the lyrical, elegiac model of the genre.

Michał Kleofas Ogiński’s body of work represents a vital link in the evolution of the Polish polonaise – a bridge between traditional dance forms and their musical stylization, ultimately brought to perfection in the works of Chopin.