Chopin Family
The Parents of Frédéric Chopin
Nikolaus (Mikołaj/Nicolas) Chopin first set foot on Polish soil as a seventeen-year-old boy. The year was 1787. In eight years, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth would be partitioned for the third time between Prussia, Russia, and Austria-Hungary and disappear from the political map of Europe. The young Nikolaus came to Warsaw with a group of Poles. We owe it to Adam Weydlich that in 1810 a musical genius was born on the estate in Żelazowa Wola. It was he who persuaded the young Frenchman to accompany him on the journey to the Polish capital. That was the last time he ever saw France!
Nikolaus Chopin was born on April 15, 1771 in Marainville in France. He had four siblings. Two died in childhood. The other two were his sisters Anna and Margarethe.
In France
Nikolaus Chopin. Painting by Ambroży Mieroszewski (1802–1844)
Adam Weydlich spent many years in Marainville in Lorraine near Nancy. As an estate manager, he lived quite comfortably, residing in a castle and working for the Polish magnate Michał Jan Pac. The latter belonged to one of the most influential aristocratic families in Poland. Due to his involvement in the Bar Confederation, whose members rebelled against the Polish king and the Russian Empire, he had to leave Poland as a political refugee after their final defeat. He ended up in Lorraine, where he found shelter and protection with Prince-Bishop Louis René Édouard de Rohan-Guéméné. Unfortunately, this nobleman became entangled in the Affair of the Diamond Necklace directed against Marie Antoinette. He played his role in this affair very poorly and was eventually imprisoned by Louis XIV, where he remained from August 15, 1785 to May 31, 1786. He subsequently lost all his offices and withdrew to a monastery, which placed Michał Pac in a difficult situation. Even before Adam Weydlich could find a new patron, the entire family set off for Warsaw and took Nikolaus Chopin with them.
Adam Weydlich, who taught the young Nikolaus calligraphy, poetry, and bookkeeping, introduced him to foreign languages and the rules of savoir-vivre, offered him a role in managing his business, which Nikolaus gladly seems to have accepted.
In Poland
Justyna Chopin, née Krzyżanowska. Painting by Ambroży Mieroszewski
For 17 years Nikolaus lived as a bachelor, as one would say today. At first, he worked in Adam Weydlich’s tobacco factory. In later years, he earned his living as a civil servant and bookkeeper. During the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794, he even joined the city militia and received the rank of lieutenant (porucznik). Since Adam Weydlich’s factory was confiscated after the Second Partition of Poland (1793), Nikolaus urgently had to find new employment. This was not easy, which is why he considered returning to France. Fortunately, he ultimately decided otherwise.
He who seeks shall find, and so he was hired as a tutor in the Łączyński family. One of the four daughters was the young Maria, who would later go down in history as probably the most famous Polish lover of Napoleon. It should be noted that she was already married to Anastazy Walewski during this affair. However, he not only did not object, but even encouraged the relationship. After all, the fate of the country was at stake.
His next stop was Żelazowa Wola at the estate of the Skarbek family, where he also worked as a tutor for their four children.
There he married on June 28, 1806 the 24-year-old Tekla Justyna Krzyżanowska (1782–1861), who came from impoverished minor nobility. Her father was Jakub Krzyżanowski, who for many years managed the Skarbek family’s estate in Kujawy. The wedding took place in Brochów, where their son Frédéric was later baptized.
Nikolaus and Justyna were united above all by their passion for music. He played the flute and violin, while she played the piano and practiced singing.
The Final Years
The grave of Chopin’s parents at Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw @ Walking Warsaw
In October 1810, the family moved to Warsaw to the Saxon Palace, where the Warsaw Lyceum was located and where Nikolaus was employed as a French teacher.
Nikolaus Chopin died on May 3, 1844. His wife Justyna, however, died on October 1, 1861. Both are buried at the Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw. Nikolaus never saw his homeland France again after leaving in 1787.
Frédéric, who was 34 at the time, did not cope easily with his father’s death. He withdrew from his friends and spent much time in solitude. At that time, he had already been living in France for 14 years (since 1830). He was unable to attend the funeral.
The Grandparents
Frédéric’s grandfather François (1737–1814) was a wheelwright. His grandmother was named Marguerite, née Delfin. In addition to his craft, François also served as a kind of syndic in his village.
For four generations, the Chopins had all been craftsmen. They owned their own property, grew fruit and vegetables for their own use, and even had vineyards. However, one would not go so far as to call them winemakers.
The first Chopin came in 1705 from an Alpine village called Saint-Crépin to Lorraine. His name was François Chapin (sic!), and he established the first Chopin roots there. He succeeded quite well. He slightly altered his surname. Either the local priest made a mistake while writing it down, or François wanted to conceal a darker chapter of his life. We will probably never know.
Frédéric’s Sisters
It is known that after his departure to France, Frédéric wrote letters to his family in Warsaw almost daily, and likewise received many letters in return.
Frédéric Chopin had three sisters.
- Ludwika Chopin-Jędrzejewicz (1807–1855)
- Izabella Chopin-Barcińska (1811–1881)
- Emilia (1812–1827)
Ludwika
Ludwika Jędrzejewicz, née Chopin
Ludwika was a very well-educated woman with many interests. She wrote books and literary texts. She was also musically very active. She played the piano and was the first to introduce the young Frédéric to this instrument.
On November 22, 1832, she married Józef Kalasanty Jędrzejewicz.
She visited Frédéric in Paris in 1844 and 1849. The second visit brought her to the deathbed of the musical genius. At that time, her daughter Ludwika was also present. In total, she had four children. Her eldest son Henryk Bronisław (1833–1890) was a Polish officer during the January Uprising of 1863–1864. Her daughter Ludwika Magdalena (1835–1890) married the landowner Ludwik Ciechomski. Their descendants still live today.
The third and fourth children were Fryderyk Bolesław (1840–1857) and Antoni Żelisław (1843–1922).
Ludwika was the one who fulfilled Frédéric’s final wish and brought his heart to Warsaw. It remains to this day in the Holy Cross Church.
Izabella
Izabella married Antoni Barciński in 1834, who, among other things, wrote a book about the Paris Stock Exchange (!). Together with Ludwika, she published two books.
From the Barciński apartment, located in the Zamoyski Palace on Nowy Świat Street (the building still exists today), Russian soldiers threw Frédéric’s piano out of the window during the January Uprising of 1863–1864.
She had no children.
She was buried in the Barciński family grave at Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw.
Emilia
Emilia sadly lived only to the age of 15.
Chopin Concerts in Warsaw and Żelazowa Wola
In Warsaw, one should definitely attend a professional Chopin concert. There are also plenty of opportunities in Chopin’s birthplace. However, to experience high-quality performances, one must know where to find them.
Żelazowa Wola
In Żelazowa Wola, the birthplace of Frédéric Chopin, numerous free concerts are regularly held during the summer. The atmosphere there is breathtaking, especially when you consider that just a few meters behind the piano is the room where Chopin was born. All details can be found at the following link:
Time for Chopin – private concerts
Time for Chopin organizes by far the best private concerts in Warsaw. The owner, Katarzyna Kraszewska, is a great connoisseur of music and knows exactly how Chopin should sound. On our website, you can select the offer in the menu under “Offer” or click directly on the following link to reserve available tickets in the booking calendar and pay online.
Private concerts in the Old Town (public group ticket) | Book here
Free Chopin Concerts in Łazienki Park
From May to September, free concerts are held at the Chopin Monument in the Royal Łazienki Park. This is one of the biggest highlights in Warsaw during the summer season. All details can be found at the following link:
Free Chopin Concerts in Łazienki Park (summer season)
Sources
Mysłakowski, Piotr: Warszawa Chopinów. Warszawskie adresy Chopinów na podstawie źródeł ustalone, Warsaw 2012, National Fryderyk Chopin Institute, pp. 17–22 [Polish].
Solińska, Ewa: Tajemnice Chopina, Warsaw 2012, 2nd edition, Oficyna Wydawnicza RYTM [Polish] – ISBN 978-83-7399-516-1
