Apolinary Kątski’s St Petersburg File as a Source for the Study of the Violinist’s Biography
Wiktoria Antonczyk
University of Warsaw (Poland)
Ewa Chamczyk
University of Warsaw (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8424-7814
Abstract
St Petersburg, as one of nineteenth-century Europe’s main cultural centres, attracted world-famous artists, invited not only for guest performances. They also signed contracts with the Russian Empire’s major musical institutions. Despite the considerable damage which the city suffered during the Second World War, its precious archive collections, including the rich documentation of the Directorate of Imperial Theatres, were rescued in dramatic circumstances. These documents represent an extremely valuable source for musicologists, as they allow us to reconstruct the St Petersburg period in many artists’ work with a high degree of accuracy.
The documents from the Directorate of Imperial Theatres also constitute a key source for research into the biography of Polish virtuoso violinist Apolinary Kątski, who was Soloist to His Imperial Highness from 1852 to 1866. That he held this title has been known to musicologists for a long time, but his obligations resulting from that status have remained virtually unknown. Kątski’s personal file not only confirms the authorities’ special treatment of this eminent Polish musician, but also reveals his unusual terms of employment.
What, then, do we learn about Kątski’s life from the St Petersburg documents? What questions do they enable us to answer? What image of the Polish violinist emerges from this source? This article presents the contents of Apolinary Kątski’s personal file within the context of research into his biography.
Keywords:
St Petersburg, Imperial Theatres, virtuoso, soloist, Soloist to His Imperial Highness, Apolinary Kątski, musical life in St Petersburg, archiveReferences
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Authors
Wiktoria AntonczykUniversity of Warsaw Poland
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