COUNT MICHAL KLEOFAS OGINSKI’S MUSICAL COLLECTION FROM THE RUSSIAN STATE ARCHIVE OF ANCIENT ACTS IN MOSCOW

Abstract

The article is devoted to the collection of manuscripts and musical publications from the heri­tage of count Michal Kleofas Oginski (1765—1833). For the first time ever, there is revealed his diplomatic archive (including his manuscripts), stored in the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts in Moscow. Oginski was not only a politician and diplomat, but also a violinist and a talented composer. The article aims to demonstrate the diversity of count M.K. Oginski’s personality. The author brings a new approach to the study of the compo­ser’s creative heritage, demonstratively proving that his works (particularly, the widely known in Europe and Russia polonaises) are an important source of knowledge about his musical preferences and artistic achievements, and a valuable illustration of that age as well. Studying of these materials is a component of the larger research project “Musical Polonica in the Libraries and Archives of Moscow”, carried out by a Polish-Russian group of librarians and musicologists. For the first time, the efforts of specialists from both countries will be aimed at identification of unexplored and unknown sources and documents showing the relationships and interinfluence of the musical cultures of Poland and Russia in the 19th—20th centuries.