Stanisław Moniuszko as a Teacher

The aim of this article is to paint the full picture of Moniuszko as a music teacher. Although teaching was a sideline to the composer’s professional activity, he was engaged in it for most of his life. During his Vilnius period, Moniuszko gave many private lessons, which constituted an important part of his income. Among his students were many eminent figures, such as the painter Wincenty Sleńdziński, the ethnologist Jan Karłowicz (the father of Mieczysław Karłowicz) and the Russian composer César Cui. Moniuszko then took up teaching – now in a professional capacity – as a professor at the Music Institute in Warsaw, headed by Apolinary Kątski. There, he led a choir class and taught composition, harmony and counterpoint. The study is complemented by the memories of his students, including such famous musicians as Zygmunt Noskowski and Władysław Rzepko.