Alojzy Felinski
Encyclopedia
Alojzy Feliński was a Polish
writer.
. He was educated by the Piarists
in Dąbrownica, later in Włodzimierz. In 1778 he settled in Lublin
, where he became a close companion of Kajetan Koźmian. Having resigned from the Bar together with Tadeusz Czacki, in 1779 he entered Parliament
in Warsaw
, where he became acquainted with many contemporary writers from Jacek Małachowski’s circle of friends. During the Kościuszko Insurrection, Feliński was Tadeusz Kościuszko
’s secretary for French correspondence as well as the law and order commissar in Wołyń. After the defeat of the Insurrection he stayed at the Tarnowskis’ in Dzików
, in 1795 he returned to Wołyń to manage his estate. In 1809 the author became a member of the Society of the Friends of Science. In 1815 he went to live in Warsaw and joined the circle of classicists
. In 1818 he moved to Krzemieniec, where he took up the position of professor in the Krzemieniec Lyceum, where he subsequently became the headmaster. In 1819 he was granted honorary membership of Vilna University
.
, entering into a polemic on the subject with Jan Śniadecki
, who advocated traditional spelling.
Hymn, written in honour of Tsar Alexander I on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Congress Kingdom of Poland was published on July 20, 1816 in Gazeta Warszawska (The Warsaw Gazette). It was emphasised that the hymn "was written in the spirit of the English
God Save the King. The fact was also mentioned that "His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Konstanty condescended to express his contentment to the author. Captain Kaszewski from the Fourth Infantry Regiment composed appropriate music to this hymn." The hymn was performed during religious and patriotic celebrations; the music was later changed to the tune of a popular religious hymn: Bądź pozdrowiona Panienko Maryjo ("We Hail Thee Virgin Mary") and later to that of Serdeczna Matko ("Sincere Mother"). Soon, however, the hopes connected with Tsar Alexander I and the text of the hymn itself began to be questioned. In 1817 there appeared a poem by Antoni Gorecki
entitled Hymn do Boga o zachowanie wolności ("Hymn to God for the Preservation of Freedom"); in an anonymous version both texts were combined; in effect the words of the refrain "Lord, save our King!" were changed to "Lord, restore our fatherland to us!"
Feliński’s Hymn underwent numerous transformations both in poetic paraphrases and anonymous poems and has been sung during patriotic and religious demonstrations practically to this date; the paraphrased version gained special importance for the leaders and supporters of the opposition at the time of the Polish People’s Republic.
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
writer.
Life
In his childhood he met Tadeusz CzackiTadeusz Czacki
Tadeusz Czacki , was a Polish historian, pedagogue and numismatist. Czacki played an important part in the Enlightenment in Poland.-Biography:...
. He was educated by the Piarists
Piarists
The Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools or, in short, Piarists , is the name of the oldest Catholic educational order also known as the Scolopi, Escolapios or Poor Clerics of the Mother of God...
in Dąbrownica, later in Włodzimierz. In 1778 he settled in Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
, where he became a close companion of Kajetan Koźmian. Having resigned from the Bar together with Tadeusz Czacki, in 1779 he entered Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, where he became acquainted with many contemporary writers from Jacek Małachowski’s circle of friends. During the Kościuszko Insurrection, Feliński was Tadeusz Kościuszko
Tadeusz Kosciuszko
Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko was a Polish–Lithuanian and American general and military leader during the Kościuszko Uprising. He is a national hero of Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Belarus...
’s secretary for French correspondence as well as the law and order commissar in Wołyń. After the defeat of the Insurrection he stayed at the Tarnowskis’ in Dzików
Dzików
Dzików may refer to the following places in Poland:*Dzików, a district of the town of Tarnobrzeg, Subcarpathian Voivodeship *Dzików, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Dzików, Pomeranian Voivodeship...
, in 1795 he returned to Wołyń to manage his estate. In 1809 the author became a member of the Society of the Friends of Science. In 1815 he went to live in Warsaw and joined the circle of classicists
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
. In 1818 he moved to Krzemieniec, where he took up the position of professor in the Krzemieniec Lyceum, where he subsequently became the headmaster. In 1819 he was granted honorary membership of Vilna University
Vilnius University
Vilnius University is the oldest university in the Baltic states and one of the oldest in Eastern Europe. It is also the largest university in Lithuania....
.
Work
Feliński was a representative of the classicism typical of the time after Stanisław Poniatowski’s reign. One of his major works was the tragedy Barbara Radziwiłłówna (1817), regarded as a masterpiece of classicist poetics; he translated Dellile’s poem entitled The Landlord or the French Landowners. He often spoke about Polish orthographyOrthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
, entering into a polemic on the subject with Jan Śniadecki
Jan Sniadecki
Jan Śniadecki was a Polish mathematician, philosopher and astronomer at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.-Life:Born in Żnin, Śniadecki studied at Kraków University and in Paris...
, who advocated traditional spelling.
Hymn, written in honour of Tsar Alexander I on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Congress Kingdom of Poland was published on July 20, 1816 in Gazeta Warszawska (The Warsaw Gazette). It was emphasised that the hymn "was written in the spirit of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
God Save the King. The fact was also mentioned that "His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Konstanty condescended to express his contentment to the author. Captain Kaszewski from the Fourth Infantry Regiment composed appropriate music to this hymn." The hymn was performed during religious and patriotic celebrations; the music was later changed to the tune of a popular religious hymn: Bądź pozdrowiona Panienko Maryjo ("We Hail Thee Virgin Mary") and later to that of Serdeczna Matko ("Sincere Mother"). Soon, however, the hopes connected with Tsar Alexander I and the text of the hymn itself began to be questioned. In 1817 there appeared a poem by Antoni Gorecki
Antoni Gorecki
Antoni Gorecki was a Polish poet and writer, author of satires and short stories for children.He was born in 1787 in Wilno, where he finished primary school. In 1802 he started studying at the Faculty of Literature of the University of Vilnius, where he became friends with Joachim Lelewel...
entitled Hymn do Boga o zachowanie wolności ("Hymn to God for the Preservation of Freedom"); in an anonymous version both texts were combined; in effect the words of the refrain "Lord, save our King!" were changed to "Lord, restore our fatherland to us!"
Feliński’s Hymn underwent numerous transformations both in poetic paraphrases and anonymous poems and has been sung during patriotic and religious demonstrations practically to this date; the paraphrased version gained special importance for the leaders and supporters of the opposition at the time of the Polish People’s Republic.