Great Polish Composers: Franciszek Lessel

1780-1838

Franciszek Lessel was a Polish composer renowned for his innovative contribution to the ensemble instrumentation for Grand Trio for Clarinet, Horn and Piano, Op. 4 (1806)

When Lessel was only 19 years of age he left Poland and travelled to Vienna, where he became Joseph Haydn's student and protege. Lessel studied under his tutelage until Haydn died.But Franciszek's first teacher was his own father, Wincenty, who was a pianist and composer in his own right.  (Incidentally, Wincenty studied under the famous Austrian composer, Karl von Ditters.) Franciszek  indeed inherited a musical pedigree.

 In Vienna, Franciszek rose to fame as a pianist, having composed many piano compositions such as Variations,  Sonata op.2, Adagio, and Rondo op.9. He dedicated his famous composition, Fantaisie in E minor,  to his lover Cecylia Beydale.  Alas, his liaison with the beautiful Cecylia was all too short-lived as it was soon discovered that they had the same mother.

After ten years in Vienna, Franciszek returned triumphantly to Poland where he continued to write compositions and perform as a court musician.  In 1820, Lesser had reached the pinnacle of his fame, and his compositions and chamber works were widely celebrated. The National Theatre in Warsaw played his symphonies and piano concertos to great acclaim.  He was the only Polish composer to present his work in his beloved Poland.  Critics enthusiastically applauded Lesser for his genius,  and noted Mozart's influences in his work.

Lesser was a prolific composer however, an enormous amount of his work has been lost or destroyed. Only a few compositions have been preserved to this day. (One can only surmise that many of his manuscripts, as well as that created by other Polish composers, were destroyed by the Nazi Germans during World War 2.  It was the Nazi plan to not only obliterate the Polish nation, but erase any vestige of Polish culture as well.)

In his later years, Lessel occupied various administrative, directorial positions that were far removed from his first love, music. 

Franciszek Lessel died on December 26, 1838 in Piotrkow Trybunalski.

 

Major compositions

Orchestral works:

Overture in C major op. 10

Symphony in B minor

Symphony in E flat major

Symphony in B flat major

Symphony in D major

Symphony in G minor (1805)

Works for solo instrument accompanied by orchestra:

Adagio et rondeau à la polonaise op. 9 for piano and orchestra (1807)

Caprice et variations op. 10 for piano and orchestra

Potpourri op. 12 for piano and orchestra

Concerto for piano and orchestra in C major op. 14

Concerto for horn and orchestra in E major

Concerto for horn and orchestra in E flat major

Concerto for 2 flutes and orchestra

March for flute and orchestra

Variations for flute and orchestra

Variations for horn and orchestra

Capriccio in D major for clarinet and orchestra

Chamber works:

Three concert duos op. 1 for 2 flutes

Quartet for flute, violin, viola and cello op. 3

Grand Trio in E flat major op. 4 for piano, clarinet and horn (1804)

Trio for piano, violin and cello in E major op. 5

Duo pour deux flûtes et Variations sur un thème de l'opéra Faniska de Cherubini op. 7

Fantaisie caractéristique op. 31 for piano, violin, viola and cello (1822)

Two sextets for 2 clarinets, 2 horns and 2 bassoons

Three partitas for 2 clarinets, 2 horns and 2 bassoons

Piano quartet in E flat major

Piano quintet in F minor

String quartet no. 1 in A major

String quartet no. 6 in D major

String quartet no. 8 in B major (1824)

Fantasia for string quartet

Trio for 2 clarinets and bassoon

Duet for 2 clarinets

Variations for piano for 4 hands and violin

Piano works:

Three piano sonatas op. 2

Fantasia in C major op. 8

Adagio and fugue in D minor op. 11, for 4 hands

Fantasia in E minor op. 13

Variations op. 15 no. 1

Variations op. 15 no. 2

New polonaise in D major

Vocal and instrumental works:

 

Mass in C major for 4 solo voices, mixed choir and orchestra

Mass in B flat major for 4 solo voices, mixed choir, orchestra and organ (1813)

Funeral mass in G major for 4 solo voices, mixed choir, orchestra and organ

Ave Regina, offertory for 3 voices and orchestra

Graduale Benedictus et venerabilis for voices and orchestra

Three motets for voice, 2 violins, bass and organ

Tantum ergo for 4 voices and orchestra

Songs for voice and piano to the words by Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz:

Piast

Bolesław Śmiały

Władysław Jagiełło

Zawisza Czarny

Kazimierz Jagiellonczyk

Jan Tarnowski

Stefan Batory

Jan Kazimierz

Jan III Sobieski

The Funeral of Prince Józef Poniatowski

Ballets:

La Dancomanie

Les marchands de Modes