Composers / Fryderyk Chopin / Places catalog

Maurycy Mochnacki’s home

On Wednesday 17 March 1830, ‘Mr Fryderyk Chopin had the honour of giving an Instrumental and Vocal Concert with the permission of the authorities’, according to the poster. The appearance of the young virtuoso, who was becoming increasingly better known to Warsaw audiences, created quite a stir, and everyone was waiting to see what would be said in the press and behind the scenes. ‘That evening, to the extent that those who were in the upper gallery and those who were standing in the orchestra were satisfied, those in the stalls complained that I played too quietly, and I would have liked to have been at Kopciuszek’s’, Chopin informed Tytus Woyciechowski, ‘in order to hear the debates that must have taken place concerning my person. That is why Mochnacki, after praising me to the skies in the Kurier Polski [Polish courier], and particularly the Adagio, in the end counsels more energy.

Maurycy Mochnacki was born in 1803 and lived in Warsaw from 1819. He graduated from the Warsaw Lyceum and studied law at Warsaw University. He did not, however, complete his studies, as he was expelled on the order of Grand Duke Constantine after clashing with a police officer on the street. The patriotic Mochnacki was editor of the Gazeta Polska [Polish gazette] and Kurier Polski. He was also an accomplished pianist, although in the 1860s Julian Fontana was annoyed when Mochnacki responded to a certain memorable poem by Bohdan Zaleski by ‘tinkling a little on the piano, like thousands of others’.

‘Exceptionally talented, passionate and energetic,’ enumerated Hoesick, ‘of exhilarating eloquence, and a stylist of the kind not seen in Poland since the days of Skarga, Mochnacki exerted enormous influence on his immediate circle, which counted Chopin among its number. What drew him to Fryderyk was a passionate infatuation with music that went hand in hand with consummate musicianship and virtuosic talent. Considered one of the best pianists in the city […], Mochnacki played works by Mozart, Beethoven and Weber with incomparable mastery. The best evidence that he managed to keep his playing at an expert level is that nobody was surprised when he set out on an artistic journey around Europe. He lived on ul. Długa, in the immediate vicinity of where Lelewel lived on ul. Freta. He frequently entertained friends and colleagues in the evenings, and Chopin being one of them, they never went without music. The author of Polska, [dzieje] i rzeczy jej... [Poland, her history and affairs…], he could sometimes be seen working late into the night from his window’.

Since 1916, Mochnacki’s erstwhile place of residence has had a commemorative plaque.

Place Category
Antoni Brzezina’s bookshop Publishers / Bookshops
Antonin Manors / Palaces / Castles
Apartment of Dominik Magnuszewski Flats
Apartment of Stefan Witwicki Flats
Apartment of the family of Alfons Brandt Flats
Augsburg Evangelical Church of the Holy Trinity Churches / Places of worship
Belvedere Appearances
Bielany, Camaldolese monastery Churches / Places of worship
Blue Palace Manors / Palaces / Castles
‘Botanika’ Other
Brochów Churches / Places of worship
Brühl Palace Appearances
Buchholtz’s instrument store Other
Casimir Palace Flats
Chopin Monument in Łazienki Park Other
Czapski (Krasiński) Palace Appearances, Manors / Palaces / Castles
Dal Trozzo bookshop Publishers / Bookshops
Duszniki Zdrój Hotels / Inns
Dziewanowski home Flats
Engraving studio of Fr Izydor Józef Cybulski and Antoni Płachecki Education
Franciszek Klukowski bookshop Publishers / Bookshops
Fryderyk Chopin Museum Other
Fryderyk Skarbek’s apartment Flats
Gdańsk Hotels / Inns
Gładkowskis' apartment Flats
Golub Other
Holy Cross Church Churches / Places of worship
Home of Jan Matuszyński Flats
‘Honoratka’ Coffeehouses
Jabłonowski Palace Manors / Palaces / Castles
Jan Böhm’s townhouse Flats
Kalisz Other
Kikół Manors / Palaces / Castles
Kolbergs' apartment Flats
Kowalewo Manors / Palaces / Castles
Kozłowo Manors / Palaces / Castles
Krakow Other
Ludwik Dmuszewski’s house Flats
Magnus's bookshop Publishers / Bookshops
Marceli Celiński’s apartment Flats
Maurycy Mochnacki’s home Flats
Miss Kicka's Salon in Lubomirski Palace Manors / Palaces / Castles
National Theatre Appearances
Obory Churches / Places of worship
Obrowo Manors / Palaces / Castles
Ojców Other
‘Old’ Merchants' Hall Appearances
Patisserie Lourse Coffeehouses
Pieskowa Skała Other
Płock Other
‘Pod Kopciuszkiem’ and ‘Dziurka’ Coffeehouses
Poturzyn Manors / Palaces / Castles
Powązki Cemeteries
Poznań Other
Presbytery of St Jadwiga (Hedwig) parish church in Milanówek Other
Pruszak Palace Manors / Palaces / Castles
Residence of Józef Reinschmidt’s parents Flats
Rościszewo Manors / Palaces / Castles
Sanniki Manors / Palaces / Castles
Saxon Palace Flats
Saxon Post Office Other
Skating rink Other
Sochaczew Other
Sokołowo Manors / Palaces / Castles
Staszic Palace Manors / Palaces / Castles
Strzyżew Manors / Palaces / Castles
Szafarnia Manors / Palaces / Castles
Toruń Other
Turzno Manors / Palaces / Castles
‘U Brzezińskiej’ Coffeehouses
Ugoszcz Manors / Palaces / Castles
Viceroy's Palace Appearances
Vilnius (Wileński) Hotel Hotels / Inns
Visitandine Church of St Joseph Churches / Places of worship
Waplewo Manors / Palaces / Castles
Warsaw Other
Warsaw Charitable Society Appearances
Warsaw Conservatory Appearances
‘Wiejska Kawa’ Coffeehouses
Wieliczka Other
Wojciech Żywny’s apartment Flats
Wola Tollhouse Other
Wrocław Appearances
Żelazowa Wola Flats
Żychlin Manors / Palaces / Castles