Finis Poloniae?

Why, during the repression of the Polish people, did I find myself thinking of the late Alfred Cortot and Chopin’s Ninth Prelude, in E major? Because Cortot, possibly the greatest exponent of Chopin, allowed himself the liberty of giving a title to each of the Preludes, and called this one “Finis Poloniae.”

We have no idea whether this thought was uppermost in Chopin’s mind when he composed this solemn little piece, but it could well have been, since the Prelude was completed in 1838. Eight years earlier, Polish nationalists had revolted against their Russian masters, driven them out, and declared the Romanov dynasty deposed. Their triumph was short-lived: in September 1831 — 150 years ago, more or less—the Russian General Ivan Paskievich defeated the revolutionaries and seized Warsaw. Poland was forcibly incorporated into the Russian empire.

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Brian Crozier

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Why, during the repression of the Polish people, did I find myself thinking of the late Alfred Cortot and Chopin’s Ninth Prelude, in E major? Because Cortot, possibly the greatest exponent of Chopin, allowed himself the liberty of giving a title to each of the Preludes, and called this one “Finis Poloniae.”

We have no idea whether this thought was uppermost in Chopin’s mind when he composed this solemn little piece, but it could well have been, since the Prelude was completed in 1838. Eight years earlier, Polish nationalists had revolted against their Russian masters, driven them out, and declared the Romanov dynasty deposed. Their triumph was short-lived: in September 1831 — 150 years ago, more or less—the Russian General Ivan Paskievich defeated the revolutionaries and seized Warsaw. Poland was forcibly incorporated into the Russian empire.