Prince Maciej Radziwiłł () (10 November 1749 – 2 September 1800) was a Polish-Lithuanian noble (

szlachcic The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social class, a ...

), composer and

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

Biography

Around 1780, Maciej (Matthias) lived at

Nieśwież Nyasvizh or Nesvizh is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Nyasvizh District. Nyasvizh is the site of Nesvizh Castle, a World Heritage Site. In 2009, its population was 14,300. As of 2025, it has a populat ...

, the house of Karol Radziwiłł, governor of

Vilnius Province Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, who maintained a company of actors, musicians and dancers there and at his estates in Alba (near Nieśwież),

Ołyka Olyka (, ; ; ) is a city in Lutsk Raion, Volyn Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located east of Lutsk on the Putylivka Rriver. Its population is History The village of Olyka was founded in the early Middle Ages as one of the villages belonging ...

, Słuck,

Biała Podlaska Biała Podlaska (; ) is a city in the Lublin Voivodeship in eastern Poland with 56,498 inhabitants It is the capital of Biała Podlaska County, although the city is not part of the county (it constitutes a separate city county). The city lies on ...

and elsewhere. While at Nieśwież, Radziwiłł wrote the libretto for Jan Dawid Holland's opera ''Agatka, czyli Przyjazd pana'' (‘Agatha, or The Master's Arrival’) which was performed on 17 September 1784 during King Stanisław August's visit to Nieśwież. He also wrote the libretto and composed the music for the three-act opera ''Wójt osady albiańskiej'' (‘The Headman of the Settlers at Alba’) which premiered in Alba on 4 November 1786. Radziwiłł was owner of

Szydłowiec Szydłowiec (; ; ) is a town in Szydłowiec County, Mazovian Voivodeship, south-central Poland, with 5,243 inhabitants (31 December 2005). It is the seat of Gmina Szydłowiec (commune). Szydłowiec is part of the historic region of Lesser Polan ...

, Grand Podkomorzy of Lithuania since 1786, and

castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

since 1788. He moved to the town of Vilnius where he composed some instrumental and orchestral music and was awarded with the Order of the White Eagle on February 18, 1788.

Sources

*Alina Nowak-Romanowicz: "Prince Maciej Radziwiłł", ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed September 20, 2008)
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Secular senators of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1749 births 1800 deaths Polish composers Librettists Polish opera composers

Maciej Maciej (Polish pronunciation: ) is a Polish given name, the etymological equivalent of Matthias. Its diminutive forms are Maciek, Maciuś. Namedays according to Polish calendar: 30 January, 24 February, 14 May Maciej may refer to: Arts and ent ...

18th-century classical composers 18th-century male musicians Polish male classical composers Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland) Musicians from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth {{Lithuania-noble-stub