Polish Songs, Op. 74

Composer: CHOPIN, Frédéric
  • Opus 74 is a collection of 17 (or 19) “Polish Songs” for voice and piano composed spontaneously between 1829-1847. The collection was published posthumously in the 1850s.
    1. Życzenie (A Maiden’s Wish)
    2. Wiosna (Spring)
    3. Smutna rzeka (Troubled Waters)
    4. Hulanka (Drinking Song)
    5. Gdzie lubi (A Fickle Maid)
    6. Precz z moich oczu (Remembrance)
    7. Poseł (The Messenger)
    8. Śliczny chłopiec (Handsome Lad)
    9. Melodia (Melody)
    10. Wojak (The Warrior)
    11. Dwojaki koniec (The Double-End)
    12. Moja pieszczotka (My Darling)
    13. Nie ma czego trzeba (I Want What I Have Not)
    14. Pierścień (The Ring)
    15. Narzeczony (The Bridegroom’s return)
    16. Piosnka litewska (Lithuanian Song)
    17. Śpiew z mogiły (Poland’s Dirge)
    18. Czary* 
    19. Dumka*
      • *Two songs were never assigned an opus number but are sometimes included in this collection as numbers 18 and 19.
  • Librettists:
    • Nos.1-5, 7, 10, 14-15, 18: Stefan Witwicki (1801-1847)
    • Nos.6, 12: Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855)
    • Nos.8, 11, 13, 19: Józef Bohdan Zaleski (1802-1886)
    • No.9: Zygmunt Krasiński (1812-1859)
    • No.16: Ludwik Osiński (1775-1838)
    • No.17: Wincenty Pol (1807-1872)1
      • All of these poets were contemporary Poles, and Chopin knew most of them personally.
  • These songs would not have been performed in public concerts but rather in intimate salon gatherings among family and friends.2

Sources

  1. “Polish Songs, Op.74 (Chopin, Frédéric),” IMSLP, accessed November 18, 2025, https://imslp.org/wiki/Polish_Songs,_Op.74_(Chopin,_Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric).
  2. John Henken, “Seven Songs from Op. 74,” LA Phil, accessed November 18, 2025, https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/3270/seven-songs-from-op-74.

Cut IDs

27628