Kłótnia przez zakład

The libretto was written by Jan Nepomucen Kamiński, who was the director of the Lviv Polish theatre since 1809. It is based on a Russian comedy The Sable Fur Coat[1] (Соболья шуба, или Спорь до слез, а об закладе не бейся) by Nicolai Kugushev published in 1803.[4][5] In a handwritten text of the libretto preserved at the National Ossoliński Institute in the Polish city of Wrocław it has two different title pages with two different subtitles referring to its genre: Sceniczna fraszka and Komedyo-opera.[6]

Jan Nepomucen Kamiński

Karol Lipiński was appointed for the post of the first violin and concertmaster at the Lemberg theater in 1810,[3] aged only 20. Two years later he was appointed its conductor. Thus it was for his own use he composed his three only operas, one of them being Kłótnia przez zakład. Around the same time he finished his three symphonies. He left Lviv[2] in 1814.[7]

The overture made use of the famous Polish national tune Jeszcze Polska nie zgineła, a fact that astonished listeners. Another piece of the opera, Starogdyrski's polonaise (Gdzież się podział...), became extremely popular[7][2] in Lviv for many years.[3]

The manuscript of the libretto and an incomplete set of orchestral parts of the opera is held at the Jagiellonian Library in Kraków.[1] Several texts for the music numbers were printed in 1815 (Rocznik Teatru Polskiego we Lwowie, 1814).[1]

The opera was definitely staged in Lviv in 1814,[2] but the first performance took place earlier.[8] It was well received by the public.[3] The role of Sowizdrzalski was played by Antoni Benza, who joined the theatre in 1811.[3][9]

A much later performance in Poznań (23 August 1838) is also known, with the original title added (Szuba sobolowa czyli Kłótnia przez zakład). The opera was also known as Szuba sobolowa lub brylantowy pierścień albo Zakład o kłótnię (The Sable Fur Coat, or, The Brilliant Ring, or, A Dispute over a Bet).[1]