A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Janiewicz, Felix

by Victor de Pontigny

JANIEWICZ,^[1] Felix, violinist,a Polish gentleman, born at Wilna 1762. He went to Vienna in 1784 or 5 to see Haydn and Mozart, and hear their works conducted by themselves. He had nearly made arrangements to study composition under Haydn, when a Polish princess offered to take him to Italy; and he availed himself of her protection in order to hear the best violinists of the period, such as Nardini, Pugnani and others, as well as the best singers. After 3 years in Italy he went to Paris, and appeared at the Concerts Spirituels and Olympiens. Madame de Genlis procured him a pension from the Duc d'0rléans as a musician on the establishment of Mademoiselle d'0rléans, but on the reduction of the expenses of the Duke's court in 1790 he left Paris. In 1792 he came to London, and made his débût in February at Salomon's Concerts. He also appeared at Rauzzini's Bath concerts, visited Ireland several times, and for many years conducted the subscription concerts at Liverpool and Manchester. In 1800 he married Miss Breeze, a Liverpool lady. He was one of the 30 members who originally formed the London Philharmonic Society, and was one of the leaders of the orchestra in its first season. In 1815 he settled in Edinburgh, took leave of the public at a farewell concert in 1829, and died in that city in 1848.

His style was pure, warm, and full of feeling, with that great execution in octaves which La Motte first introduced into England. Besides this, he was an excellent conductor. Parke in his Musical Memoirs, and G. F. Graham in his account of the Edinburgh Musical Festival in 1815, speak of the elegant and finished execution of his Concertos. Some of these were published in Paris; but he considered his best work to be a set of 3 Trios for 2 Violins and Bass, published in London. [App. p. 685 "An andante of Mozart's for violin and orchestra, dated April 1, 1785 (K. 470), is believed by Jahn (iii. 297) to have been written for Janiewicz."]

[ V. de P. ]

1. As the letter J in Polish has the sound of I or Y, he altered the spelling of his name to Yaniewicz, in order that in England it might be pronounced correctly.