Napoleon Orda
| Napoleon Orda | |
|---|---|
Orda on a 19th century lithograph
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| Born |
February 11, 1807 Worocewicze, Pinsk, Russian Empire (formerly Poland) |
| Died | April 26, 1883 (aged 76) Warsaw, Congress Poland |
Napoleon Mateusz Tadeusz Orda (Belarusian: Напалео́н О́рда; February 11, 1807 – April 26, 1883) was a Polish-Lithuanian musician, pianist, composer and artist, best known for numerous sketches of historical sites of present-day Belarus, Lithuania, and Poland.
Napoleon Orda was born in the village of Worocewicze in the Pinsk district of Minsk Governorate (now Ivanava Raion, Brest Region, Belarus) in his father's manor. His father Michał Orda was an impoverished noble of Lithuanian ancestry and the marshal of the powiat of Kobryn. After finishing Svislach gymnasium in 1823, he started mathematical studies at the Vilnius University. However, his university career came to an end on August 27, 1826 when he was arrested by the Russian secret police for taking part in a secret student society "Zorzanie", which was active in Svislach and Białystok gymnasiums. Although he was released soon afterwards, he was expelled from the university and was not allowed to continue his studies.
Napoleon Orda took part in the failed November Uprising of 1830 against Russia and served with distinction in the famous 4th Regiment (Czwartacy). For his bravery he received the highest Polish military decoration, the Virtuti Militari. After the uprising his manor was confiscated and Orda had to flee abroad in order to avoid being imprisoned and sent to Siberia.
He travelled through many European countries, including Italy and Switzerland. Finally in 1833, he settled in Paris, where he became one of the prominent members of the Polish diaspora there and one of the close friends of Fryderyk Chopin. He studied piano play under the guidance of Chopin and Franz Liszt and wrote several mazurkas, waltzes and polonaises. While in Paris he also studied painting briefly with Pierre Girard and started to portray his long lost motherland in countless sketches.
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