Karol Lipinski

Karol Lipinski was a Polish violinist, composer, and teacher, born on October 30, 1790, in Radzyń Podlaski. He began learning the violin at the age of five from his father, Felix Lipinski, a violinist and conductor.

After his family moved to Lviv in 1799, Lipinski played in his father's orchestra and in chamber ensembles. In late 1809 he became concertmaster of the orchestra at Lviv's German theater, and two years later became its conductor. He lived in Lviv until 1839, working as a conductor and later as orchestra director; most of his compositions were written there.

In 1818 Lipinski traveled to Italy to hear Niccolò Paganini. The two musicians met often, played violin duets, improvised together, and performed a duet in Piacenza. Lipinski toured Russia repeatedly between 1819 and 1829, performing with Maria Szymanowska and Franz Liszt. Mikhail Glinka, Richard Wagner, and Hector Berlioz praised his playing. In 1829 he was concertmaster-soloist of the court orchestra in Warsaw.

Robert Schumann dedicated his piano cycle Carnival to Lipinski. He taught Henryk Wieniawski, Joseph Böhm, Joseph Joachim, and Stanisław Serwaczyński. In 1859 he founded and taught at a music school for peasant children in Urlow. Lipinski died on December 16, 1861, in Vyrliv.