ABSTRACT

During the early summer months of 1917, as August Iwanski recalled, life in his and the Szymanowski's region of the Ukraine had continued much as before. Families had remained on their estates, hoping that civil disorders could somehow be averted, but in July came 'worrying news of pogroms and murders. Old Prince Roman Sanguszko was probably the first victim'. 1 Though remaining on his estate until November, Iwanski immediately moved his father to the safe haven of Anna Szymanowska's house in Elizavetgrad. The Szymanowskis also abandoned their property at Tymoszowka for 'the indescribable hurly-burly' of the house at 41 Gogol Street in Elizavetgrad. Apart from Felcio, who was in Kiev, they remained there for over two years with 'nearly all the more valuable Tymoszowka furniture and all the bits and pieces collected over the decades crammed into a not very large house'. 2 As it was, they were later prevented from taking away personal items from Tymoszowka, leading Szymanowski to remark wrily to Uniechowski that it was an original concept of agrarian reform which embraced 'along with the land, the shirt, furniture and especially the cellar of the previous owners!' 3 It also confirmed him in his belief that freedom is like a piano: 'only for those who know how to play it'. 4 It was perhaps fortunate, under the circumstances, that Anna Szymanowska herself was seriously distracted by the unexpected betrothal of her daughter, Zofia, to Mieczyslaw Grzybowski ('I would have preferred not to have had a second son-in-law at this time, and not such a one as this' 5 ). Szymanowski himself complained to Spiess that their existence was 'sad, colourless and to some extent hopeless'. He was, however, determined to be 'sufficient to himself and even to carry on working if possible: