Władysław Żeleński was among the most important educators and opera composers in Poland during the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was also a noted pianist and conductor. Żeleński's writing was generally conservative, composed in classical forms with tonal harmony. Though his operas may be what he is best known for, his published output favored works for piano and songs for voice and piano. While a number of his works have been lost and there have been questions of authenticity, many have survived and continue to be performed and recorded. Żeleński was born in Grodkowice, Poland, on July 6, 1837. He began his musical studies in Kraków, studying piano with Jan Germasz and harmony with Franciszek Mirecki. He moved to Prague in 1859 to continue his education, working there with Alexander Dreyschock for piano and Joseph Krejcí for composition. Żeleński earned a PhD in philosophy from the University of Prague in 1862. In 1866, he moved to Paris to study composition with Henri Reber and Berthold Demcke. After returning to Poland in 1871, Żeleński became a professor of harmony and counterpoint at the Warsaw Music Institute in 1872, teaching there until 1878. He returned to Kraków in 1881 and took on the same role at the Kraków Music Society School. During this time, Żeleński conducted symphony concerts and wrote for the journal Czas. With the backing of Princess Marcelina Czartoryska, a former student of Chopin, Żeleński turned the Kraków Music Society School into the Conservatory of the Kraków Music Society (now the Academy of Music in Kraków). Żeleński served as the conservatory's director until 1921, also teaching theory, organ, and piano there. Among his students at the conservatory were Zygmunt Stojowski, Roman Statkowski, Henryk Opieński, and many others. Żeleński died in Kraków on January 23, 1921. Żeleński had made a name for himself as a composer before his return to Kraków, notably for his Symphony (1871), the overture In the Tatra Mountains (1872), and numerous songs and pieces for piano. He completed his first opera, Konrad Wallenrod, in 1885 and would go on to write three more: Goplana (1891), Janek (1900), and Stara baśń (1907). His operatic writing was influenced by Wagner, Polish operatic traditions, and the French grand opera. Many of Żeleński's works for larger ensembles survived only in reduced scores, with an unknown number lost. Included in those that survived are around 100 songs for voice and piano, three cantatas, and a piano concerto.