Grażyna Bacewicz
family name, her other brother Kiejstut identified himself as Polish. Her father, Wincenty gave Grażyna her first piano and violin
lessons. At the age of eighteen she began studying at the Warsaw Conservatory and graduated in 1932 as a violinist and composer.
She continued her education in Paris, having received financial backing by Ignacy Jan Paderewski to attend the École Normale de
Musique. She studied there from 1932 to 1933 under the direction of Nadia Boulanger. She also studied the violin with Henri Touret.
Later on when she left France to learn from the Hungarian violinist Carl Flesch.
After Bacewicz completed her studies, she participated in many events as a soloist, composer as well as jury member. She was the
principal violinist of the Polish Radio orchestra during the 1930s, which at that time was directed by Grzegorz Fitelberg. It gave her the
opportunity to play a lot of her own music. During World War II, Grażyna Bacewicz was living in Warsaw, yet still continued to compose
her music, giving secret underground concerts. It was then that her Suite for Two Violins premiered.
Most of her compositions are for the violin. Among them are seven violin concertos, five sonatas for violin with piano including two for
violin solo, seven string quartets, two piano quintets and four symphonies.
Bacewicz was married in 1936, and gave birth to a daughter, Alina Biernacka, who became a recognized painter. After the war, she
assumed the position of professor at the State Conservatory of Music in Łódź. She began to focus more activity on composition, and it
became her only occupation after she suffered a serious car accident in 1954. She died in Warsaw in 1969.
Works for solo instruments
Four preludes for piano (1924)
Children's Suite for piano (1933)
Sonata for Violin (1941) - premiered at an underground concert in Warsaw
Esquisse for organ (1966)
Second Piano Sonata (premiered 1953)
Chamber music
Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon and Horn (1932)
1st Prize in the Concours de la Société "Aide aux femmes de professions libres", Paris, 1933
Suite for Two Violins (1943) - premier at an underground concert in Warsaw
String Quartet No. 3 (1947) - Polish Ministry of Culture Award, 1955
String Quartet No. 4 (1951) - 1st Prize, Concours International pour Quatuor a Cordes, Liege, 1951
String Quartet No. 5 (1955)
String Quartet No. 6 (1960)
String Quartet No. 7 (1967)
Orchestral works
Overture (1943)
Concerto for String Orchestra (1948) - Polish State Prize, 1950
Symphony No. 2 (1951)
Symphony No. 3 (1952)
Symphony No. 4 (1953) - Polish Ministry of Culture Prize, 1955
Muzyka na smyczki, trąbki i perkusję (Music for Strings, Trumpets, and Percussion) (1958)
3rd Prize, Tribune Internationale (UNESCO), Paris 1960
Concerto for Symphony Orchestra (1962)
Contradizione for chamber orchestra (1966) - commissioned by Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, New Hampshire
Concertos
Concerto No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra (1937)
Concerto No. 3 for Violin and Orchestra (1948) - Polish Ministry of Culture Award, 1955
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1949) - 2nd prize, Chopin Composition Competition, Warsaw, 1949
Concerto No. 5 for Violin and Orchestra (1954)
Concerto No. 7 for Violin and Orchestra (1965)
Belgian Government Prize, Gold Medal - Concours Musical International Reine Elisabeth de Belgique, Brussels, 1965
Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (1966)
Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1968)
Music for voice with orchestra
Olympic Cantata (1948) for choir and orchestra
Mention, International Olympic Arts Competition, London, 1948; Polish State Prize, 1948. (Re:17th-century comedy by Piotr Baryka
Acropolis, a cantata for choir and orchestra (1964) - commissioned for the 600th anniversary of Jagiellonian University
Stage works
Z chłopa król (Peasant King), a ballet (1953) to the libretto of Artur Maria Swinarski
Przygoda Króla Artura (The Adventure of King Arthur), a radio opera (1959)
Polish Radio and Television Conmittee Award, Warsaw, 1960
Esik in Ostend, a ballet (1964)
source: Wikipedia
lessons. At the age of eighteen she began studying at the Warsaw Conservatory and graduated in 1932 as a violinist and composer.
She continued her education in Paris, having received financial backing by Ignacy Jan Paderewski to attend the École Normale de
Musique. She studied there from 1932 to 1933 under the direction of Nadia Boulanger. She also studied the violin with Henri Touret.
Later on when she left France to learn from the Hungarian violinist Carl Flesch.
After Bacewicz completed her studies, she participated in many events as a soloist, composer as well as jury member. She was the
principal violinist of the Polish Radio orchestra during the 1930s, which at that time was directed by Grzegorz Fitelberg. It gave her the
opportunity to play a lot of her own music. During World War II, Grażyna Bacewicz was living in Warsaw, yet still continued to compose
her music, giving secret underground concerts. It was then that her Suite for Two Violins premiered.
Most of her compositions are for the violin. Among them are seven violin concertos, five sonatas for violin with piano including two for
violin solo, seven string quartets, two piano quintets and four symphonies.
Bacewicz was married in 1936, and gave birth to a daughter, Alina Biernacka, who became a recognized painter. After the war, she
assumed the position of professor at the State Conservatory of Music in Łódź. She began to focus more activity on composition, and it
became her only occupation after she suffered a serious car accident in 1954. She died in Warsaw in 1969.
Works for solo instruments
Four preludes for piano (1924)
Children's Suite for piano (1933)
Sonata for Violin (1941) - premiered at an underground concert in Warsaw
Esquisse for organ (1966)
Second Piano Sonata (premiered 1953)
Chamber music
Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon and Horn (1932)
1st Prize in the Concours de la Société "Aide aux femmes de professions libres", Paris, 1933
Suite for Two Violins (1943) - premier at an underground concert in Warsaw
String Quartet No. 3 (1947) - Polish Ministry of Culture Award, 1955
String Quartet No. 4 (1951) - 1st Prize, Concours International pour Quatuor a Cordes, Liege, 1951
String Quartet No. 5 (1955)
String Quartet No. 6 (1960)
String Quartet No. 7 (1967)
Orchestral works
Overture (1943)
Concerto for String Orchestra (1948) - Polish State Prize, 1950
Symphony No. 2 (1951)
Symphony No. 3 (1952)
Symphony No. 4 (1953) - Polish Ministry of Culture Prize, 1955
Muzyka na smyczki, trąbki i perkusję (Music for Strings, Trumpets, and Percussion) (1958)
3rd Prize, Tribune Internationale (UNESCO), Paris 1960
Concerto for Symphony Orchestra (1962)
Contradizione for chamber orchestra (1966) - commissioned by Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, New Hampshire
Concertos
Concerto No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra (1937)
Concerto No. 3 for Violin and Orchestra (1948) - Polish Ministry of Culture Award, 1955
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1949) - 2nd prize, Chopin Composition Competition, Warsaw, 1949
Concerto No. 5 for Violin and Orchestra (1954)
Concerto No. 7 for Violin and Orchestra (1965)
Belgian Government Prize, Gold Medal - Concours Musical International Reine Elisabeth de Belgique, Brussels, 1965
Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (1966)
Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1968)
Music for voice with orchestra
Olympic Cantata (1948) for choir and orchestra
Mention, International Olympic Arts Competition, London, 1948; Polish State Prize, 1948. (Re:17th-century comedy by Piotr Baryka
Acropolis, a cantata for choir and orchestra (1964) - commissioned for the 600th anniversary of Jagiellonian University
Stage works
Z chłopa król (Peasant King), a ballet (1953) to the libretto of Artur Maria Swinarski
Przygoda Króla Artura (The Adventure of King Arthur), a radio opera (1959)
Polish Radio and Television Conmittee Award, Warsaw, 1960
Esik in Ostend, a ballet (1964)
source: Wikipedia
| Grażyna Bacewicz - String Quartet 3 - 3 of 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSYngG4_iJk&feature=related |
Grażyna Bacewicz (February 5, 1909 – January 17, 1969) was a Polish composer and violinist.
She is the second Polish female composer to have achieved national as well as international
acclaim. The first was Maria Szymanowska in the early 19th century.
Bacewicz was born in Łódź, Poland. While her father and brother Vytautas identified themselves
as Lithuanian using Bacevičius a the family name, her other brother Kiejstut identified himself as
Polish. Her father, Wincenty gave Grażyna her first piano and violin lessons. At the age of
eighteen she began studying at the Warsaw Conservatory and graduated in 1932 as a violinist
and composer. She continued her education in Paris, having received financial backing by Ignacy
Jan Paderewski to attend the École Normale de Musique. She studied there from 1932 to 1933
under the direction of Nadia Boulanger. She also studied the violin with Henri Touret. Later on
when she left France to learn from the Hungarian violinist Carl Flesch.
She is the second Polish female composer to have achieved national as well as international
acclaim. The first was Maria Szymanowska in the early 19th century.
Bacewicz was born in Łódź, Poland. While her father and brother Vytautas identified themselves
as Lithuanian using Bacevičius a the family name, her other brother Kiejstut identified himself as
Polish. Her father, Wincenty gave Grażyna her first piano and violin lessons. At the age of
eighteen she began studying at the Warsaw Conservatory and graduated in 1932 as a violinist
and composer. She continued her education in Paris, having received financial backing by Ignacy
Jan Paderewski to attend the École Normale de Musique. She studied there from 1932 to 1933
under the direction of Nadia Boulanger. She also studied the violin with Henri Touret. Later on
when she left France to learn from the Hungarian violinist Carl Flesch.
Grazyna Bacewicz before World War II
