Grażyna Bacewicz

Grażyna Bacewicz studied at Chopin University of Music and École Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot. Training under Nadia Boulanger is recorded. The recorded working language is Polish. The field of work recorded is music and violin performance. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are opera, symphony and classical music. Employment is recorded with Chopin University of Music. Distinctions recorded are Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Medal of the 10th Anniversary of People's Poland, Work Flag Order, 1st class and Work Flag Order, 2nd class.

• Name — Grażyna Bacewicz • Born — 5 February 1909 • Died — 17 January 1969 • Birthplace — Łódź, Congress Poland, Russian Empire • Place of death — Warsaw, Poland

Bacewicz was born in Łódź on February 5, 1909 to parents Maria and Vincas Bacevičius. Her father, having been from Lithuania, instilled a deep connection to their Lithuanian heritage, despite changing his name from the Lithuanian Bacevičius to Bacewicz. He also was her first music teacher, and insisted all four of their children study violin, piano, and fundamental music theory from a young age. Grażyna was the third of four children, with two older brothers, Kiejstut Bacewicz and Vytautas, and one younger sister, Wanda. Vytautas identified as Lithuanian, using his father's original last name (Bacevičius), and also became an accomplished pianist and composer. Grażyna performed her first concert at the age of seven, alongside her brothers, and she wrote her first piece at around thirteen years old. In 1928, she began studying at the Warsaw Conservatory, where she studied violin with Józef Jarzębski and composition with Kazimierz Sikorski; she also studied piano with Józef Turczyński for two semesters. After graduating in 1932, she attended composition classes led by Nadia Boulanger at the École Normale de Musique. During this time, she continued to play violin, and studied with André Touret and Carl Flesch. After completing her studies, Bacewicz continued her musical career as both a composer and performer, appearing as a soloist and acting as a jury member for competitions. She served as the concertmaster of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, directed by Grzegorz Fitelberg from 1936-1938. During this time, the orchestra performed her first violin concerto, as well as her Three Songs for tenor and orchestra. In 1936, she married physician and medical professor Adrzej Biernacki, and the couple had a daughter, Alina Biernacka, in 1942. During World War II, Bacewicz moved to Warsaw, where she continued to compose and perform in secretive underground concerts, which is where she premiered her Suite for Two Violins. Following the Warsaw uprising, Bacewicz and her family escaped the destroyed city and temporarily settled in Lublin. After the war, she took up a position as a professor at the State Conservatoire of Music in Łódź. “Bacewicz’s reputation grew during the post-war era, despite the general censorship resulting from political realisation of socialist cultural reforms”. Despite the ideological control of the arts, Bacewicz continued composing from 1945 to 1955, even though it was difficult to perform many of her compositions. With her rising recognition, as well as growing number of awards and commissions, she began to shift her focus towards composition. In 1954, she was involved in a car accident, causing her family minor injuries, but breaking Bacewicz's pelvis and some of her ribs, hospitalizing her for an extended period. This forced her to consider composition as her only occupation, as she was no longer able to perform. In 1956, the first Warsaw Autumn Festival featured three of her compositions, and at each of the Autumn Festivals in subsequent years, her music became a signature of the events. Her output became prolific during this time, and was widely acclaimed. She continued to compose until her death in 1969 in Warsaw.

• Four Preludes for piano (1924) • Sonata (for solo violin) (1929) – early work, no number • Children's Suite for piano (1933) • 3 Groteski for piano (1935) • Sonata for violin (1941) – premiered at an underground concert in Warsaw • Polish Capriccio for solo violin (1949) • Piano Sonata No. 1 (1949) (published in 2022 by PWM) • Capriccio No. 2 for solo violin (1952) • Piano Sonata No. 2 (premiered 1953) • Rondino for piano (1953) • Two Etudes in Double Notes for piano (1955) • Sonatina for piano (1955) • 10 Concert Etudes for Piano (1956) • Sonata No. 2 (for solo violin) (1958) • Mały tryptyk [Little Triptych] for piano (1965) • Esquisse for organ (1966) • Rybki [Fish] for piano (1967) • 4 Capriccios for violin (also trans. for viola) (1968)

• Quintet for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn (1932) – First Prize in the Concours de la Société "Aide aux femmes de professions libres", Paris, 1933 • Variations on a Lithuanian Folksong for violin and piano (1934) • Trio for oboe, violin and cello (1935) • Sonata for oboe and piano (1937) • String Quartet No. 1 (1938) • String Quartet No. 2 (1942) • Suite for two violins (1943) – premiere at an underground concert in Warsaw • Sonata da camera, violin and piano (1945) • Andante sostenuto (4th mov't of Sonata da camera for cello (or violin) and organ)(1946) • Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano (1946) • Capriccio for Violin and Piano (1946) • Sonata No. 3 for violin and piano (1947) • String Quartet No. 3 (1947) – Polish Ministry of Culture Award, 1955 • Polish Dance for violin and piano (1948) • Trio for oboe, clarinet and bassoon (1948) • Polish Capriccio for clarinet and piano (1949, trans. 1954) • Melody and Capriccio for violin and piano (1949) • Sonata No. 4 for violin and piano (1949) • Quartet for 4 violins (1949) • Oberek No. 1 for violin and piano (1949) • String Quartet No. 4 (1951) – First Prize, Concours International pour Quatuor a Cordes, Liège, 1951 • Oberek No. 2 for violin and piano (1951) • Mazovian Dance for violin and piano (1951) • Sonata No. 5 for violin and piano (1951) • Piano Quintet No. 1 (1952) • Lullaby for violin and piano (1952) • Slavonic Dance for violin and piano (1952) • Humoresque for violin and piano (1953) • String Quartet No. 5 (1955) • Sonatina for oboe and piano (1955) • Partita for violin and piano (1955) • String Quartet No. 6 (1960) • Quartet for 4 cellos (1964) • Incrustations for horn and chamber ensemble (1965) • Piano Quintet No. 2 (1965) • Trio for oboe, harp and percussion (1965) • String Quartet No. 7 (1965)

• Overture (1943) • Symphony No. 1 (1945) • Symphony for String Orchestra (1946) • Concerto for String Orchestra (1948) – Polish State Prize, 1950 • Polish Capriccio for violin and orchestra (1949) • Symphony No. 2 (1951) • Symphony No. 3 (1952) • Symphony No. 4 (1953) – Polish Ministry of Culture Prize, 1955 • Partita for orchestra (1955) • Variations for orchestra (1957) • Music for Strings, Trumpets, and Percussion (1958) – Third Prize, Tribune Internationale (UNESCO), Paris 1960 • Pensieri notturni, chamber orchestra (1961) • Concerto for Symphony Orchestra (1962) • Musica sinfonica in tre movimenti (1965) • Divertimento, string orchestra (1965) • Contradizione for chamber orchestra (1966) – commissioned by Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, New Hampshire • In una parte (1967)

• Violin • Concerto No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra (1937) • Concerto No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra (1945) • Concerto No. 3 for Violin and Orchestra (1948) – Polish Ministry of Culture Award, 1955 • Concerto No. 4 for Violin and Orchestra (1951) • Concerto No. 5 for Violin and Orchestra (1954) • Concerto No. 6 for Violin and Orchestra (1957) – unpublished and never performed [UPDATE: Premiere performance 7 December 2019, Bartłomiej Nizioł, violin; Christoph König, conductor; Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra / Orkiestra Filharmonii Narodowej. Source: ZTJ7rWwPnEY] • Concerto No. 7 for Violin and Orchestra (1965) – Belgian Government Prize, Gold Medal – Concours Musical International Reine Elisabeth de Belgique, Brussels, 1965 • Viola • Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1968) • Cello • Concerto No. 1 for Cello and Orchestra (1951) • Concerto No. 2 for Cello and Orchestra (1963) • Piano • Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1949) – Second prize, Chopin Composition Competition, Warsaw, 1949 • Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (1966)

• Róże [Roses] (1934) • Mów do mnie, o miły [Speak to Me, My Dear] (1936) • Three Arabic Songs, for soprano and piano (1938) • Oto jest noc [Here is the Night] (1947) • Smuga cienia [A Streak of Shadow] (1948) • Rozstanie [Leave-taking] (1949) • Nad wodą wielką i czystą [Over the Big and Clear Waters] (1955) • Dzwon i dzwonki [Large Bell and Small Bells] (1955) • Boli mnie głowa [I Have a Headache] (1955) • Sroczka [Little Magpie] (1956)

• Three Arabic Songs, for tenor and orchestra (1938) • Olympic Cantata (1948) for choir and orchestra – Mention, Olympic Arts Competition, London, 1948; Polish State Prize, 1948. After the 17th-century comedy by Piotr Baryka. • Acropolis, a cantata for choir and orchestra (1964) – commissioned for the 600th anniversary of Jagiellonian University.

• Zaloty [Courtship] for male chorus (1968)

• 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 Committee Award, Warsaw, 1960 • Esik in Ostend, a ballet (1964) • Pożądanie [Desire], orchestra, tape – ballet (1969, unfinished; completed by Bogusław Madey)

Her recorded language was Polish. She was the child of Vincas Bacevičius. One child is recorded: Alina Biernacka. Other recorded relations include Joanna Sendłak.

Grażyna Bacewicz is recorded as having studied at Chopin University of Music and École Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot.