Aleksander Szeligowski
Encyclopedia
Aleksander Robert Szeligowski (24 August 1934 – 4 May 1993) was a Polish
composer
, conductor
, organist
and pedagogue. He studied in Poznań and Warsaw, later working as assistant conductor for the Poznań Philharmonic. Son of Tadeusz Szeligowski
, he is the author of numerous compositions for piano, female and mixed choirs and others.
, on 24 August 1934. He was initially educated in the class of Mariana Ochalskiego where he began playing organ, then at the State Music High School in Lublin
. Later he began studying at the State School of Music in Poznań
where he studied composition and organ, and at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw
, where he was a conducting student of Stanisław Wisłocki
and Bohdan Wodiczko
. He also studied composition under the guidance of his father, Tadeusz Szeligowski
, graduating in 1959, and again in 1960 in the class of Joseph Pawlak. From 1964 to 1993 he worked at the National School of music in Poznań, where he lectured, among other disciplines, score reading, orchestration
, composition and pedagogy
of improvisation.
In the second half of the 1960s, he worked as assistant conductor for the Poznań Philharmonic, and conducted symphony concerts in Poznań, Lublin, Wrocław and Szczecin
. In 1964 he became a member of the Polish Composers Union, becoming one of the authorities of the Poznań branch of this organization, and between 1965-1975 he worked with the Polish Television Centre in Poznań. From 1971 he served as Treasurer for the Poznań branch of the Polish Composers Union, ZKP (Zwiazek Kompozytorow Polskich), for several terms. He died in Poznań on 4 May 1993.
Vocal and instrumental works
Works for solo instruments and orchestra
Chamber music
Instrumental solo pieces
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
and pedagogue. He studied in Poznań and Warsaw, later working as assistant conductor for the Poznań Philharmonic. Son of Tadeusz Szeligowski
Tadeusz Szeligowski
Tadeusz Szeligowski was a Polish composer, educator, lawyer and music organizer. His works include the operas The Rise of the Scholars, Krakatuk and Theodor Gentlemen, the ballets The Peacock and the Girl and Mazepa ballets, two violin concertos, chamber and choral works.As a music teacher he was...
, he is the author of numerous compositions for piano, female and mixed choirs and others.
Life and work
Aleksander Szeligowski was born in Wilno, PolandSecond Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, on 24 August 1934. He was initially educated in the class of Mariana Ochalskiego where he began playing organ, then at the State Music High School in Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
. Later he began studying at the State School of Music in Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
where he studied composition and organ, and at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, where he was a conducting student of Stanisław Wisłocki
Stanisław Wisłocki
Stanisław Wisłocki was a Polish conductor of classical music who performed and recorded with many internationally renowned orchestras, ensembles and virtuoso musicians and is highly regarded for his interpretations of Beethoven, Mozart, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Schumann and Tchaikovsky.-Early...
and Bohdan Wodiczko
Bohdan Wodiczko
Bohdan Wodiczko was a Polish conductor and music teacher.He was the father of the Polish-American artist Krzysztof Wodiczko.-Footnotes:# - References :*...
. He also studied composition under the guidance of his father, Tadeusz Szeligowski
Tadeusz Szeligowski
Tadeusz Szeligowski was a Polish composer, educator, lawyer and music organizer. His works include the operas The Rise of the Scholars, Krakatuk and Theodor Gentlemen, the ballets The Peacock and the Girl and Mazepa ballets, two violin concertos, chamber and choral works.As a music teacher he was...
, graduating in 1959, and again in 1960 in the class of Joseph Pawlak. From 1964 to 1993 he worked at the National School of music in Poznań, where he lectured, among other disciplines, score reading, orchestration
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
, composition and pedagogy
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
of improvisation.
In the second half of the 1960s, he worked as assistant conductor for the Poznań Philharmonic, and conducted symphony concerts in Poznań, Lublin, Wrocław and Szczecin
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
. In 1964 he became a member of the Polish Composers Union, becoming one of the authorities of the Poznań branch of this organization, and between 1965-1975 he worked with the Polish Television Centre in Poznań. From 1971 he served as Treasurer for the Poznań branch of the Polish Composers Union, ZKP (Zwiazek Kompozytorow Polskich), for several terms. He died in Poznań on 4 May 1993.
Musical works
Stage works- Sick cat, a fairy tale for children (1967)
- Mite, operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
for Children in 3 Acts (1970) - KruszynkaMusculium lacustreMusculium lacustre is a species of small freshwater clam, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Sphaeriidae, the fingernail clams and pea clams.-Distribution:...
, opera for children (1970) - Bird's streets, a fable (1977)
Vocal and instrumental works
- Allegro for cello and piano (1957)
- Little suite for two violins and viola (1957)
- Three psalms for choir, strings and percussion (1958)
- Cycle for organ trios (1960)
- Lament of Agadir. Poem No. 2 for strings and percussion (1960)
- I'm sitting at the threshold [version I], a song for choir a cappella (1960)
- I'm sitting at the threshold [version II], a song for mixed choir a cappella (1960)
- Stojała lipeńka, a song for mixed chorus a cappella (1960)
- Four Songs for SopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
and 17 Instruments (1962) - Four Songs to Poems of [Zbigniew Herbert] for soprano and 17 instruments (1962)
- Three songs to words by Leopold StaffLeopold StaffLeopold Staff was a Polish poet and one of the greatest artists of European modernism honored two times by honorary degrees . He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
for soprano and instrumental ensemble (1963) - Wanderer, a song for mixed choir a cappella (1964)
- Three psalms for choir, strings and percussion (1965)
- Missa brevis [version II] for flute and organ (1965)
- Six pièces for flute and orguan (1967)
- Song of our university for mixed choir a cappella (1969)
- Humorous miniature for mixed choir a cappella (1970-71)
- Fugue for mixed choir a cappella (1971)
- Seven stars for mixed choir a cappella (1972-1973)
- Children's concerto in the Old Style for piano and orchestra (1973)
- Atokamala, a joke, for mixed choir a cappella (1974)
- With you, cycle songs to poems by Nikos Chadzinikolau for soprano and instrumental ensemble (1975-76)
- Three songs, to poems by Julian Tuwim for mixed choir and orchestra (1975-76)
- Dance preludes for mixed choir and percussion ad libitum (1976)
- Sketches for 2 oboes and bassoon (1976)
- Five proposals for 3 flutes and 2 vibes (1976)
- Cantilena and fugato for 5 accordions (1976)
- Seven songs for 2 and 3 voices a cappella, chorus girl (1977)
- Rock me to swing for 3 voices, children's choir and instrumental ensemble (1978)
- Sentences for 2 pianos (1978-79)
- The december bells for mixed choir a cappella (1978-79)
- Contrasts for alto and 7 instruments (1979)
- Musical variety for soloists, speaker, choir and orchestra (1979)
- Theme with variations for three female voices a cappella (1979)
- Kuma for 3 female voices a cappella (1979)
- The sea for mixed choir a cappella (1979)
- Three songs about Warsaw for various a cappella chorus (1979)
- Two Songs to Poems by Nikos Chadzinikolau for soprano and 7 instruments (1979-80)
- Humoresque for female choir a cappella (1980)
- Theme with variations for flute and strings (1981)
- Typewriter for children's choir and instrumental ensemble (1981)
Works for solo instruments and orchestra
- Concerto grosso for string orchestra (1950-1953)
- Poem No. 1 for string orchestra (1957)
- Concertino for piano and orchestra (1965)
- Scherzo for orchestra (1966)
- Concerto for bassoon and orchestra (1970)
- Concerto for flute and orchestra (1970-71)
- Waltz concerto for piano and orchestra (1971)
- Concerto for horn and orchestra (1973)
- Two cycles of works for young people for violin and orchestra (1976)
- Concerto for clarinet and orchestra (1979-80)
- The question mark for soloists, reciter, chorus and orchestra (1979-80)
- Small classical concerto for flute (or oboe) and instrumental ensemble (1981)
- Ad Patrem for string orchestra, (1987)
Chamber music
- A series of songs to words by Andrzej Partum for soprano and chamber orchestra (1961)
- Vocalise for soprano and chamber ensemble (1963)
- Suite for Flute Di 5 and String Quartet (1965)
- Miniatures for trombone and piano (1965)
- Miniatures for flute and piano (1965)
- Miniatures for piano (1966)
- Heroes of the Wielkopolska Uprising. Poem No. 3 for string orchestra (1966)
- Miniatures for string quartet (1967-68)
- Mythological Ode for flute and chamber orchestra (1968)
- Triple concerto for one performer on the oboe, English horn, oboe and strings (1969)
- Suite (children), for oboe and piano (1978-79)
- Wielkopolska Bride for small band (1979)
- Musica per otto for orchestra (1979)
- Solo e tutti for Strings (1979)
- Musica per archi (1979)
- Musica di camera for 8 instruments (1979)
- Two pieces for organ, sheet metal, percussion and strings (1980)
- Little suite Szamotulska for piano and instrumental ensemble (1981)
- Suite for string orchestra (1981)
- Two humorous for flute (or oboe), bassoon and chamber ensemble (1981)
- Miniatures for wind quintet and 2 percussion instruments (1987)
Instrumental solo pieces
- Four aphorisms for piano (1954-1955)
- Sonata for organ No. 1 (1955)
- Scherzo for organ (1956)
- Sonata for organ No. 2 (1957)
- Missa brevis [version] for solo organ (1959)
- For six for percussion (1976)
- Album with pictures for piano (1978-79)
- Three pieces for Piano (1979)
- Allegro for accordion (1980)
- A series of songs for children for piano for four hands (1980)
- Little Children Sonatinas for piano (1981)
- Variety of different sets for woodwind (1981)
- Impression for organ
External links
- Profile: Aleksander Szeligowski at the Polish Music Information Center - Website