Roman Palester
Encyclopedia
Roman Palester was a Polish
composer of classical music. Palester composed his most significant work during the 1960s, and in 1964 was the first Polish musician to be awarded the Alfred Jurzykowski Prize. His work was individual in style, and not noticeably Polish in character.
Palester was born in Śniatyń
, Poland, in 1907. At age seven he began to learn to play the piano and by twelve was studying at the Music Institute in Kraków
. In 1925, he began to study art history at Warsaw University. Palester graduated from the Warsaw Conservatory with a degree in music theory and composition in 1931, having studied under Kazimierz Sikorski
. His first recognition came in 1932 when his "Psalm V for baritone, choir and orchestra" was awarded first place in the Competition of the Singers’ Societies Association .
Palester travelled extensively during his life and lived for times in Warsaw
, Paris
, and Munich
. He was outspoken on political matters and during the Second World War was briefly imprisoned in Warsaw's Pawiak prison. However, his reputation recovered, and by the late 1940s, he was widely regarded as one of Poland's greatest living composers, alongside Grażyna Bacewicz
and Andrzej Panufnik
. While in Munich, Palester worked for Radio Free Europe
, as the head of its Polish culture department and as the presenter of a series entitled "Music Abolishes the Frontiers". Both the station's acutely anti-communist stance and his own refusal to adopt the principles of Socialist Realism
lead to Palester being exiled from Poland, and the communist officials expunged both his name and scores from official publications and prohibited public performances of his work. He continued to compose abroad, and from the mid 1950s Palester experimented with twelve-tone serialism
. In 1963, he completed what has been described as his greatest work, "Śmierć Don Juana" ("Don Juan’s Death").
Although his compositions were highly regarded across Europe, it was not until the late 1970s that the Polish Composers' Union lifted the censorship ban on his work. In recent years, Palester’s music has largely fallen from the public view, in part due to his emigration to France early in his life. He remains highly regarded amongst specialists, but to date no revival of his work has caught the mainstream imagination. In 1999, Zofia Helman
wrote a monograph on his work in an attempt to restore Palester's position as a significant modern Polish composer. Describing Palester's individuality, Helman wrote that he stood as an example of "new compositional thinking, different not only from the musical production of the early 1950s that was burdened by Socialist Realist ideology, but also from the autonomous Neoclassical current that remained dominant among Polish composers".
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 of classical music. Palester composed his most significant work during the 1960s, and in 1964 was the first Polish musician to be awarded the Alfred Jurzykowski Prize. His work was individual in style, and not noticeably Polish in character.
Palester was born in Śniatyń
Sniatyn
Sniatyn is a city located in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, in western Ukraine along the Prut river. It is the administrative center of the Sniatynsky Raion , and is located at around . The current estimated population is around 10,500 ....
, Poland, in 1907. At age seven he began to learn to play the piano and by twelve was studying at the Music Institute in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. In 1925, he began to study art history at Warsaw University. Palester graduated from the Warsaw Conservatory with a degree in music theory and composition in 1931, having studied under Kazimierz Sikorski
Kazimierz Sikorski
Kazimierz Sikorski was a Polish composer.-Biography:Sikorski studied in Warsaw, first music at the Warsaw Conservatory and then philosophy at the University of Warsaw. He then studied in Lwów, which was Polish at the time, and Paris. In 1926, he became a teacher of composition at the Conservatory...
. His first recognition came in 1932 when his "Psalm V for baritone, choir and orchestra" was awarded first place in the Competition of the Singers’ Societies Association .
Palester travelled extensively during his life and lived for times 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...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. He was outspoken on political matters and during the Second World War was briefly imprisoned in Warsaw's Pawiak prison. However, his reputation recovered, and by the late 1940s, he was widely regarded as one of Poland's greatest living composers, alongside Grażyna Bacewicz
Grazyna Bacewicz
Grażyna Bacewicz was a Polish composer and violinist. She is only the second Polish female composer to have achieved national and international recognition, the first being Maria Szymanowska in the early 19th century.- Life :Bacewicz was born in Łódź...
and Andrzej Panufnik
Andrzej Panufnik
Sir Andrzej Panufnik was a Polish composer, pianist, conductor and pedagogue. He became established as one of the leading Polish composers, and as a conductor he was instrumental in the re-establishment of the Warsaw Philharmonic orchestra after World War II...
. While in Munich, Palester worked for Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
, as the head of its Polish culture department and as the presenter of a series entitled "Music Abolishes the Frontiers". Both the station's acutely anti-communist stance and his own refusal to adopt the principles of Socialist Realism
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
lead to Palester being exiled from Poland, and the communist officials expunged both his name and scores from official publications and prohibited public performances of his work. He continued to compose abroad, and from the mid 1950s Palester experimented with twelve-tone serialism
Serialism
In music, serialism is a method or technique of composition that uses a series of values to manipulate different musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though his contemporaries were also working to establish serialism as one example of...
. In 1963, he completed what has been described as his greatest work, "Śmierć Don Juana" ("Don Juan’s Death").
Although his compositions were highly regarded across Europe, it was not until the late 1970s that the Polish Composers' Union lifted the censorship ban on his work. In recent years, Palester’s music has largely fallen from the public view, in part due to his emigration to France early in his life. He remains highly regarded amongst specialists, but to date no revival of his work has caught the mainstream imagination. In 1999, Zofia Helman
Zofia Helman
Zofia Helman is a Polish musicologist and an honorary member of the Polish Composers' Union.-Life:Zofia Helman was born in Radom and studied musicology at the University of Warsaw from 1954-59...
wrote a monograph on his work in an attempt to restore Palester's position as a significant modern Polish composer. Describing Palester's individuality, Helman wrote that he stood as an example of "new compositional thinking, different not only from the musical production of the early 1950s that was burdened by Socialist Realist ideology, but also from the autonomous Neoclassical current that remained dominant among Polish composers".
Selected works
- "Psalm V", Baritone, Mixed choir and Orchestra, 1931.
- "Symphony No. 1", Orchestra, 1935.
- "Don Juan’s Death", Orchestra, 1963.
- "Concerto for Viola and Orchestra", 1978.
- "Hymnus pro gratiarum actione", Children’s choir, Mixed choir, and Instrumental ensemble, 1979.
- "Letters to My Mother", Cantata for baritone and Orchestra, 1987.