Maciejewski, Roman (1910-1998)
Quintet (18:00) Los Angeles, 1971 Publisher: Euterpe (c2012)
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X Allegro
XI Tranquillo
XII
XIII Rubato
XIV
XV Allegro
Instrumentation: flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon
This neo-classical, tonal sounding composition was written for Maciejewski’s students in Los Angeles. The work was supposed to demonstrate that even though discarding classical harmony and involving twelve–tone harmony, it still can sound or be tonal. When looking from this perspective one may say it is very successful; however one might argue that only some movements sound like they involve twelve-tone harmony and others are purely neo-classical. The first movement is a play on seconds, which creates the resolved dissonance and tension. The first movement is also very distinct because of the bassoon solo melody in the high register. That pretty melody comes back in movement XV as a sort of memory-like, tranquil part. A few movements are written as waltzes, and some have extensive solo lines, for example, movement IV has an improvisatory cadenza in the oboe, and movement XIII is a flute solo. Movement VIII is a duet between bassoon and clarinet. The big leaps in the bassoon are hard to make sound smooth. Overall the composition is playful, improvisatory and highly chromatic.
The composition has its difficult moments, as the composer reaches sometimes for high registers in all the instruments. There is a good amount of unison for 3 instruments, especially in the last movement. There are many instances where the instruments play duets in thirds against the accompaniment.
Grade: IV-V
Recordings: none
Sheet music source: Euterpe.pl
Roman Maciejewski
Born in Berlin, Germany on February 28, 1910 and died in Goteborg, Sweden on April 30, 1998.
He was a composer, pianist and conductor. He first studied piano with B. Goldenweiser at the J. Stern Conservatory in Berlin. His family moved to Leszno in 1919 and he continued his music study privately. In 1924 he entered Poznań Conservatory of Music and between 1928-30 he studied musicology at the University of Poznań. In 1931 he bagan composition study with Kazimierz Sikorski at the Warsaw Conservatory of Msuic, but in 1932 he was expelled for participating and organizing a student strike in support of Karol Szymanowski’s PhD degree.
In 1934 he received a scholarship to study in Paris with Nadia Boulanger and had the opportunity to meet I. Stravinsky, D. Milhaud, and F. Poulenc. From 1938-39 he stayed in England and in 1939 he moved to Sweden. In 1945 his concerto for piano and orchestra “Allegro Concertante” was significantly successful and he performed it in numerous concerts. He was very much interested in promoting Polish music and was frequently heard on Swedish radio performing works by Chopin and other Polish composers. He established Polish Union in Sweden. In 1951 he was invited by A. Rubinstein to visit USA but he rejected the invitation and a chance to write a piano concerto for Rubenstein.
From 1952-55 he lived in as artists’ colony in Santa Monica, then moved to Los Angeles where he became an organist. In 1960 he conducted his most important composition “Requiem” at Warsaw Autumn Festival. His biggest success was the performance of the “Requiem” at the Music Center in Los Angeles. New opportunities of career advancement followed but he rejected them and instead he travelled to the Canary Islands where he established new place of living. In 1976 he travelled back to Poland, and later to Sweden. It was Goteborg, where he found his destination until his death. Maciejewski’s compositions continue the traditions derived from the great composers as Chopin and Szymanowski, however these traditions are ingrained in his new original musical language.