Bacewicz, Grażyna (1909-1969)
Quintet for Wind Instruments (10:00) Paris, 1932 Publisher: PWM (c1978)
I. Allegro
II. Air- Andante
III. Allegretto
IV. Vivo
Instrumentation: flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon.
Bacewicz’s compositional output can be divided into four periods: 1932-44, 1945-54, 1955-60, 1961-69. This award-winning quintet (1st prize at the Concours de la Societe “Aide aux femmes de professions libres” Paris 1933) falls into the first period, which is influenced by Bacewicz’s study with her teacher Kazimierz Sikorski (Warsaw) and Nadia Boulanger (Paris). Thus, it is a neo-classical composition characterized by clarity, and wit; and also by interesting bi-tonal melodic lines, and harmonic combinations. Flexible phrasing and metric displacement make it sound as if it were influenced by music of Poulenc. The first movement Allegro is composed in sonata form. The following two movements have folk elements imbedded in the music, and the last movement vivo incorporates Baroque restyling.
This work requires solo and ensemble rhythmic precision. Looking from this perspective, the hardest movements to play together as an ensemble are movements III and IV. The sixteenth note lines near the end of the piece present a special difficulty. Played well it creates a brilliant ending.
Grade: V-VI
Recordings: Bacewicz-Kilar-Szeligowski Wind Quintets, Cracow Philharmonic Wind Quintet, Label: Acte Prealable. Available on iTunes, earsense.org.
Sheet music source: pwm.com.pl, boosey.com, trevcomusic.com
Grażyna Bacewicz
Born February 5, 1909 in Łódź; died January 17, 1969 in Warsaw.
She was a composer, violinist and teacher. Born to Polish and Lithuanian parents, who were musically inclined, she started to learn piano and violin from her father at a very young age. In 1919 she started to attend a private conservatory where she studied violin, piano and theory. Her first short compositions date back to her time at that school. It was also here, where she met Kazimierz Sikorski, her future teacher at the Warsaw Conservatory. In 1928 she graduated from Łódź Conservatory and continued her study in Warsaw under Kazimierz Sikorski. She graduated from the conservatory in 1932 with two diplomas in composition and violin.
At first Grażyna was very successful as a concert violinist and often performed with her brother. During that time she toured Poland and other Baltic countries. In the fall of 1932 she left Poland for Paris where she became a student of Nadia Boulanger at the Ecole Normale de Musique, and entered violin class of Andre Touret. In the years that followed she traveled between France and Poland, and even thought violin, harmony and counterpoint at the Conservatory in Łódż during 1933-34 school year.
In 1933 she received first prize at the competition “Aide aux femmes de professions libres” for her Woodwind quintet. In 1935 she was a third place prizewinner at the First Wieniawski Violin Competition. A year later she became a member of newly formed Polish Radio Orchestra where she player for 2 and a half years. Also in 1936 she won second prize for her “Trio for oboe, violin and cello” at the composition competition of the Polish Music Society. She premiered her Violin Concert no.1 in March of 1938 with the Polish Radio Orchestra.
The composer’s music prior to World War II bears markings of neoclassical stylistics and her post war music carries authentic folk elements. In the 50s Bacewicz turns to modernizing her compositional style with innovative approach to texture and instrumentation. Between 1955-57 and again from 1960 until her death she was the vice-president of the Polish Composer’s Union. Her compositional output is extremely rich and varied, ranging from solo and chamber works to symphonies, concertos, songs, cantatas, ballets and a radio opera. She also composed music for film and theatrical performances.