Serocki, Kazimierz (1922-1981)
Krasnoludki/Gnomes (12:00) 1953/1975 Publisher: PWM (c1993)
Krakowiak
Kujawiak
Mazurek/Mazurka
Piosenka/Song
Walczyk/Waltz
Kołysanka/Cradle-song
Oberek
Instrumentation: three-part miniatures for variable instrumental ensemble consisting of 10 different parts
This work is a transcription of piano miniatures for children written by Serocki in 1953 and transcribed by him for a mixed ensemble in 1975. The cycle of the miniatures can be played with the same instrumentation through out, or with changed instrumentation. These short pieces are very successful at presenting Polish traditional dances and songs. The miniatures are tonal and scored clearly with easy parts that can be played by middle school players.
Grade: III
Recordings: none
Sheet music source: pwm.com.pl
Kazimierz Serocki
Born in Toruń on March 3, 1922, and died in Warsaw on January 9, 1981.
He was a composer and a pianist. He began his musical study in Bydgoszcz, Poland and during the war, he continued to study piano and composition in the conspiratorial Warsaw Conservatory. After the war ended, he moved to Łódź where he completed his piano and composition study. Between 1947-1948, he studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger. In 1949, he was one of the founders of a composer’s group called “Grupa 49”, which led to the creation of the International Festival of Contemporary Music “Warsaw Autumn”.
He was the winner of many composer’s competitions in Poland and abroad, among them the International Composer’s Rostrum UNESCO in 1946. His compositional output concentrated around symphonic works, instrumental concertos, and vocal-instrumental pieces. His early works use neoclassical tools and folkloric elements. From 1952 on, his music reveals interest in dodecaphonic technique and moves away from the traditional approach of metric representation.