Szeligowski, Tomasz Marian (1896-1963)
Quintet (18:20) 1953 Publisher: PWM (c1955)
I. Allegro con brio
II. Andante cantabile
III. Allegro scherzando
IV. Allegro moderato
Instrumentation: flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon
This quintet is dedicated to Professor Maksymilian Zimoląg who was a principal horn of the Berlin Philharmonic in the early 30s, principal at Stuttgart Philharmonic in the 50s, and a professor of horn at Katowice Music Academy, and later in Japan.
The most striking features of this work are dramatic fast movements and one slow movement, which is romantic in its essence. All the movements are in loose ternary form and meter changes distinguish the tempo and textural changes. Each fast movement is designed ‘fast-slower-fast’, and the slow movement is designed ‘slow-faster-slow’. Beautiful, romantic, operatic-like melodic lines in all the voices characterize the second movement. In the third movement we can hear influences of Paul Dukas (with whom Szeligowski studied orchestration) in the rhythmical and instrumental treatment of musical material.
The instruments are equally balanced in the level of difficulty. The upper woodwinds carry most of the melody but the bassoon and horn gets some solo material. The greatest difficulty can be found in the ensemble playing pertaining to the tempo changes, stringendos and ritardandos.
Grade: IV-V
Recordings: Polish Music for Winds and Piano, Gruppo di Tempera; Canto for Winds, LutosAir Quintet, Lebel: NFM CD Accord
Sheet music source: pwm.com.pl
Tomasz Marian Szeligowski
Born in Lvov on September 13, 1896 and died in Poznań on January 10, 1963.
He was a composer, teacher, musical organizer and a lawyer. He began his music study at the Galician Conservatory of the Music Society in Lvov, and continued his study in Kraków studding composition and musicology at the Jagiellonian University. He also received a Ph.D. degree in law from the UJ in 1922. In 1923 he moved to Vilnius and worked as a legal advisor at the General Prosecutor’s Office. During that time he also organized public concerts and lectures. He collaborated on initiating and actively worked for the Vilnius Philharmonic Society, Vilnius Conservatory, Composer’s Union, Classical Radio and International Society for Contemporary Music.
In 1924 he met and befriended Karol Szymanowski. As a result of his friendship and Szymanowski’s influence on his artistic life Szeligowski gave up his lawyer profession in 1927. In 1929 he left for Paris and from1929-1931 he studied composition with Nadia Boulanger and orchestration with Paul Dukas. He was a secretary and vice-president of the Association of the Young Polish Composers in Paris. He returned to Poland in 1931 and begun to teach theory and composition at the State Conservatory of Music in Poznań. He was dismissed from this position in June of 1932 and move back to Vilnius.
During the World War II he was an organist at a church, and after the war he was sent to Lublin. There, he initiated reforms in the education system and initiated musical concerts and artistic life. In 1947 he was moved to Poznań, where he established State Opera School and Poznań Philharmonic. He was as Artistic Director for the Poznań Philharmonic from 1947-1950. At that time he also began to lecture at the PWSM Poznań and in Warsaw. Szeligowski was a recipient of numerous awards for his compositions and lifetime achievement. His compositional output is diversified in the form, style and genre. After his studies with Nadia Boulanger his avant-garde explorations were turned towards neo-classicism, and simplicity of technical and expressive tools.