Ludomir Rozycki
Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 8:45 pm
In light of various discussions around Rozycki, I have drawn together information on his life and works.
Ludomir Rozycki. Born 1883, Warsaw: died 1953, Katowice. Composer, conductor and pedagogue. Rozycki studied piano with Michalowski, theory under Rogulski and Biernacki, and composition under Noskowski at the Warsaw Music Institute. Having graduated with a gold medal in 1904, he continued studying composition under Engelbert Humperdinck at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin between 1904-7.
His composing debut was the symphonic scherzo Stanczyk Op 1, performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic in February 1904. In 1905, along with Szymanowski, Fitelberg and Szelute, he set up the Spolka Nakladowa Mlodych Kompozytorow Polskich / Company of Young Polish Composers - a group whose purpose was to promote new Polish music abroad. It did so until 1912. In 1907, having refused an appointment as professor at the Oslo Conservatory, Rozycki moved to Lvov to work as the city's opera conductor and to run the piano class at the Galician Music Society Conservatory. His symphonic poem Krol Kofetua / King Cofetua Op 24 won the first prize at the competition celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Warsaw Philharmonic in 1912. From 1912 to 1918 he stayed in Berlin, making several artistic trips chiefly to Switzerland, Italy and France, and in 1918 returned to Warsaw and was for a while a conductor at the Wielki Theatre.
During the inter-war period Rozycki undertook journalistic, organisational and pedagogical work. He was instrumental in establishing the Polish Composers' Association in 1926 and became its first chairman. From 1930-32 he became a lecturer at the Warsaw Conservatory. During World War II he took part in underground concerts as a pianist and accompanist. After the Warsaw Rising of 1944, during which many of his manuscripts were destroyed, he took refuge in Osieczany near Cracow. After the war he settled in Katowice, taking a teaching job at the National Higher School of Music. In 1945-6 he was acting Dean of the School's Department of Theory, Composition and Conducting. The last years of his life were spent reconstructing the scores which had perished during the war years.
Rozycki received a number of awards and decorations, including the Officer's Cross of the Order Polonia Restituta in 1925, the Gold Medal of the French Government for the ballet Apollo i dziewczyna / Apollo and the Girl, the National Music Award for the opera Eros and Psyche in 1937, the Golden Cross of Merit in 1946, the Order of the Standard of Labour of First Class in 1950, the Commodore's Cross with the Polonia Restituta Star in 1951, and the State Award of the First Degree for life achievement in 1952. He was a member of the Polish Composers' Union from 1945.
I have attached a pdf file of a works list for the composer. Although, we have recently had several works by the composer posted on PP, you will see there are quite a number of piano works still to locate ! The mystery on the Op 2 works seems to be that there are two works allocated - the 1st Ballade for Piano & Orchestra and the Five Preludes [several libraries confirmed both]!! Hence I have allocated the 5 preludes as Op 2 bis. Interestingly the number of ? against an opus number corresponds almost to the number of works currently not allocated an opus number so there may be link.
I have posted the Op 18 Ballade No. 2 for Piano & Orchestra. Apologies, I only had an old photocopy which wasn't perfect, I have tried to make a better copy whilst I scanned, hopefully it's quite readable.
Malcolm
Ludomir Rozycki. Born 1883, Warsaw: died 1953, Katowice. Composer, conductor and pedagogue. Rozycki studied piano with Michalowski, theory under Rogulski and Biernacki, and composition under Noskowski at the Warsaw Music Institute. Having graduated with a gold medal in 1904, he continued studying composition under Engelbert Humperdinck at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin between 1904-7.
His composing debut was the symphonic scherzo Stanczyk Op 1, performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic in February 1904. In 1905, along with Szymanowski, Fitelberg and Szelute, he set up the Spolka Nakladowa Mlodych Kompozytorow Polskich / Company of Young Polish Composers - a group whose purpose was to promote new Polish music abroad. It did so until 1912. In 1907, having refused an appointment as professor at the Oslo Conservatory, Rozycki moved to Lvov to work as the city's opera conductor and to run the piano class at the Galician Music Society Conservatory. His symphonic poem Krol Kofetua / King Cofetua Op 24 won the first prize at the competition celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Warsaw Philharmonic in 1912. From 1912 to 1918 he stayed in Berlin, making several artistic trips chiefly to Switzerland, Italy and France, and in 1918 returned to Warsaw and was for a while a conductor at the Wielki Theatre.
During the inter-war period Rozycki undertook journalistic, organisational and pedagogical work. He was instrumental in establishing the Polish Composers' Association in 1926 and became its first chairman. From 1930-32 he became a lecturer at the Warsaw Conservatory. During World War II he took part in underground concerts as a pianist and accompanist. After the Warsaw Rising of 1944, during which many of his manuscripts were destroyed, he took refuge in Osieczany near Cracow. After the war he settled in Katowice, taking a teaching job at the National Higher School of Music. In 1945-6 he was acting Dean of the School's Department of Theory, Composition and Conducting. The last years of his life were spent reconstructing the scores which had perished during the war years.
Rozycki received a number of awards and decorations, including the Officer's Cross of the Order Polonia Restituta in 1925, the Gold Medal of the French Government for the ballet Apollo i dziewczyna / Apollo and the Girl, the National Music Award for the opera Eros and Psyche in 1937, the Golden Cross of Merit in 1946, the Order of the Standard of Labour of First Class in 1950, the Commodore's Cross with the Polonia Restituta Star in 1951, and the State Award of the First Degree for life achievement in 1952. He was a member of the Polish Composers' Union from 1945.
I have attached a pdf file of a works list for the composer. Although, we have recently had several works by the composer posted on PP, you will see there are quite a number of piano works still to locate ! The mystery on the Op 2 works seems to be that there are two works allocated - the 1st Ballade for Piano & Orchestra and the Five Preludes [several libraries confirmed both]!! Hence I have allocated the 5 preludes as Op 2 bis. Interestingly the number of ? against an opus number corresponds almost to the number of works currently not allocated an opus number so there may be link.
I have posted the Op 18 Ballade No. 2 for Piano & Orchestra. Apologies, I only had an old photocopy which wasn't perfect, I have tried to make a better copy whilst I scanned, hopefully it's quite readable.
Malcolm