Polish Composers

[fhimpsl]

Hi Peter,

Thanks much for sharing this information about Moszkowski with me! Actually I happened upon the three Trinity College Studies Op. 78 on IMSLP only just recently, so you can imagine my surprise on that front! The Op. 85/86 status is a genuine mystery. I have seen covers marked with both opus numbers, yet containing (almost) the same suite of music. Those marked Op. 85 have all three pieces, whereas those marked Op. 86 have just the first two. To make matters even worse, Edition Peters published MM's Prelude and Fugue For String Orchestra also as Op. 85!!

I think with a composer whose output was as vast as Moszkowski's we may continue to see new items turn up from time to time. Have you heard the legend about the existence of a FIRST piano concerto (i.e. prior to Op. 59), which Moszkowski reputedly performed piano four hands with none other than Franz Liszt at the great master's home? Very difficult to authenticate (or even perhaps to believe!) but certainly contains the makings of a good story.

Once again my thanks for your help! I am overjoyed that the majority of Moszkowski's works are available on IMSLP, because as you know his melodic genius is to this day not well known.

All best,

Frank

[alpha]

Hi Peter,

Thanks much for sharing this information about Moszkowski with me! Actually I happened upon the three Trinity College Studies Op. 78 on IMSLP only just recently, so you can imagine my surprise on that front! The Op. 85/86 status is a genuine mystery. I have seen covers marked with both opus numbers, yet containing (almost) the same suite of music. Those marked Op. 85 have all three pieces, whereas those marked Op. 86 have just the first two. To make matters even worse, Edition Peters published MM's Prelude and Fugue For String Orchestra also as Op. 85!!

I think with a composer whose output was as vast as Moszkowski's we may continue to see new items turn up from time to time. Have you heard the legend about the existence of a FIRST piano concerto (i.e. prior to Op. 59), which Moszkowski reputedly performed piano four hands with none other than Franz Liszt at the great master's home? Very difficult to authenticate (or even perhaps to believe!) but certainly contains the makings of a good story.

Once again my thanks for your help! I am overjoyed that the majority of Moszkowski's works are available on IMSLP, because as you know his melodic genius is to this day not well known.

All best,

Frank

I'm afraid you're a bit out of date. Bojan Assenov wrote a thesis one year ago unraveling the mystery of the first piano concerto as well as listing many heretofore unknown transcriptions and works without opus number. A pdf can be downloaded here: http://opus.kobv.de/tuberlin/volltexte/2009/2195/ It is also being turned into a book as we speak.

[fhimpsl]

Dear Alpha, That is wonderful news!! I had no idea about this thesis, and am very grateful that you brought it to the attention of the PianoPhilia family. I will have to brush up on my German to get through the details of the text, but that is well worth the effort. Now hopefully someone will publish the (previously assumed) missing Op. 3 Piano Concerto!

Frank

[mballan]

Dear Alpha, That is wonderful news!! I had no idea about this thesis, and am very grateful that you brought it to the attention of the PianoPhilia family. I will have to brush up on my German to get through the details of the text, but that is well worth the effort. Now hopefully someone will publish the (previously assumed) missing Op. 3 Piano Concerto!

Frank

I have always been a great Moszkowski enthusaist and was very curious to read of this conversation regards the Op 3 concerto. The MM expert is a chap called Martin Eastick and it was he who first brought it to my attention......so wonderful that it does exist. Also regards Op 85 / 86 - my "expert" says that Op 85 is the prelude & fugue for strings, and the three pieces designated to Op 86.............originally only two were published then M added another piece a little later in its final incarnation. I have tended to find similar opus number confusion with other composers especially if numbers are similar as in this case.

Let's hope the discovered concerto gets a recording soon And Frank...if you do translate any of the German about the concerto, would be curious to know more [sorry my German pitiful].

Malcolm

[mballan]

Juliusz Wolfsohn (1880-1944) came from a well known Jewish family. Wolfsohn studied piano at the Conservatories of his home city, Warsaw [with Michalowski], and in Moscow and then with Raoul Pugno in Paris, and Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna. From the early 1910s Wolfsohn began to collect and arrange Jewish folk songs. Until 1920 he composed twelve "Paraphrases on Old Jewish Folk Tunes“ for piano, which were printed in 3 volumes by Universal Edition, as well as a "Jewish Rhapsody" for piano, which was again based on Jewish folk themes.

Together with Joachim Stutschewsky and Israel Brandmann, Wolfsohn was one of the protagonists of the Society for the Promotion of Jewish Music in Vienna; he moreover supported Jewish art music as a renowned music critic. His "Hebrew Suite" for piano and orchestra, which was internationally performed in the 1930s, became his most successful composition. In 1939 Wolfsohn fled to the USA, he later died in New York.

I posted two Etudes by Wolfsohn on the Etudes thread [with same bio]...but here is his more substantial Judische Rhapsodie.

Malcolm

Wolfsohn J - Judische Rhapsodie.pdf

[mballan]

Ignacy Krzyzanowski. Born 1826, Opatov: died 1905, Warsaw. Polish teaher and composer. First studied with Mirecki in Poland, and later piano and composition in Paris. In 1850 he returned to Poland to settle in Warsaw where he began to teach. Wishing to enrich Polish musical eductaion he began to compose pieces for piano that introduced various technical problems under an easy flowing melody. Further works aimed at more advance pupils tended to lose its originality and imitated in the footsteps of Chopin, Mendelssohn and Schumann.

A works list is included in the Information section - and a number of his works are now available through Sibley/IMSLP [Opuses - 17, 36, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55 & 56].

I have posted the some what rare Op 4 “La Favorite” Fantaisie [some authorities list this as Op 6].

Malcolm

Krzyzanowski I - Fantaisie on La Favorite Op 4.pdf

[jre58591]

Does anyone have any pieces by Serocki, other than the piano sonata? Alfor has posted that in his rarities thread. I think the Suite of Preludes was posted at the old forum also, but I missed that one.

[fredbucket]

Does anyone have any pieces by Serocki, other than the piano sonata? Alfor has posted that in his rarities thread. I think the Suite of Preludes was posted at the old forum also, but I missed that one.

Serocki died in 1981, so we are getting very much in the grey area for copyright, but I'll upload the Preludes since they were posted on the old forum. If anyone has any objections please let me know and I'll withdraw the upload.

serocki - suite of preludes (1952).pdf

Regards
Fred

[alfor]

Also contained in the volume: Contemporary Polish composers, which I posted on February, 26th!

[FW190]

Attached you find a March by the Polish composer Leon Chojecki (1858-1931). The title means something like Long live the independent united Poland.

Regards,

Leo

Chojecki.-.Niech-zyje-niepodlegla-zjednoczona-Polska-Marsz-(pno).pdf