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10 March 2010


Polish Culture in the World
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Henryk Wieniawski
languages: Polish  / English  / French  / German 
 

A violinist, composer and music teacher, born in Lublin 10 July 1835, died in Moscow 31 March 1880.

His father, Tadeusz, was a renowned surgeon, and his mother, Regina, nee Wolff, was a proficient piano player. A true Lublin salon, the house of family Wieniawski was frequented by leading artists and hosted concerts, literary meetings and discussions. This had a major influence on the later life of Henryk and his two brothers, Julian, the elder one, becoming a writer and columnist, and the younger Józef pursuing the pianist's career.

Initially Henryk was taught by his mother, then by Jan Hornziel, the violinist of the Grand Theatre in Warsaw, and Stanisław Serwczyński, the soloist and concertmaster of the Budapest Opera. In 1843, at the age of eight, Wieniawski went to Paris to study with Lambert-Joseph Massart at the Paris Conservatory, from which he graduated three years later, winning the first prize and a gold medal. He then continued to take lessons from Massart for two more years, followed by a two-month concert tour in St Petersburg, the Baltics and Warsaw. In 1849 Wieniawski returned to the Paris Conservatory to study composition with Hippolite Collet, and graduated with distinction the following year.

In 1850 Henryk embarked on a series of concerts, starting from all major towns of the Russian empire and continuing in a number of European cities. His brother Jozef accompanied him until 1850. The response was enthusiastic wherever they appeared. Having enjoyed tremendous success in Paris, Brussels, Dresden, London and elsewhere, in 1860 Wieniawski accepted the posts of the first violinist at the tsar's court and the soloist of the Russian Music Society, simultaneously teaching the violin in the Society's music classes, turned into a Conservatory in 1862. Wieniawski's several years of teaching created the foundations of the St Petersburg violin school, later developed into the great Russian school by Leopold Auer.

Every year Wieniawski would spend three to four months playing concerts outside Russia, mostly in the fashionable spas of Europe. After twelve years in Russia, he left for a grand concert tour in the United States, to play - together with Antoni Rubinstein - 215 concerts over a period of eight months. Wieniawski stayed in the US until 1874, playing more concerts with Paulina Lucca, the famous singer. On returning to Europe, he took over as a teacher from the ailing Henry Vieuxtemps at the Brussels Conservatory, the position he held until 1877. One of his students there was Eugene Ysaye. Deteriorating heart condition and obesity forced Wieniawski to play concerts in the sitting position in his last years.

Wieniawski died in Moscow, in the house of Nadiezhda von Meck. The burial ceremony took place in Warsaw and was attended by forty thousand people.

Since 1935 Poland has been the venue of the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition. Initially held in Warsaw, the event, recurring every five years, was moved to Poznań in 1952.

See also page on Wieniawski's "Violin Concertos" .

Compositions:
  • "Grand caprice fantastique sur un theme original op. 1" (1847)
  • "Wariacje na temat wlasnego mazurka / Variations on his own mazurek" (ca. 1847)
  • "Aria z wariacjami E-dur / Aria and variations E-major" (przed 1848)
  • "Fantazja i wariacje E-dur / Fantasy and variations in E-major" (1848)
  • "Nocturne pour violon seul" (1848)
  • "Romance" (ca. 1848)
  • "Rondo alla polacca e-moll / Rondo alla polacca E-minor" (1848)
  • "Allegro de sonate, presto pour violon et piano concertant op. 2" (1848?)
  • "Duo concertant na temat z opery "Lucja z Lammermooru" Donizettiego / Duo concertant on the theme from the opera "Lucia di Lammermoor" by Donizetti" (ca. 1850)
  • "Duo concertant na temat hymnu rosyjskiego A. Lwowa / Duo concertant on the theme of the Russian national anthem by A. Lwow" (ca. 1850)
  • "Duo concertant na temat rosyjskiej melodii ludowej / Duo concertant on the theme of Russian folk melody" (ca. 1850)
  • "Fantazja na temat z opery "Prorok" Meyerbeera / Fantasy on the theme from the opera "The Prophet" by Meyerbeer" (ca. 1850)
  • "Mazur wiejski / Village Mazur" (ca. 1850)
  • "Fantazja na temat z opery "Ryszard Lwie serce" Gretry'ego / Fantasy on the theme from the opera "Richard the Lion Heart" by Gretry" (ca. 1851)
  • "Duet na tematy finlandzkich pieśni" (ok. 1851)
  • "Dwa mazurki / Two Mazurkas" (1851)
  • "Marsz / March" (1851)
  • "Wariacje na temat hymnu rosyjskiego / Variations on the theme of the Russian national anthem" (ca. 1851)
  • "Wariacje na temat 'Jechał Kozak zza Dunaju' / Variations on the theme of 'Jechał Kozak zza Dunaju'" (ca. 1851)
  • "PremiEre polonaise de concert D-major op. 4" (ca. 1852)
  • "Adagio ElEgiaque A-major op. 5" (ca. 1852)
  • "Souvenir de Moscou, deux romances russes op. 6" (ca. 1852)
  • "Capriccio-Valse E-major op. 7" (1852)
  • "Grand duo polonais pour violon et piano concertant op. 8" (ca. 1852)
  • "Romance sans paroles et Rondo Elegant op. 9" (ca. 1852)
  • "Premier grand concerto fis-moll op. 14" (1852)
  • "Le Carnaval russe, improvisations et variations humoresques op. 11" (ca. 1853)
  • "Deux mazourkas de salon: La champetre" (1850?) et "Chanson polonaise op. 12" (1853)
  • "Fantaisie pastorale op. 13" (ca. 1853)
  • "Kujawiak A-minor" (1853)
  • "Wariacje na temat hymnu austriackiego / Variations on the theme of the Austrian national anthem" (1853)
  • "Souvenir de Posen, mazurek D-minor op. 3" (1854)
  • "L'Ecole moderne, etudes-caprices pour le violon seul op. 10" (1854)
  • "Theme original varie op. 15" (1854)
  • "Rozumiem / I understand", composition for voice and piano (1854)
  • "Souvenir de Lublin", concert polka (ca. 1855)
  • "Fantazja na temat z opery "Lunatyczka" Belliniego / Fantasy on the theme from the opera '"La sonnambula" by Bellini" (ca. 1855)
  • "Scherzo-tarantelle g-moll op. 16" (1855)
  • "LEgende op. 17" (ca. 1860)
  • "Deux mazourkas caracteristiques: Obertass et le Menetrier op. 19" (1860?)
  • "Etudes-Caprices na dwoje skrzypiec op. 18 / Etudes-Caprices for two violins" (1862)
  • "Fantaisie orientale a-moll op. 24 / Fantasie orientale A-minor" (1862?)
  • "Fantaisie brillante sur "Faust", opera de Charles Gounod op. 20" (ca. 1865)
  • "Polonaise brillante A-dur op. 21 / Polonaise brillante A-major" (ca. 1870)
  • "Wspomnienie z San Francisco / Souvenir de San Francisco" (ca. 1874)
  • "Deuxieme grand concerto d-moll op. 22 / Deuxieme grand concerto D-minor"
  • "Gigue e-moll op. 23 / Gigue E-minor"
  • "Kujawiak C-dur / Kujawiak C-major"
  • "Polonaise triomphale"
  • "Reverie fis-moll na altówke i fortepian / Reverie F sharp minor pour alto et piano"

Author: Polish Music Information Center, Polish Composers' Union, February 2004

Browsing history




RECENTLY ADDED
"BEATS OF FREEDOM" - MOVIE TRAILER
BBC Four documentary "Sacred Music" about Górecki and Pärt
March 9-21, "Summer at Nohant" / "Lato w Nohant", directed by Hanna Bondarewska, the original play by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, translated by Celina Wieniewska - Mead Theater Lab at Flashpoint, Washington, D.C.
March 12 - "The Pianist and the Diplomat": an evening of music and history exploring the life of Ignacy Jan Paderewski - Lindner Family Commons, Washington D.C.
March 13 and 14 - Honoring Poland's Music Legacy: Penderecki's U.S. premiere of "Chaconne - In Memoriam John Paul II" and Szymanowski's "Symphonie Concertante" and "Stabat Mater" - Mandeville Auditorium - University of California, San Diego.
March 14 - Ewa Pobłocka performs a recital of Chopin's music - National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
TR Warszawa will show its production "4.48 Psychosis" by Sarah Kane, directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna - London, Barbican Theatre, March 23-27.
March 26 and 27 - Paderewski Symphony Orchestra: Celebration of Chopin's 200th Anniversary - Chicago Symphony Center.
March 27 - Chopin Anniversary Marathon: faculty and graduate students performs a variety of solo and chamber music repertoire - Alfred Newman Recital Hall, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
March 28 - Lira Ensemble: Chopin Bicentennial Concert - Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern University, Chicago.
The 7th edition of "Misteria Paschalia" in Kraków will take place on March 29 - April 5, 2010.
Yale University Press published "Fellowship of Poets" by Irena Grudzińska-Gross. The book tells the story of a close friendship between two Noble Prize laureates from Eastern Europe, Czesław Miłosz and Joseph Brodski.
Stephen and Timothy Quay, renowned for their stopped-motion animations and original feature films, are planning a film based on Bruno Schulz's "Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass". Brothers Quay are only returning to Schulz; in 1986, they made a name for themselves with the adaptation of Schulz's "Street of the Crocodiles".
Jonas Mekas, a legendary American avant-garde film-maker, will receive SmokSmoków Award - an honorary distinction awarded by the Kraków Film Festival. Mekas will come to Poland in May to receive the award at the 50th anniversary edition of the festival.



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