Elisabeth Chojnacka (born Elżbieta Ukraińczyk; 10 September 1939 – 28 May 2017) was a Polish

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

ist living in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. She was one of the world's foremost harpsichordists specializing in the performance of

contemporary harpsichord The harpsichord was largely obsolete, and seldom played, during a period lasting from the late 18th century to the early 20th. The instrument was successfully revived during the 20th century, first in an ahistorical form strongly influenced by th ...

music.

Biography

Chojnacka earned a degree from the Fryderyk Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw in 1962, after which she moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, where she studied with Aimee Wiele. She presented the premiere performances of many works for harpsichord, both solo as well as with ensemble and/or electronics. Over 80 composers dedicated works to her. While she was known particularly for her performance of new music, she also played

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classical m ...

in her concerts, as well as in some of her recordings. In performance, she generally performed with her harpsichord slightly amplified. She formerly taught at the

Mozarteum University of Salzburg Mozarteum University Salzburg (German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the “Mozarteum” moniker in Salzburg municipality; the International Moz ...

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, beginning in 1995. She performed and recorded with the

Xenakis Ensemble The Xenakis Ensemble is a Dutch music ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. Based in Middelburg, it is known as one of the few ensembles specializing in the works of the composer Iannis Xenakis. It is frequently con ...

. She won the Grand Prix du Disque for Modern Music in 2003, for her recording of works by

Maurice Ohana Maurice Ohana (12 June 1913 – 13 November 1992) was a French composer. Ohana's output includes choral works, string quartets, suites for ten-string guitar, a ''Tiento'' for six-string guitar, and operas. Life and career Ohana was born in Casab ...

Death

Chojnacka died on 28 May 2017 in Paris at the age of 77.

Discography

*Ohana harpsichord / Ohana - Clavecin *Energy *Plus que Tango *Scott Joplin *Energy Plus *Poulenc *Xénakis *Ohana *Rhythm Plus *Clavecin espagnol du XXème Siècle *Clavecin 2000 *L'avant-garde du passé *Le nouveau clavecin *Clavecin d'aujourd'hui

References

Links

Harpsichord 2000 website

nieuwe-muziek.nl

Sources

* Harley, James
Xenakis: his life in music
' p. 103, Routledge, New York (2004) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chojnacka, Elisabeth 1939 births 2017 deaths Polish harpsichordists French harpsichordists Contemporary classical music performers Chopin University of Music alumni Recipients of the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis 20th-century Polish musicians 20th-century French musicians 20th-century classical musicians 21st-century Polish musicians 21st-century French musicians 21st-century classical musicians Musicians from Warsaw Academic staff of Mozarteum University Salzburg