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Jerzy Petersburski (1895–1979) was a Jewish
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
pianist and composer of popular music, renowned mostly for his
Tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...
s, some of which (such as ''
To ostatnia niedziela ''To ostatnia niedziela'' ( pl, The Last Sunday; 1935) is one of the long-time hits of Jerzy Petersburski. A nostalgic tango with lyrics by Zenon Friedwald describing the final meeting of former lovers just before they break up, it was performed b ...
'', ''Już nigdy'' and ''Tango Milonga'') were milestones in popularization of the musical genre in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
and are still widely known today, more than half a century after their creation.


Early life

Jerzy Petersburski was born on 20 April 1895 into the well-known Warsaw family of Jewish musicians, Melodysta (on his mother's side). He graduated from the Warsaw Conservatory, where his professor was Antoni Sygietyński. Afterwards he moved to
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
, where he continued his studies of conducting and at the faculty of
piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
of the local Music Academy. A talented
pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
, he was persuaded by his friend Imré Kálmán to devote himself to
popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...
rather than
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
. In
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
he also debuted as a composer for
Alexander Vertinsky Alexander Nikolayevich Vertinsky (russian: Александр Николаевич Вертинский, — May 21, 1957) was a Russian and Soviet artist, poet, singer, composer, cabaret artist and actor who exerted seminal influence on the Ru ...
, a renowned Russian poet and songwriter, famous for his romances.


Return to Poland

Upon his return to
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, with his cousin
Artur Gold Artur (Arthur) Gold (born 17 March 1897, Warsaw, died 1943 in Treblinka) was a Polish Jewish violinist and dance-music composer during the Interbellum. He closely collaborated with his brother Henryk Gold and with Jerzy Petersburski with whom he ...
, he co-founded the Petersburski & Gold Orchestra, which performed at the fashionable nightspot ''Adria''.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1k-7MGb_jQ biographical notes attached to Petersburski's song ''Ty albo zadna'' He became well known for music for
cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...
and theaters in
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
. Among them was
Julian Tuwim Julian Tuwim (13 September 1894 – 27 December 1953), known also under the pseudonym "Oldlen" as a lyricist, was a Polish poet, born in Łódź, then part of the Russian Partition. He was educated in Łódź and in Warsaw where he studied la ...
's and
Marian Hemar Marian Hemar (1901–1972), born Marian Hescheles (other pen names: Jan Mariański, and Marian Wallenrod), was a Polish poet, journalist, playwright, comedy writer, and songwriter. Hemar himself stated that before the outbreak of World War II he ...
's ''Qui Pro Quo'', one of the most famous Polish cabarets of the interbellum. In late 1920s and 1930s, Petersburski became one of the most popular Polish composers as several of his songs became hits on
Polish Radio Polskie Radio Spółka Akcyjna (PR S.A.; English: Polish Radio) is Poland's national public-service radio broadcasting organization owned by the State Treasury of Poland. History Polskie Radio was founded on 18 August 1925 and began making ...
and in music theatres throughout the country. Apart from Marian Hemar, the list of lyricists for his songs included some of the most renowned of their times:
Andrzej Włast Andrzej Włast (aka Gustaw Baumritter) (17 March 1885 – 1942 or 1943) was a Polish Jewish songwriter. He wrote the lyrics for the 1929 hit song "Tango Milonga" / "Oh, Donna Clara". He died in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Biography W ...
,
Emanuel Szlechter Emanuel Schlechter (pseudonyms Eman, Olgierd Lech) (Emanuel Szlechter) (9 October 1904 – 1943) was born and died in Lwów. He was a Polish-Jewish artist, lyricist, screenwriter, librettist, writer, satirist, translator, composer and director. H ...
, Ludwik Szmaragd and
Artur Tur Artur is a cognate (etymology), cognate to the common male given name Arthur, meaning "bear-like," which is believed to possibly be descended from the Ancient Rome, Roman surname Artoria gens, Artorius or the Celtic bear-goddess Artio or more prob ...
. Also the performers of Petersburski's songs added to his popularity: Wera Bobrowska (''Już nigdy''),
Hanka Ordonówna Hanka Ordonówna or Ordonka (born Maria Anna Pietruszyńska; 4 August 1902 in Warsaw – 8 September 1950 in Beirut) was a Polish singer, dancer and actress. She began her career at the age of 16 in a Warsaw cabaret named Sfinks and then the thea ...
(''Sam mi mówiłeś''),
Tola Mankiewiczówna Tola Mankiewiczówna (8 May 1900 – 27 October 1985) was a Polish singer and actress. She has recorded albums for such labels as: Columbia, Syrena and Estar. During the war, these recordings were lost and Mankiewiczówna never regained the ...
(''Ty, miłość i wiosna''),
Ludwik Sempoliński Ludwik Sempoliński (18 August 1899 – 17 April 1981) was a Polish film actor. He appeared in twenty films between 1935 and 1966. Selected filmography * '' Jaśnie pan szofer'' (1935) * '' Barbara Radziwiłłówna'' (1936) * '' Róża'' ( ...
(''Cała przyjemność''), Chór Dana and
Mieczysław Fogg Mieczysław Fogg (born Mieczysław Fogiel; 30 May 1901, Warsaw3 September 1990, Warsaw) was a Polish singer and artist. His popularity started well before World War II and continued well into the 1980s. He had a characteristic way of staying v ...
(''Bez śladu'') and
Adolf Dymsza Adolf Dymsza (born Adolf Bagiński; 7 April 1900 – 20 August 1975) was a Polish comedy actor of both the pre-World War II and post-war eras. He starred in both theatre and film productions, mainly before World War II. He and Kazimierz Krukowski ...
(''Ja i żonka ma''). Despite being the writer of numerous
waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...
es and
foxtrot The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a tim ...
s, as well as two
operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...
s (''Kochanka z ekranu'' and ''Robert i Bertram''), Petersburski is best known for his
tangos Tangos may refer to: * "Tangos" (song), a song popularized in Spain * Tangos (district), a district or barangay in Navotas, Philippines * ''Tangos'' (album), a 1973 album by Buenos Aires 8 * ''Tangos'' (Rubén Blades album), a 2014 album by Ru ...
. In 1928 he composed a song for Stanisława Nowicka titled ''Tango Milonga'' in Polish. The song became a major hit and was almost instantly translated to several languages, gaining much popularity abroad, both in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and in
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
(the English and German title being ''Oh, Donna Clara''. The song was sung by many foreign artists, including
Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jews, Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-bi ...
, Henry Varny and
Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pia ...
.
"Another of his tango compositions that attained international recognition was ''To Ostatnia Niedziela (The Last Sunday)'' (1933) with lyric by
Zenon Friedwald Ludwig Zenon Friedwald (Louis Fox, Zenon Frivald-Vardan, Wardan) (17 April 1906 in Lviv – 3 December 1976 in Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – ...
describing the final meeting of former lovers who are parting. In Poland, ''To ostatnia niedziela'' is commonly and erroneously called the ''Suicide Tango'' - although the true Suicide Tango was the Hungarian art song ''Smutna niedziela (Gloomy Sunday)''. During the 1930s eterburski's tangobecame an enormous evergreen in the Soviet Union, where it was played on virtually every street corner. It was so popular, that it was considered their own Russian tune."
Petersburski also wrote music for four Polish films in the 1930s, including
Eugeniusz Bodo Eugeniusz Bodo (born Bohdan Eugène Junod; 28 December 1899 7 October 1943) was a film director, producer, and one of the most popular Polish actors and comedians of the interwar period. He starred in some of the most popular Polish film produc ...
's successful ''Królowa przedmieścia'' of 1938.


Air Force Service

During the September campaign (Polish Defensive War) of 1939, Petersburski served with the
Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force ( pl, Siły Powietrzne, , Air Forces) is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 16,425 mil ...
. After the country was overrun, he moved to the Soviet-occupied part of Poland. In 1940, he was allowed to continue his career and became the leader of the ''Belarusian Jazz Orchestra'' band. He performed many of his pre-war hits with new, Russian language lyrics. Among the original compositions of that time was the very popular
waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...
''Sinii Platochek'' (''The Blue Handkerchief'', Polish title ''Blekitna chusteczka'') performed by
Klavdiya Shulzhenko Klavdiya Ivanovna Shulzhenko (russian: Кла́вдия Ива́новна Шульже́нко, uk, Клавдія Іванівна Шульженко; – June 17, 1984) was a Soviet popular female singer and actress. Biography Shulzhenko ...
, which became a popular folk song under the name ''The 22 June''. Another of his popular Russian songs (performed by, among others, the
Isaak Dunayevsky Isaak Osipovich Dunayevsky (russian: Исаак Осипович Дунаевский ; also transliterated as Dunaevski or Dunaevskiy; 25 July 1955) was a Soviet film composer and conductor of the 1930s and 1940s, who composed music for operett ...
's Orchestra) was ''Utomliennoye solntse'' (Weary sun), in fact a Russian version of his pre-war ''
To ostatnia niedziela ''To ostatnia niedziela'' ( pl, The Last Sunday; 1935) is one of the long-time hits of Jerzy Petersburski. A nostalgic tango with lyrics by Zenon Friedwald describing the final meeting of former lovers just before they break up, it was performed b ...
''. See also
Burnt by the Sun ''Burnt by the Sun'' (russian: Утомлённые солнцем, translit. ''Utomlyonnye solntsem'', literally "wearied by the sun") is a 1994 film by Russian director and screenwriter Nikita Mikhalkov and Azerbaijani screenwriter Rustam ...
. He also reorganized the Petersburski & Gold orchestra, this time together with Artur's brother
Henryk Gold Henryk Gold (19029 January 1977 in New York City, United States) was a Polish-born American composer, arranger, and orchestra director. He was born in Warsaw to a musical family: his mother Helena was of the famous Warsaw klezmer Melodysta fami ...
. After the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement of 1941 he joined the
Polish II Corps The Polish II Corps ( pl, Drugi Korpus Wojska Polskiego), 1943–1947, was a major tactical and operational unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant General Władysław Anders and fought wit ...
under
Władysław Anders ) , birth_name = Władysław Albert Anders , birth_date = , birth_place = Krośniewice-Błonie, Warsaw Governorate, Congress Poland, Russian Empire , death_date = , death_place = London, England, United Kingdom , serviceyears ...
. Evacuated with the rest of the
Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stret ...
to
Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, he moved to
Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
where he started working for the Polish Radio. In 1947 he traveled, via Palestine, to Brasil, where he had a piano duo with his friend from pre-war Poland, also a Jewish composer, Alfred Schuetz. From 1948 to 1968 he lived in Argentina, working with 'Radio El Mundo' in Buenos Aires. During this time, he composed the hit song ''All Roads Lead to Buenos Aires'', part of which became a famous radio jingle. He also co-led ''the El Nacional theatre orchestra'' with the famous Polish-Jewish cabaret actor Lopek (
Kazimierz Krukowski Kazimierz Krukowski (born 2 February 1901 in Łódź — died 24 December 1984 in Warsaw), professionally known as Lopek, was a Polish cabaret performer and writer, revue and film actor. Career He performed songs and monologues by famous poets and ...
). After the death of his wife Maria Minkowska during the earthquake in 1967, Petersburski moved to Caracas, Venezuela and in 1968 returned to Poland. In 1968, after resettling in his beloved Warsaw, he married Sylwia Klejdysz, an opera singer. He died in 1979 in Warsaw. His son, Jerzy Petersburski Jr., was born in 1969.


Death

Jerzy Petersburski died on 7 October 1979 in Warsaw and is buried in
Powązki Cemetery Powązki Cemetery (; pl, Cmentarz Powązkowski), also known as Stare Powązki ( en, Old Powązki), is a historic necropolis located in Wola district, in the western part of Warsaw, Poland. It is the most famous cemetery in the city and one of t ...
.


References


External links


Tango in Poland - Culture.pl
*
Artur Gold Artur (Arthur) Gold (born 17 March 1897, Warsaw, died 1943 in Treblinka) was a Polish Jewish violinist and dance-music composer during the Interbellum. He closely collaborated with his brother Henryk Gold and with Jerzy Petersburski with whom he ...
orchestra * music Jerzy Petersburski, lyrics
Andrzej Włast Andrzej Włast (aka Gustaw Baumritter) (17 March 1885 – 1942 or 1943) was a Polish Jewish songwriter. He wrote the lyrics for the 1929 hit song "Tango Milonga" / "Oh, Donna Clara". He died in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Biography W ...
* From movie ''Co mój mąż robi w nocy? (What Does My Husband Do at Night?)'' music by Jerzy Petersburski lyrics
Emanuel Schlechter Emanuel Schlechter (pseudonyms Eman, Olgierd Lech) (Emanuel Szlechter) (9 October 1904 – 1943) was born and died in Lwów. He was a Polish-Jewish artist, lyricist, screenwriter, librettist, writer, satirist, translator, composer and director. ...
* lyrics by
Andrzej Włast Andrzej Włast (aka Gustaw Baumritter) (17 March 1885 – 1942 or 1943) was a Polish Jewish songwriter. He wrote the lyrics for the 1929 hit song "Tango Milonga" / "Oh, Donna Clara". He died in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Biography W ...
, sung by
Tadeusz Olsza Tadeusz Olsza (3 December 1895 – 1 June 1975), born Tadeusz Blomberg, was a Polish film and stage actor, cabaret singer, dancer and director born in Warsaw. From 1915 to 1917, he taught vocal classes at Warsaw Conservatory. Starting in 1921 he p ...
* sung by Stefan Witas
Tango in Poland



List of some of the Polish tangos

Argentine Tango in Poland - BlauTango portal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petersburski, Jerzy 1895 births 1979 deaths 20th-century Polish Jews Jewish cabaret performers Jewish songwriters Polish composers 20th-century Polish pianists Tango musicians Polish cabaret performers Musicians from Warsaw Burials at Powązki Cemetery 20th-century comedians