Tadeusz Baird (26 July 19282 September 1981) was a Polish composer.

Biography

Baird was born in

Grodzisk Mazowiecki Grodzisk Mazowiecki is a town in central Poland with 29,363 inhabitants (2011). It is 30 km. southwest of Warsaw. Between 1975 and 1998 it was situated in the Warszawa Voivodeship but since 1999 it has been situated in the Masovian Voivodesh ...

, in Poland. His father Edward was Scottish, while his mother Maria (née Popov) was Russian. In 1944 at the age of 16 he was deported to Germany as a forced labourer, and after a failed escape attempt was imprisoned in a concentration camp. After liberation by the Americans he spent six months recovering at the military hospital in Zweckel before returning to Poland. Between 1947 and 1951 Baird studied composition and musicology in Warsaw under Piotr Rytek and

Kazimierz Sikorski Kazimierz Sikorski (June 28, 1895 – July 23, 1986) was a Polish composer. His arrangement of the " Mazurek Dąbrowskiego" is currently used as the Polish national anthem. Biography Sikorski was born in Zurich, but studied in Warsaw, first ...

, and piano with Tadeusz Wituski.Wightman, Alistair. 'Baird, Tadeusz' in ''Grove Music Online''
/ref> In 1949 he founded Group 49 along with

Kazimierz Serocki Kazimierz Serocki (3 March 1922 – 9 January 1981) was a Polish composer and one of the founders of the Warsaw Autumn contemporary music festival. Life Serocki was born in Toruń. He studied composition with Kazimierz Sikorski and piano w ...

and

Jan Krenz Jan Krenz (14 July 1926 – 15 September 2020) was a Polish composer and orchestra conductor. Biography During World War II, Krenz studied piano with Zbigniew Drzewiecki and composition with Kazimierz Sikorski. From 1945 to 1947, he studied at t ...

. The aim of Group 49 was to write communicative and expressive music according to

socialist realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...

, the dominant ideology in the Eastern Bloc at the time. After Stalin's death in 1953 he increasingly turned to

serialism In music, serialism is a method of Musical composition, composition using series of pitches, rhythms, dynamics, timbres or other elements of music, musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, thou ...

.Obituary, ''The Times'', 15 September 1981, p 14 In 1956, along with

, he founded the

Warsaw Autumn 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 officially ...

international contemporary music festival. In 1974 he began to teach composition at the National College of Music (currently the Music Academy) in Warsaw. In 1977, now a full professor, he was offered a post to teach a composition class at the Warsaw Academy of Music, and also a membership of the Academie der Künste der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik – Berlin in 1979. Baird died in 1981, aged 53.

Compositions

He wrote both large scale symphonies and chamber music, however, of great importance in his output are numerous vocal cycles inspired by poetry. He was also a composer of film and theatre music. Baird's music is usually melodic, lyrical, very expressive, and intensely subjective. It is often rooted in the post-Romantic tradition, despite the use of serial techniques. Alistair Wightman identifies Baird as "a late Romantic lyricist and successor not only to

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states *Berg (state), county and duchy of the Holy ...

, but

Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

and Szymanowski". Like Berg, his use of serialism was always very free and expressive, as in his String Quartet (1957). But the later works, starting with the 1966 one-act opera ''Jutro'' ("tomorrow", based on the short story by

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and short story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in t ...

) become darker, particularly in the orchestral piece ''Psychodrama'' (1972) and in his final work, the song cycle for baritone and orchestra ''Głosy z oddali'' (‘Voices from afar’), which sets a bleak text by

Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz Jarosław Leon Iwaszkiewicz, also known under his literary pseudonym Eleuter (20 February 1894 – 2 March 1980), was a Polish writer, poet, essayist, dramatist and translator.Bartłomiej Szleszyński, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz. 2003 Culture.plJaros ...

on the subject of death and personal extinction. This change in perspective was a result of the traumatic experiences he faced during World War II and on into the early 1950s. Barbara Literska sees him as "a prophet of the future of music (postmodernity)".Literska, Barbara. ''Tadeusz Baird: The Composer, His Work, and Its Reception''. Peter Laing (2020)
/ref>

Music for solo instruments

*''Sonatina I'' (1949) for solo piano *''Sonatina II'' (1952) for solo piano *''Little Suite for Children'' (1952) for solo piano

Chamber music

*''Two Caprices for Clarinet and Piano'' (1953) (2nd Prize, Polish Composers' Union) *''Cztery Preludia our Preludesfor Bassoon and Piano'' (1954) *''Divertimento for Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, and Bassoon'' (1956) *''String Quartet'' (1957) *''Play for String Quartet'' (1971) *''Variations in Rondo Form for String Quartet'' (1978)

Orchestral works

*''Sinfonietta'' (1949) *''Symphony I'' (1950) - Polish National Prize, 1951 *''Colas Breugnon: a suite in the old style for string orchestra with flute'' (1951) *''Symphony II, quasi una fantasia'' (1952) *''Concerto for Orchestra'' (1953) *''Cassazione per orchestra'' (1956) *'' Four Essays'' (1958) - UNESCO Prize, 1959 *''Variations Without a Theme'' (1962) *''Epiphany Music'' (1963) *''Four Novelettes for chamber orchestra'' (1967) *''Sinfonia Breve'' (1968) *''Symphony III'' (1969) - National Prize, 1970 *''Psychodrama'' (1972) *''Elegia'' (1973) *''Canzona'' (1980)

Concertos

*''Piano Concerto'' (1949) *''Four Dialogs for oboe and chamber orchestra'' (1964) - UNESCO Prize 1966 *''Oboe Concerto'' (1973) *''Scenes for cello, harp and orchestra'' (1977) *''Concerto Lugubre'' (1975) for viola and orchestra

Vocal-instrumental works

*''Four Love Sonnets for baritone and orchestra'' (1956) to texts by Shakespeare *''Exhortation for reciting voice and orchestra'' (1960) to old Hebrew texts *''Erotyki for soprano and orchestra'' (1961) to texts by Małgorzata Hilar *''Five Songs for mezzo-soprano and six instruments'' (1970) to texts by H. Poświatowska - National Prize, 1970 *''Goethe Letters: Cantata for Baritone for mixed choir and orchestra'' (1970) to texts by Goethe and Charlotta von Stein *''Głosy z oddali oices from Afarfor baritone and symphony orchestra'' (1981) to texts by J. Iwaszkiewicz (1981)

Opera

*''Tomorrow'', a musical drama to a libretto by J. S. Sito (1964-66)

Film Music

* ''Warsaw In Canaletto Paintings (Warszawa W Obrazach Canaletta)'' (1955) * ''The Noose (

Pętla ''The Noose'' ( pl, Pętla) is a Polish film released in 1958, directed by Wojciech Jerzy Has, and starring Gustaw Holoubek. The film is an adaptation of a short story by Marek Hłasko, and follows a day in the life of an alcoholic. Plot Kuba Kow ...

)'' (1958) * ''The Stone Sky (Kamienne Niebo)'' (1959) * ''Year One (Rok Pierwszy)'' (1960) * ''April ( Kwiecień)'' (1961) * ''The Artillery Sergeant Kalen ( Ogniomistrz Kalen)'' (1961) * ''Night Train (Ludzie Z Pociągu)'' (1961) * ''Samson'' (1961) * ''Between The Shores (Między brzegami)'' (1962) * ''Those Who Are Late (Spoznieni Przechodnie)'' (1962) * ''Manhunter (Naganiacz)'' (1963) * ''The Passenger ( Pasażerka)'' (1963) * ''Room For One (Miejsce Dla Jednego)'' (1963) * ''Their Every Day Life (Ich Dzien Powszedni)'' (1963) * ''The Unknown (

Nieznany ''Nieznany'' (''Unknown'') is a 1964 Polish film, directed by Witold Lesiewicz. A war film set in a Soviet labour camp. The action of the film takes place in 1943. Two Poles escape from the Soviet labor camp. Their goal is to get to the Polish A ...

)'' (1964) * ''Visit At The Kings (Wizyta U Królów)'' (1965) * ''Rugged Creativeness (Szorstka Twórczość)'' (!967) * ''When Love Was A Crime (Kiedy Miłość Była Zbrodnią)'' (1967)

Recordings

* Eastern Discoveries. MSR MS1517 (2015). ''Four preludes for bassoon and piano'' * Epiphany Music. Olympia OCD 312 (1989). ''Epiphany Music for orchestra, Elegia For orchestra, Four Love Sonnets, Symphony No 3'' * Film Music, Volumes 1 and 2. Olympia OCD 604 (1994) and OCD 607 (1995) * Günter Wand: The Radio Recordings. Profil PH13038 (2016). ''Four Dialogues for oboe and orchestra'' * Orchestral Works. Koch 3-6770-2 (2001). ''Psychodrama, Oboe Concerto, Scenes for cello, harp and orchestra, Conzona for orchestra, Concerto Lugubre for viola and orchestra'' * Polish Piano Concertos. Dux 0651 (2009). ''Piano Concerto'' * Polish Songs. Acte Prealable APO 274 (2013). ''Trouveurs’ Songs'' * Psychodrama. Olympia 326 (2000). ''Psychodrama, Tomorrow'' * Songs and Orchestral Music. Olympia OCD 388 (1993). ''Voices From Afar, Goethe-Briefe, Scene For cello and harp With orchestra, Canzona for orchestra'' * Streichquartette. Colosseum 0648 (1986). ''Play for string quartet, Variations on Rondo Form, String Quartet No 1'' * Szymanowski, Gorecki, Baird. EMI 5 65418 (1995). ''Colas Breugnon Suite''

References

External links

Baird page
at the Polish Music Center
Tadeusz Baird Page at the Polish Music Information Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, Tadeusz 1928 births 1981 deaths People from Grodzisk Mazowiecki 20th-century classical composers Chopin University of Music faculty International Rostrum of Composers prize-winners Polish classical composers Polish male classical composers Polish opera composers People from Warsaw Voivodeship (1919–1939) Polish people of Russian descent Polish people of Scottish descent Twelve-tone and serial composers 20th-century male musicians Recipients of the State Award Badge (Poland)