Władysław Marcjan Mikołaj Żeleński (6 July 1837 – 23 January 1921) was a Polish
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and def ...
,
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
and
organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...
.
Life
Żeleński was born in
Grodkowice
Grodkowice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kłaj, within Wieliczka County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately east of Wieliczka and east of the regional capital Kraków
, officially t ...
into a landowner family. When he was eight, his father was killed and his mother critically injured in the ''
rabacja'', the Galician peasants' uprising of 1846.
He was a representative of
neoromanticism
The term neo-romanticism is used to cover a variety of movements in philosophy, literature, music, painting, and architecture, as well as social movements, that exist after and incorporate elements from the era of Romanticism.
It has been used ...
in
Polish music. From early on, Żeleński showed interest in chamber music. While in secondary school, he wrote two quartets and a trio that, however, have not survived to our times. Later chamber pieces include: ''Sextet'' in C major, Op. 9 and ''Wariacje na temat własny'' (''Variations on an Original Theme'') for string quartet, Op. 29 Żeleński composed while studying first in Prague and later in Paris. He died in
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
.
Władysław was the father of physician and writer
Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński
Tadeusz Kamil Marcjan Żeleński (21 December 1874 – 4 July 1941), better known by his pen name Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński or simply as Boy, was a Polish stage writer, poet, critic and, above all, the translator of over 100 French literature , Fre ...
. His students included Polish composer and pianist
Jadwiga Sarnecka
Jadwiga Sarnecka (1877 or 1883 – 29 December 1913) was a Polish composer and pianist whose composition ''Ballade'' for piano won second place in a 1910 competition in Lviv (today in Ukraine) commemorating Chopin’s centenary. She also composed w ...
.
Notable works
Operas
* ''
Konrad Wallenrod
''Konrad Wallenrod'' is an 1828 narrative poem, in Polish language, Polish, by Adam Mickiewicz, set in the 14th-century Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Mickiewicz wrote it, while living in St. Petersburg, Russia, in protest against the late-18th-cen ...
'' (1885)
*
''Goplana'' (1896)
*
''Janek'' (1900)
* ''
Stara baśń (opera)'' (1907) libretto by Aleksander Bandrowski based on ''
Stara baśń''
Symphonic compositions
* ''W Tatrach'' (In the Tatra Mountains), overture, Op. 27 (1870)
* ''Echa leśne'' (Forest Echos), overture
* ''Suita tańców polskich'' (Suite of Polish Dances), Op. 47
* ''Symfonie lesne'' (Spring Symphony), Op. 41
* ''Polonez koncertowy'' (Concert Polonaise)
* ''Trauerklänge, Elegisches Andante'', Op. 36
Concertante
* ''Concerto E-flat major'' for piano and orchestra, Op. 60
* ''Romance'' for cello and orchestra, Op. 40
Chamber music
* Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 61
* Piano Trio in E major for piano, violin, and cello, Op. 22 (1874, dedicated to pianist Augusta Auspitz-Kolar, published by Kahnt Verlag in Leipzig)
* Romance for violin and piano, Op. 16
* Sonata in F major for violin and piano, Op. 30
* String Quartet in F major, Op. 28
* String Quartet in A major, Op. 42
* ''Wariacje na temat własny'' (''Variations on an Original Theme'') for string quartet, Op. 21 (1883)
Keyboard
* ''2 Mazurkas'' for piano, Op. 31
* ''25 Preludes'' for organ, Op. 38
* ''Marsz uroczysty'' (''Ceremonial March'') for piano, Op. 44
* ''Rêverie'' for piano, Op. 48
Songs
Władysław is author of over 100 songs, most notable are:
* "Na Anioł Pański"
* "Słowiczku mój"
* "Zaczarowana królewna"
Discography
*1998 : Organ Preludes – Acte Préalable AP000
*2000 : Songs – Acte Préalable AP029
*2005 : Violin Sonata – Acte Préalable AP011
*2015 : Piano Works vol. 1 – Acte Préalable AP012
*2011 : String Quartets – Acte Préalable AP023
*2011 : Chamber Music – Acte Préalable AP023
*2011 : Piano Works vol. 2 – Acte Préalable AP023
*2012 : Complete Works for Violin – Acte Préalable AP023
*2013 : Chamber Music with Piano – Acte Préalable AP027
*2015 : Songs – Acte Préalable AP031
*2016 : Secular Choral Works – Acte Préalable AP036
*2017 : Sacred Choral Works – Acte Préalable AP037
*2017 : Songs, Duets – Acte Préalable AP038
*2021 : Władysław Żeleński & Gustaw Roguski - Recently Discovered Works – Acte Préalable AP048
*2021 : Żeleński: Chamber Works – Trio Lontano - Dux 173
See also
*
List of Poles#Music, List of Poles
References
*
External links
*
*
Scores by Władysław Żeleńskiin digital library
Polona
Polona is a Polish digital library, which provides digitized books, magazines, graphics, maps, music, fliers and manuscripts from collections of the National Library of Poland and co-operating institutions. It began its operation in 2006.
Colle ...
1837 births
1921 deaths
19th-century Polish classical composers
19th-century Polish classical pianists
19th-century Polish male musicians
19th-century musicians
20th-century Polish classical composers
20th-century Polish classical pianists
20th-century Polish male musicians
Polish Romantic composers
Polish male classical composers
Polish opera composers
Polish classical organists
Polish male classical pianists
Male classical organists
Academic staff of the Chopin University of Music
People from Wieliczka County
Composers from Austria-Hungary
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