Wczesny okres twórczości Władysława Żeleńskiego w oczach polskich krytyków muzycznych

• Authors: Jaczyński Michał

Title variants

EN

Early period of Władysław Żeleński’s output as seen by Polish music critics

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The article attempts to describe the early, pre-opera reception of music written by Władysław Żeleński (1837–1921), one of the most important Polish composers and music educators working in the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The lower limit of the study period is the first mention of the composer in the press, namely the review of the Piano Sonata Op. 5 by Józef Sikorski (1859). This period ends in the year 1785, just before the premiere of Żeleński’s the first opera, Konrad Wallenrod. The source material was all Polish periodicals of that time, comprised of musical specialized magazines, art magazines, general public magazines and journals (including Cracow’s “Czas”). The aim of the author of this paper was to present the main problems (and their evolution) which occur in Polish critical-thinking about music in the context of Żeleński’s orches-tral works, as well as songs, piano and chamber music. Among these issues, the most important seem to be the reviewers’ attempt (initially tentative) to classify Żeleński by one of the current trends — insert him in the rigid framework of interpretation. The following oppositional categories can be mentioned: technicism and lyricism, talent and genius, youthfulness and maturity, classical and salon music, “national” style and a cosmopolitan one. One of the main issues for critics was to determine the influences in Żeleński’s works, and thus find out the artistic way which he fol-lowed. And here are the most common patterns mentioned by the reviewers: the classic style, the “national” one (in this case his songs were very often evaluated as linked with Stanisław Moniszko’ works) and the New German School. In the critical-thinking of music Żeleński somehow balances between these concepts. The aim of the author of this paper was to highlight the most important arguments that appear in discussions and — additionally — to supplement historiographic base associated with the composer.

Keywords

EN

musical critique; Polish musical culture on 19th century; Polish song; Polish chamber music; Polish symphonic works

• Publisher: Akademia Muzyczna im. Stanisława Moniuszki w Gdańsku, Wydział Dyrygentury, Kompozycji i Teorii Muzyki
• Journal: Aspekty Muzyki
• Year: 2014
• Volume: 4
• Pages: 121-146

Contributors

author

Jaczyński Michał

• Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Instytut Muzykologii

References

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• Morrow Mary Sue, Of Unity and Passion: The Aesthetic of Concert Criticism in Early Nineteenth-Century Vienna, „19th Century Music” 1990, Vol. 13, No. 3, s. 193–206.
• Negrey Maciej, „Żeleński Władysław”, hasło w: Encyklopedia Muzyczna PWM, red. Elżbieta Dziębowska, Kraków 2012, t. 12, s. 392–401.
• Skarga Barbara, Ogólne problemy pozytywizmu polskiego, w: Zarys dziejów filozofi i polskiej, red. Andrzej Walicki, Warszawa 1986, s. 134–142.