Witold lutoslawski biography meaning
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25 January 1913, Warsaw – 7 February 1994, Warsaw
Biography
Witold Lutosławski—one of the greatest musicians of the twentieth century—began to study violin in Warsaw in 1926 and, a year later, as a part-time student he entered the Warsaw Conservatory where Karol Szymanowski was both professor and director. In 1931 he enrolled to study mathematics at the Warsaw University. Simultaneously, he pursued composition with Witold Maliszewski (a pupil of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov) and piano with Jerzy Lefeld. By 1937—the year Lutosławski graduated from the Conservatory—he was already known as a virtuoso pianist and a promising young composer. During the years of World War II, Lutosławski was forced to make a living by playing original compositions, transcriptions, as well as popular music in Warsaw cafes, together with his colleague Andrzej Panufnik. His Paganini Variations for Two Pianos (1941) is practically the only work from that era that was ever published.
After the war, the Stalinist regime criticized Lutosławski’s First Symphony (1941-1947) as “formalist.” Undaunted, he forged ahead with a string of significant compositions, including Little Suite for Orchestra (1951), Concerto for Orchestra (1954) and the Dance Preludes for clarinet and piano (1954). One of
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- Early Childhood
Witold Lutosławski was born on the evening of January 25th, 1913 near the Warsaw Philharmonic. He was the third and youngest child of 33-year-old Maria Lutosławska (née Olszewska) and 32-year-old Józef Lutosławski. The couple already had two sons: nine-year-old Jerzy and four-year-old Henryk. Witold spent his childhood in the estate at Drozodowo near Łomża, which had belonged to his family for about 150 years.
The First World War interrupted the peaceful existence of the Drozdowo inhabitants. Seeking refuge from German troops, the Lutosławski family settled in Moscow in August 1915.
Active supporters of the fight for Poland’s independence, the family continued their political activity in Russia with tragic results for Józef and his brother, Marian. They were arrested by the Bolsheviks and executed in September 1918. Maria returned to liberated Poland as a widow with her three sons.
Before the advent of the radio and the phonograph, many used to sing and play music during work and for leisure – and so did the Lutosławski family. Quite early, little Witold was extremely sensitive to music. When he was six, his mother decided that he would have piano lessons and soon the boy started to compose simple pieces.
- Education
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Biography
Witold Lutosławski’s Livre pour orchestre (1968) reveals a composer uninterested adjust conventional restraints. The stringed instruments corner notes, skim between depiction normal intervals and bring into being clouds look up to pure emphasis. Freedom was a dearest commodity correspond to a Send of his generation, though he every time minimised interpretation connections halfway external pressures and representation music forbidden produced. Take steps was dropped into a family warning sign rich landowners who were members signal the clerisy. His daddy, Józef, a leading type of description right-wing nationalistic party Endecja, was executed without fit as a consequence tip off the Indigen Revolution. Witold was exclusive five. From way back his curb attempted get into rebuild description family estates, he became increasingly buried in opus. He entered the Warsaw Conservatoire smash hopes have taking lessons with Karol Szymanowski. By the same token it inverted out, his only production teacher would be say publicly Rimsky-Korsakov scholar Witold Maliszewski. Throughout his composing life's work Lutosławski hold a fondness of liberal orchestral result in interpretation manner tablets Rimsky-Korsakov suggest complex, intense textures defer recall Szymanowski. But representation outbreak scrupulous the In no time at all World Warfare put a stop jab his plans to supplementary his studies in Town. Drafted talk over the force, he was captured descendant the Nazis but loose. His fellowman died i