Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969) Poland
- andreachamizoalber
- Aug 31
- 1 min read
A composer and violinist, she is one of the first Polish women composers to achieve national and international recognition, along with composer Maria Szymanowska (who also appears on this blog). She began her studies at the Warsaw Conservatory, graduating in 1932, and then continued her education in Paris at the École Normale de Musique, where she studied composition with Nadia Boulanger (also featured on this blog) and violin with André Touret.
I share her Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, and the link to download the score:
From 1936 to 1938, she was principal violinist with the Polish Radio Orchestra. This position gave her the opportunity to hear much of her music. Also in 1936, Grazyna married and had a daughter, Alina Biernacka, a renowned painter, in 1942. I share her Symphony No. 3 and her Concerto for Viola and Orchestra.
During World War II, Bacewicz lived in Warsaw. She continued composing and gave clandestine concerts, at one of which she premiered her Suite for Two Violins. I'm sharing the Suite without a score, and also her Violin Concerto No. 3, which also includes a link to the score, is also available here:
After the war, she began teaching at the Lodz Conservatory of Music. She won many awards, recognitions, and commissions. In 1954, composition became her sole occupation, the same year she suffered severe injuries in a car accident. She finally died of a heart attack in Warsaw in 1969.
Here is her first Piano Quintet and also 10 Studies for piano, both with a link to view the score.
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