Morgan Littlefield
Music 8 Odd
Composers
September
Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki is a Polish composer from the 20th century. Krzysztof was born on November 23, 1933 to Zofia and Tadeusz Penderecki in Dębica, Poland. In 1939, the Second World War broke out, and Penderecki's family moved out of their apartment. After the war, Penderecki began attending grammar school in 1946. He began to study composition under Franciszek Skolyszewski. Later, Krzystof studied at the Krakow Conservatory under Artur Malawski and Stanislaw Wiechowicz. He graduated in 1958 and was appointed as a professor at the very same school. Between the years 1966 and 1968, Penderecki was a lecturer at the Volkwang Hochschule für Musik in Essen, Germany. In 1972, he was appointed rector of the Krakow Conservatory. His early works show the influence of Anton Webern, Pierre Boulez, and Igor…show more content… Luke Passion, Polish Requiem, Anaklasis, four operas, eight symphonies and other orchestral pieces, a variety of instrumental concertos, choral settings of mainly religious texts, as well as chamber and instrumental works." Krzysztof Penderecki Official Website.
His first international public appearance was at the Warsaw Autumn Festival in 1959. Penderecki performed Strophen, one of three works that achieved first prizes at the 2nd National Young Composers Competition. The other two pieces were Psalms of David and Emanations.
In 1959, Krzysztof composed Threnody for the Victims oh Hiroshima. He received a UNESCO prize, and it is known as one of his greatest and most preformed pieces. This performance was followed by success. On March 30, 1966, Penderecki was reborn—the performance of St. Luke Passion— marked a turning point in his career. This made him the most renowned artist since Igor Stravinsky. The following year brought the performance and composition of Dies Irae, also known as the Auschwitz