Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)

Introduction:
Karol Szymanowski was born in Poland in October of 1882. He is thought of to be the most important Polish composer of the early 20th century. He is not only a composer, but also a pianist. His family was wealthy and owned a lot of land. Due to his wealth, he was able to study music with his father privately, before enrolling in the Gustav Neuhaus Elisavetgrad School of Music in 1892, when he was 10. He studied music here until transferring to the Conservatory in Warsaw (later he would be a director here and eventually retire). He was so advanced in his music courses, that when he graduated he was able to study abroad and find a career in music. Music careers in Poland were limited, and were not very high paying. He traveled to exotic places including; all of Europe, North Africa, the United States, and the Middle East. He learned different styles of music while traveling, which helped transform his music into more in depth pieces. He returned to Berlin, and founded the Young Polish Composers' Publishing Company, and the primary aim of the company was to find new and upcoming works to publish from the people of his country.

He visited Vienna for many years, and here he composed his first opera "Hagith" and also composed two songs called "The Love Songs of Hafiz." During the time of World War I, he was exempt from fighting in the war due to a bad knee. During these three years he composed, studied the Islamic culture, read Ancient Greek drama, and studied philosophy. Due to his research, the works from this time are considered the most unique works he wrote. His works were originally very strict in their styles and dynamics, but during this time period, he released his grip on dynamics and wrote music that was more relaxed, colorful, and melodic.

In 1918, he finished a manuscript he had been writing, entitled: "Efebos". The main topic of the two volume manuscript was homosexuality. Once he returned from the Mediterranean he had changed, and began becoming more erratic in her personality and musically. It was visible to the people around him that his personality was changing big time. Returning from Sicily, he saw two men bathing in a fountain nude, and from the moment he saw himself as homosexual.

He went back to Berlin in 1919, where he decided to stay, and in 1926 he accepted a job as the Director of the Warsaw Conservatory. Two years later, however, he had become extremely sick and temporarily resigned from his position. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis and traveled to Switzerland for treatment in 1929. A year later, he was feeling better and reclaimed his position at the Conservatory, but two years later the school was closed. The remainder of his life was filled with passion. He dedicated his life to finding a Polish national style. He spent time studying the national folklore and sounds of the composers before him. He explained the style to have winding melodies and syncopated melodies. Eventually, he died due to his illness. On March 29, 1937 he passed away, leaving behind an amazing legacy.

Pieces We Heard:
The Metopes, Op. 29: Japanese Ensemble Performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBKQ1w-VqSw

Observations:
The piece is very eerie and beautiful. The Japanese Flute Ensemble did an excellent job performing this piece. The piece has very deep and dark tones, with the occasional high notes adding to the stressful feel of the song. The first movement's speed is medium- fast, and keeps a pretty steady mysterious and ominous tone. The second movement is a little bit slower pace than the first movement. The feeling that the movement evokes has the same feeling as the first movement, though. There are many increasing and declining scales that are making up the main melodies of the songs. This movement uses more variation between fast and slow tempos, which successfully adds to the creepy tones. The music is just, so beautiful and honest. There was not a very big difference between the two movements. The last movement, is immediately different. It is already happier, and lighter. There are still chords being used that feel like would be found in a horror film, but they are a bit lighter than before. This movement is incredibly fast, and it baffles me that the flutist is able to play that fast. Overall, a beautiful performance, and very different from what we have seen so far. Very great to hear a different type of music being played.

Works Cited:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karol_Szymanowski

http://culture.pl/en/artist/karol-szymanowski

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Karol-Szymanowski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBKQ1w-VqSw