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Series:   Elements in Women in Music

Grazyna Bacewicz, The 'First Lady of Polish Music'

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2022

Diana Ambache

Summary

This Element explores the life and work of Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969), as a composer, violinist, pianist and author. She lived a remarkable life in Poland, navigating the complex world of Polish communist society and Soviet dominance after the Second World War, and brought Polish music to wider European attention. The Element describes the historical context of her life, her major achievements, and the language and development of her compositions, which attracted notable interest in Polish musical life. She wrote a wide range of pieces, making a significant contribution to the string repertoire, with important String Quartets and violin works. In her sixty years she achieved impressive triumphs as a women composer, served the Polish Composers Union and often judged major international competitions.
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Keywords

BacewiczPolandcomposerviolinstrings
Type
Element
Information
Series: Elements in Women in Music
Online ISBN: 9781108913485
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 18 August 2022

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Bibliography

Primary Sources

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Dla ludzi zawsze mam twarz pogodną … Grażyna Bacewicz (documentary film in Polish), directed by D. Pawelec, scenario by M. Gąsiorowska and D. Pawelec, Telewizja Polska – Program II 1999: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HAGaACyt94.Google Scholar
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