André Tchaikowsky
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André Tchaikowsky (also Andrzej Czajkowski; born Robert Andrzej Krauthammer; November 1, 1935 – June 26, 1982) was a Polish
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...
and
pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
. In addition to his musical work, he is perhaps best known for bequeathing his skull to the
Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
for use as
Yorick Yorick is an unseen character in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet''. He is the dead court jester whose Human skull, skull is exhumed by the The Gravediggers, First Gravedigger in Act 5, Scene 1, of the play. The sight of Yorick's skull evokes ...
in ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
''.


Life and career

Robert Andrzej Krauthammer was born in
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
in 1935 into a Jewish family. He had shown musical talent from an early age, and his mother, an amateur pianist, taught him the piano from the age of four. When the Second World War broke out, they were moved into the
Warsaw Ghetto The Warsaw Ghetto (, officially , ; ) was the largest of the Nazi ghettos during World War II and the Holocaust. It was established in November 1940 by the Nazi Germany, German authorities within the new General Government territory of Occupat ...
. Krauthammer remained there until 1942, when he was smuggled out and provided with forged identity papers that renamed him Andrzej Czajkowski. He then went into hiding with his grandmother, Celina. The pair remained hidden until 1944, when they were caught up in the
Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...
, and they were then sent to Pruszków transit camp as ordinary Polish citizens, from which they were released in 1945. Tchaikowsky's father, Karl Krauthammer, also survived the war, and remarried, producing a daughter, Katherine, later Krauthammer-Vogt. Tchaikowsky's mother, Felicja Krauthammer (née Rappaport) was confined in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942, and died in
Treblinka Treblinka () was the second-deadliest extermination camp to be built and operated by Nazi Germany in Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the Treblinka, ...
. Andrzej Czajkowski, as he was re-named (he later adopted the spelling ''André Tchaikowsky''), resumed his lessons at age 9 in Łodz State School, under the tuition of Emma Altberg (herself once a student of
Wanda Landowska Wanda Aleksandra Landowska (5 July 1879 – 16 August 1959) was a Polish harpsichordist and pianist whose performances, teaching, writings and especially her many recordings played a large role in reviving the popularity of the harpsichord in t ...
). From there, he went to Paris, where
Lazare Lévy Lazare Lévy Lazare Lévy, also hyphenated as Lazare-Lévy, (18 January 188220 September 1964) was an influential French pianist, organist, composer and pedagogue. As a virtuoso pianist he toured throughout Europe, in North Africa, Israel, the Sov ...
took over his musical education, and where he would also break off relations with his father for many years following an argument. After his return to Poland (1950), he studied at the State Music Academy in
Sopot Sopot (; or ) is a seaside resort city in Pomerelia on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomerania Province and has the City with powiat ri ...
under Prof. Olga Iliwicka-Dąbrowska, and later at the State Music Academy in Warsaw under Prof. Stanisław Szpinalski. He began developing his concert career while still a student, displaying his showmanship through public performances of
Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...
's
Goldberg Variations The ''Goldberg Variations'' (), BWV 988, is a musical composition for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of thirty variations. First published in 1741, it is named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may ...
,
Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...
's Piano Concerto No. 2 and providing listeners with improvisations on various themes. From 1951, he took composition classes with Prof.
Kazimierz Sikorski Kazimierz Sikorski (June 28, 1895 – July 23, 1986) was a Polish composer. His arrangement of the "" is currently used as the Polish national anthem. Biography Sikorski was born in Zurich, but studied in Warsaw, first music at the Warsaw Cons ...
. After his success at the
V International Chopin Piano Competition The V International Chopin Piano Competition () was held from 21 February to 20 March 1955 in Warsaw. The competition was won by Adam Harasiewicz of Poland. The competition was held in the rebuilt National Philharmonic, the date having been mo ...
, where he won the 8th award (1955), Tchaikowsky left to study in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
under Polish pianist
Stefan Askenase Stefan Askenase (10 July 189618 October 1985) was a Polish-Belgian Classical music, classical pianist and Piano pedagogy, pedagogue. Biography Askenase was born in Lviv, then known as Lemberg, into a Jewish family. At the age of five he began ...
. As a result of his work with Askenase, Tchaikowsky took part in the
Queen Elisabeth Music Competition The Queen Elisabeth Competition (, ) is an international competition for career-starting musicians held in City of Brussels, Brussels. The competition is named after Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Belgium, Queen Elisabeth of Belgium (1876–1 ...
, winning third prize in 1956. That same year, he emigrated to England, where he lived until his death. In 1957, he gave a series of recitals in Paris, performing all of
Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...
's compositions for piano in honour of the twentieth anniversary of the French composer's death. During the same time, he consulted
Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher, conductor and composer. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organis ...
at Fontainbleau on matters of composition, as well as establishing contact with
Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein Order of the British Empire, KBE OMRI (; 28 January 1887 – 20 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.
. Despite his success as a pianist, André Tchaikowsky’s greatest passion was composition. He wrote two Piano Concertos, a String Quartet, a setting of
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's Seven Sonnets for voice and piano, a Piano Trio and several compositions for piano solo. These included a Piano Sonata in 1958 and a series of ten ''Inventions'' for piano, composed between 1961 and 1962, dedicated to (and portraits of) a series of friends. The final piece is dedicated to his psychiatrist, Michael Riddall. The English pianist
Norma Fisher Norma Fisher (born 1940) is an English concert pianist and professor of piano living in London. Illness shortened her performing career in the 1990s and she turned instead to teaching. Biography Norma Fisher was born in London of Russian-Polish ...
recorded the ''Inventions'' for the BBC in 1984. He also completed an opera, ''
The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...
'', based on Shakespeare's play. Most of the opera was written by 1978, and following discussions with the music critic
Hans Keller Hans (Heinrich) Keller (11 March 19196 November 1985) was an Austrian-born British musician and writer, who made significant contributions to musicology and music criticism, as well as being a commentator on such disparate fields as psychoana ...
, Tchaikowsky decided to submit it for consideration to
English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...
, then under the directorship of
Lord Harewood Earl of Harewood (), in the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. History The title was created in 1812 for Edward Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood, a wealthy sugar plantation owner and former Member of Parliament for ...
. A playthrough of the first two acts was arranged in December 1981, with Harewood and the ENO artistic director
David Pountney Sir David Willoughby Pountney (born 10 September 1947) is a British-Polish theatre and opera director and libretto, librettist internationally known for his productions of rarely performed operas and new productions of classic works. He has di ...
and conductor
Mark Elder Sir Mark Philip Elder (born 2 June 1947) is a British conductor. Life and career Elder was born in Hexham, Northumberland, the son of a dentist. He played the bassoon when in primary school, at Bryanston School, Dorset, and in the National ...
in attendance. But in March 1982 Tchaikowsky received a letter from Harewood turning the opera down. By this time Tchaikowsky was already seriously ill, and he died only three months later. His dying wish was that the opera be performed. The opera was not produced until 2013 at the
Bregenz Festival Bregenzer Festspiele (; Bregenz Festival) is a performing arts festival which is held every July and August in Bregenz in Vorarlberg (Austria). It features a large floating stage which is situated on Lake Constance. History The Festival becam ...
. For
RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...
and Columbia EMI, Tchaikowsky recorded works by Bach (Goldberg Variations),
Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...
(two Sonatas, Variations in F minor),
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
(Concerto in C major, two Sonatas and minor works),
Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...
(waltzes, ländlers, German dances), Chopin (15
mazurka The Mazurka ( Polish: ''mazurek'') is a Polish musical form based on stylised folk dances in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, with character defined mostly by the prominent mazur's "strong accents unsystematically placed on the seco ...
s) as well as Fauré (Piano Quartet in C minor). He made several recordings of his own works for the EMI label.


Skull

Tchaikowsky died of
colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...
at the age of 46 in
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
. In his will he left his body to medical research, and donated his skull to the
Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
, asking that it be used as a prop on stage. Tchaikowsky hoped that his skull would be used for the skull of
Yorick Yorick is an unseen character in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet''. He is the dead court jester whose Human skull, skull is exhumed by the The Gravediggers, First Gravedigger in Act 5, Scene 1, of the play. The sight of Yorick's skull evokes ...
in productions of ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
''. For many years, no actor or director felt comfortable using a real skull in performances, although it was occasionally used in rehearsals. In 2008, the skull was finally held by
David Tennant David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...
in a series of performances of ''Hamlet'' at the
Courtyard Theatre The Courtyard Theatre was a 1,048 seat thrust stage theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, operated by the Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratf ...
in
Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...
. After the use of Tchaikowsky's skull was revealed in the press, this production of ''Hamlet'' moved to the West End and the RSC announced that they would no longer use Tchaikowsky's skull (a spokesman said that it would be "too distracting for the audience"). However, this was a deception; in fact, the skull was used throughout the production's West End run, and in a subsequent television adaptation broadcast on
BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
. Director
Gregory Doran Sir Gregory Doran (born 24 November 1958) is an English director known for his Shakespearean work. ''The Sunday Times'' called him 'one of the great Shakespearians of his generation'. Doran was artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company ...
said, "André Tchaikowsky's skull was a very important part of our production of ''Hamlet'', and despite all the hype about him, he meant a great deal to the company."


Notable compositions

* Piano Concerto No. 1 (1957) * Sonata for piano (1958) * Sonata for clarinet and piano, Op. 1 (1959) * Inventions for piano, Op. 2 (1961–1962) * String Quartet No. 1 in A major, Op.3 (1969–1970) * Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 4 (1966–1971) * String Quartet No. 2 in C major, Op. 5 (1973–1975) * Opera, ''
The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...
'' (1968–1982)


References


Bibliography

* David A Ferré: "André Tchaikovsky", ''
Music and Musicians Hansom Books was a British publisher founded in 1947 by Philip Dosse to produce the magazine ''Dance and Dancers''. Magazines in a similar format were then founded to cover mainly other performing artforms, all seven magazines eventually being k ...
'' (December 1985) * Belina-Johnson, Anastasia (ed.) (2013). ''A Musician Divided: André Tchaikowsky in his Own Words''. London: Toccata Press. * Anita Halina Janowska, ''My Guardian Demon. Letters of André Tchaikowsky & Halina Janowska 1956-1982''. Translated from the Polish by Jacek Laskowski. Smith-Gordon 2014, . Polish editions: incomplete first edition ''...Mój diabeł stróż. Listy Andrzeja Czajkowskiego i Haliny Sander'', selection and edition by Anita Janowska, PIW Warszawa 1988, . 2nd edition: Wydawnictwo Siedmioróg, Wrocław 1996, . Extended and illustrated 3rd edition: Anita Halina Janowska, ''...Mój diabeł stróż. Listy Andrzeja Czajkowskiego i Haliny Janowskiej'', Wydawnictwo W.A.B., Warszawa, 2011, .


External links


André Tchaikowsky Website edited by David Ferré
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tchaikowsky, Andre Polish male classical composers Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom Polish male classical pianists 1935 births 1982 deaths Musicians from Warsaw Deaths from colorectal cancer Prize-winners of the Queen Elisabeth Competition Jewish classical pianists Jewish classical composers Warsaw Ghetto inmates Prize-winners of the International Chopin Piano Competition 20th-century Polish Jews 20th-century Polish classical composers 20th-century Polish classical pianists 20th-century Polish male musicians