Roman Maciejewski (28 February 1910 in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

– 30 April 1998 in Gothenburg, Sweden) was a Polish composer. His mother, Bronisława Maciejewska, was a talented violinist and music teacher who taught him to play piano. He studied in

Stern Conservatory The Stern Conservatory (''Stern'sches Konservatorium'') was a private music school in Berlin with many distinguished tutors and alumni. The school is now part of Berlin University of the Arts. History It was founded in 1850 as the ''Berliner Mu ...

, later with Stanisław Wiechowicz and

Kazimierz Sikorski Kazimierz Sikorski (June 28, 1895 – July 23, 1986) was a Polish composer. His arrangement of the "Mazurek Dąbrowskiego" is currently used as the Polish national anthem. Biography Sikorski was born in Zurich, but studied in Warsaw, first m ...

in Poznań Conservatory, then continued with Sikorski in

Warsaw Conservatory The Chopin University of Music ( pl, Uniwersytet Muzyczny Fryderyka Chopina, UMFC) is a musical conservatorium and academy located in central Warsaw, Poland. It is the oldest and largest music school in Poland, and one of the largest in Europe.

. In his early years he was highly acclaimed by

Karol Szymanowski Karol Maciej Szymanowski (; 6 October 188229 March 1937) was a Polish composer and pianist. He was a member of the modernist Young Poland movement that flourished in the late 19th and early 20th century. Szymanowski's early works show the in ...

. In 1934 he went to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, to study with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

. He never returned to his native

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

, staying in various countries abroad: France (till 1938), United Kingdom (1938-1939), Sweden (1939-1951), United States (1951-1977) and again Sweden (1977–98). At first he composed inspired by Karol Szymanowski's late style (mazurkas for piano, ''Kurpian Songs'' for choir). The tragedy of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, and also his very serious illness during his first stay in Sweden, caused a deep change in composer's personality, that has greatly affected his music. Starting in 1939 Maciejewski began living in Sweden, working as a composer and pianist, where he married a Swedish dancer and remained for 12 years. He composed music for several theatre productions of

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known as "profoundly ...

, including Camus's Kaligula. While in Sweden, he began his life-work, the Missa pro defunctis, which he finished fifteen years later. This monumental piece is dedicated to all the victims of all wars and remains Maciejewski's best known and highest-regarded composition. It was premiered during the International Festival of Conterporary Music in Warsaw in 1960. After World War II (in 1951), Maciejewski moved to the United States and spent a period of 26 years in California, living in Redondo Beach, working as the organist for two Catholic churches, and directing the "Roman Choir" which yearly toured the missions and cathedrals of California. During his American years, Maciejewski composed a number of choral pieces and masses. In 1977 Maciejewski moved back to Sweden, settling in Göteborg where he died on 30 April 1998. He is buried in his home town of

Leszno Leszno (german: Lissa, 1800–1918 ''Lissa in Posen'') is a historic city in western Poland, within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Previously, it ...

, Poland.

Works

* app. 60 Mazurkas for piano * ''Kurpian Songs'' - for choir a cappella (1929) * ''The Songs of Bilitis'' (words by

Pierre Louÿs Pierre Louÿs (; 10 December 1870 – 4 June 1925) was a French poet and writer, most renowned for lesbian and classical themes in some of his writings. He is known as a writer who sought to "express pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection" ...

, trans. by

Leopold Staff Leopold Henryk Staff (November 14, 1878 – May 31, 1957) was a Polish poet; an artist of European modernism twice granted the Degree of Doctor honoris causa by universities in Warsaw and in Kraków. He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize ...

) - for soprano & orch. (1935) * ''Concerto for 2 pianos'' (1936) * ''Berceuse and Allegro concertante'' - for piano & orch. (1944) * ''Missa pro defunctis. Requiem'' - for 4 solo voices, choir & orch. (1945–59) * ''Nocturne'' - for flute, celesta & guitar (1952) * ''Missa brevis'' - for choir & organ (1964) * ''Mass of the Resurrection'' - for choir & organ (1966) * Also chamber, piano and other pieces; theatrical music for the plays directed by

External links

Roman Maciejewski at PWM Edition

Roman Maciejewski's webpage
in Polish 1910 births 1998 deaths 20th-century classical composers Classical composers of church music Polish classical composers Polish male classical composers 20th-century male musicians

References

{{Poland-composer-stub