Tadeusz Zygfryd Kassern (

Lemberg Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

, 19 March 1904 –

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

(United States), 2 May 1957) was a Polish composer of Jewish origin. Born in

Lemburg Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

, he studied at the conservatory of the Polish Music Society in

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

and later at the conservatory in

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

. He studied composition with

Mieczysław Sołtys Mieczysław Sołtys (February 7, 1863 – November 11, 1929) was a Polish composer, conductor, teacher, music and public figure. Biography He studied in Lviv Conservatory as a composer (under Carl Mikuli) and at the same time as philosopher in ...

and piano with

Jerzy Lalewicz Jerzy is the Polish version of the masculine given name George. The most common nickname for Jerzy is Jurek (), which may also be used as an official first name. Occasionally the nickname Jerzyk may be used, which means "swift" in Polish. People ...

. In addition, he had a law degree from the University of Poznan. During the war, Kassern lived in

, Cracow and Warsaw. In the Nazi occupied parts of Poland Kassern was using false identity papers to protect himself from the Gestapo. In the post-war years, he served as a

cultural attaché Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

to the new Polish government. In 1948 Kassern, after a brief visit to the communist-ruled Poland, suddenly resigned his position, renounced his Polish citizenship and applied for US asylum. Kassern's application for asylum was denied due to missing a deadline set for asylum seekers; depressed, he attempted suicide. He worked for the Third Street Music School Settlement and the Dalcroze School of Music in New York City.
Among his compositions are three operas, symphonic suite "Tatry", solo concertos for flute, piano, oboe and double bass, cantatas, songs with piano accompaniment, and several solo piano works. Kassern died of cancer in 1957. Among Kassern's well known students was the Italian-born American composer

Dalmazio Santini Dalmazio Santini (September 11, 1923 – October 4, 2001) was an Italian-born American composer. Early life Santini was born in Capestrano in the Abruzzo province of Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Souther ...

(1923-2001).

Sources

''World of Quotes''
1904 births 1957 deaths 20th-century Polish classical composers 20th-century Polish male musicians Polish composers Polish male classical composers Polish emigrants to the United States {{poland-composer-stub