"Grazyna Bacewicz and her Polish Caprice" by Agnieszka Kozlowska

Grazyna Bacewicz is a prominent figure in the Polish music history and one of the most well-known women composers throughout the world. She was a violin virtuoso great composer and an accomplished pianist and a writer and left an enormous number of compositions in a very wide variety of genres. As in any other composer’s case, her creativity was also divided into different periods; each of them having its own stylistic features. However, in all those periods Grazyna Bacewicz used the same characteristic, which is the intensive use of the folk music of her country.

In this paper I will be talking about Bacewicz’s life as a women composer of her period; but my main focus will be particularly her violin music. Since the Polish national characteristics play such an important role in her creativity I choose the "Polish Caprice" as an example for my analysis. Furthermore, this piece that was written for solo violin, carries a title that summarizes all the features included in this composition and her other works in general. I will also talk about the violinistic characteristics of this piece and it being a reflection of her other violin compositions that are all written very "idiomatic". In other words, because of her pedagogical approach all the fingering patterns, all the fast passages or the bowings of her compositions are organized in a very logical manner.

Firstly, we will briefly talk about her life in general. Grazyna Bacewicz was Born in Lodz on February 5 1909; not in 1913 as many sources indicate incorrectly. She died suddenly in Warsaw on January 17 1969, after taking too many anti-biotics to cure her illness. She studied in Poland and in France with most famous pedagogues of the time. But her education started at a very early age in her family; indeed her Lithuanian father was closely interested in the musical education of his children. After realizing her talent Grazyna was sent to the local music school in Lodz and then to the Warsaw Conservatory. In addition to her success on the violin and the piano she soon became aware of her interest in composition. She took her studies very seriously and graduated with highest honors with diplomas from violin with Prof. Jarzebski and composition with Prof. Sikorski.

After her graduation, encouraged by Karol Szymanowski, she left to France with a group of young Poles. There she studied with two famous names, whom had a lot of influence on shaping the young musician’s feature. Her composition teacher was Nadia Boulanger and her violin professor Carl Flesch. However, it’s quite important to mention that Bacewicz was very critical of her early works, as well as later ones, and destroyed many of her first opus numbers. Therefore, the current numbers may not represent the real order of the compositions.

Upon finishing her studies, she immidiately pursued an active violin soloist career. Besides her touring career however, she also found time for her musical compositions. In fact, she premiered most of her own works during these tours and concerts. In addition, she was not only a great violinist and composer but also a good pianist; she performed her own piano works extensively. However, her priority was always the composition. This maybe also a reason for the great number of works that she has left behind. Further more, in the last 15 years of her life she left her soloist career a side and devoted herself solely to the composition.

During her lifetime, she also taught theory subjects and violin in music schools, served as the concertmaster of the Polish Radio Orchestra and made appearances as a jury member of many International Competitions. Widely honored and recognized in her native country Poland, today Bacewicz is still well remembered and her music is being performed very often. Her sudden death created an incredible sadness, and a great sense of loss in the music world. As a sign of the loyalty of her nation, there are many schools, streets, monuments and events that were named after Bacewicz. In other words she and her music is still leaving in Poland and throughout the world.

Secondly we should look at her successes as a woman composer. During her lifetime she was considered as the first woman to be accepted as an equal by her male peers. She opened a path for feature generations; but it was not easy for her, just like it wasn’t easy for any other woman composer in the history. In her book the "Birthmark" she quotes a conversation that she had with Nadia Boulanger. In this conversation she uses examples sacrifices done by female musicians for their composer husbands. On the other hand, with her great sense of humor, she pictures a man sacrificing himself for his musician wife by "being chained to the kitchen sink, bringing up their children, copying their wife’s manuscript and writing letters to the publishers". Indeed, when put this way, this example looks quite unusual in this setting; but isn’t this the exact same thing that woman have been doing for centuries? Since the beginning of the music history, there have been numerous examples of woman giving up their careers, simply because of the "routine" that has been going onfor centuries. However, Bacewicz did not fall into that cathegory and she managed to succeed as a composer, soloist, teacher, novelist and still found time to be a good mother, wife and house keeper. But, as she herself confessed it was not easy.

Since her successes were quite extraordinary, we should mention some of her awards and prizes that underlines her honorable position in the music world. In her home country she was one of the founders of the Warsaw Autumn(a festival devoted to Polish music) and first woman Vice- President of the Union of Polish Composers. She toured intensively throughout Poland, France, Belgium, Spain, Soviet Union and frequently premiered her own works. During her career she received the Warsaw Prize for interpretive and creative work. Her Music for Strings, Trumpets and Percussion received 1st prize in the orchestral division of UNESCO International Rostrum for Composer. She also won the 1st prize in Liege with her 4th String Quartet in 1951. Belgian Government awarded her with their prize in addition to the Gold Medal at the Queen Elizabeth International Competition for Composers. Needless to say, she was well respected in the music world internationally. Her appearances in top violin competitions such as Tchaikovsky, Wieniawski and Marguerite long-Jacques Thibaud, proves her this world wide acceptance as a violinist and composer. In fact, in one of her interviews, she said that she received more letters as "Mr. Bacewicz" then she ever did as a woman. Which proves, that her music was not consider feminine, and obtained great publicity.

Bacewicz’s creativity could be analyzed in three periods. First one was the early period which she composed under the influence of Szymanowski and neoclassicism. The second period is when when she discovers her personal language and matures her own style. Lastly, there was the experimental period of 12 tone, sonorism and collage, in great influence of the changing styles. However, Bacewicz combined those however, with her own experience. In her compositions, she took those techiques to a new level. Despite all of the particularities and differences of those periods, Bacewicz’s all compositions are heavily influenced by the Polish folk music. "Polish culture itself may be reflected trhough a tittle, such as Polish Caprice....or through either quotations of folk tunes or writing based on folk melodies or the characteristic rhythms of folk dances" Another main features of her music are the clarity of the form, which is strictly connected to her neo-classical style, and the idiomatic writing for instruments (especially strings). Indeed, especially in her chamber works, each instrument is treaded equally, and is given the opportunity to play on a solo level.

Please also see this page

The Polish Caprice was written in 1949, and premiered in Warsaw by the composer herself. It was published one year later by the Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne and since then is played frequently throughout the world. This two page show piece, is indeed great for a recital, or as an encore and is very enjoyable for both the audience and the performer. As the name speaks for itself, this piece truly represents Bacewicz’s Polish identity. It starts with a slow melody( Andante), that reflects a folk song originating from the Mountains located in South part of Poland, Zakopane. This song, is in a declamatory style, full of emotions and memories. The melody is repeated twice, in different octaves, and suggested fingerings create a wheeping character by the glissandos. The idiomatic writing can be realized just in the very opening section, where each string gives the tune a different character. The dynamics highlight the effects of the tune, and it creates the effect of the violin literally singing the song. Then the last note connects this slow folk melody with the fast section of the piece, which has a typical duple meter dance character.

In the second section of the piece the most visible thing are the changing tempo markings and the beat itself. Bacewicz gives the performer each sign and all the needed clues to make the piece work. The dynamics and the accents are the "spices" of the character, and the changing patterns, add to the intensity of this dance. However, probably the most obvious feature of this piece are the chromatic passages, moving step-wise. Althought, there is no key signature, the piece is changing keys, literally each measure. Bacewicz uses the same tune repeated many times; but she does not bore the audience by changing the tonality it each time. From a violinistic perspective it’s done very wisely. The changes occur, mostly on the same string. However, since most of it involves double stops, it creates some challenges for the performer.

The usage of the spiccato bow stroke, is also very idiomatic and creates an enourmous effect on the listener. By analyzing some of her other works, this kind of writing for violin, seems to be used in many other compositions. Especially the effect created by fast moving double stops, can be seen quite frequently. Her music seems to be perfectly matching the left hand in terms of intervals, and finger patterns. For example, the triple stops at the very end, may look quite challenging, but they are actually " violinist friendly". The movements of those chords are designed in a way that it fits the movement of the left arm. Being a concert violinist and a pedagoue herself Bacewicz was well awared of both the expectetions of the audience and the technichal difficulties of the instrument. Therefore she combained those two sides and came up with some ideas that would work both techically and musically. At the end her works are both pleasing to the listener and the friendly to the performer.

In summary, like many other of her works, Polish Caprice is masterfully written and designed for the satisfaction of the listener and the enjoyment of the performer. Throughout the piece, there are also many opportunities for self interpretution, since it’s written for solo violin. As always making music is more then just reading the notes, but reading a piece that was designed for the violin, makes the process and the product more enjoyable. Probably the most interesting experince would be to have an opportunity to listen to Grazyna Bacewicz playing this caprice herself. After all, she would be the only violinist that could perform this piece, feeling the exact same emotions that created it.

As one of the most important Polish composers Grazyna Bacewicz, left behind an enormous output that ranges from chamber music, to solo works, from songs to ballets and novels. She truly stands out not only becasue of the numbers but mostly because of the quality and unique characteristics of her works. Bacewicz, being the leader, opened the door and the world to the idea of woman’s success in the field of music. She set an example for the feature generations and prooved that with ambition and hard work every one can succeed, regardless of their gender.