Bacewicz : the violin concertos

• Main Author: Billing, Sally
• Published: City University London 2006
• Subjects: 784.272; M Music
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.433437

This study focuses upon the music of the now-neglected Polish composer Gralyna Bacewicz( 1909-1969). Her success as both a composer and concert violinist is well documented; along list of accolades and prestigious appointments serve as evidence of this. Her posthumous reputation, however, has declined at an alarming rate both inside and outside Poland. The study is introduced by a biography of the composer compiled from both English and Polish sources, providing details of her roles as composer and performer and offering a brief discussion of her music in general. The main body of text is devoted to a contextual analysis of Bacewicz's series of seven violin concertos and the study concludes with a consideration of a number of factors affecting Bacewicz's career and subsequent reception, addressing issues such as Polish cultural policy, the status of women composers, and her juggling of a number of professional and domestic roles. Appendices provide comprehensive listings of both her catalogue of works and recordings. Most importantly, however, the study uncovers the merit and originality of a number of works which exhibit a creative approach to string writing and a highly imaginative use of timbre. Such research should provide the invitation to others for further investigation into a catalogue containing over two hundred works.