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The semi-annual magazine of theChopin Foundation of the United States

CHOPIN FOUNDATION OF THE UNITED STATES, INC.Officers & DirectorsKrzysztof Penderecki - Honorary ChairmanBlanka A. Rosenstiel - Founder & PresidentOlga Melin - Vice President Richard Lubman - Treasurer Renate Ryan - Secretary

DirectorsAgustin Anievas, Roberta O. Chaplin, Norman Edelcup, Rosa-Rita Gonzalez,Dr. William J. Hipp, Lorraine Sonnabend

Artistic Advisory CommitteeDr. Adam Aleksander, Agustin Anievas, Kevin Kenner, Margarita Shevchenko

Executive DirectorJadwiga Viga Gewert

Regional CouncilsMack McCray - San Francisco Chopin CouncilAllan Park - Northwest Chopin CouncilRobert Joskowiak - Virginia Chopin Council

Scholarship CommitteeDr. Adam Aleksander, Peter Miyamoto, Tian Ying

Advisory BoardBonnie Barrett - Yamaha Artist ServicesJoel Harrison - American Pianists AssociationGary Ingle - Music Teachers National AssociationRon Losby - Steinway & Sons

International Artistic Advisory CouncilAgustin Anievas, Martha Argerich, Emanuel Ax, Jeffrey N. Babcock,John Bayless, Luiz Fernando Benedini, John Corigliano, Ivan Davis,Christopher T. Dunworth, Charles Dutoit, Nelson Freire, Bruno Leonardo Gelber, Gary Graffman, Horacio Gutierrez, Marta Istomin, Byron Janis, James Judd, Cyprien Katsaris, Zoltan Koscis, Garrick Ohlsson, Paloma O’Shea, Daniel Pollack, Maurizio Pollini, Abbey Simon, Michael Tilson Thomas, Charles Wadsworth, Susan Wadsworth, Krystian Zimerman

EditorialPolonaise is published semi-annually by theChopin Foundation of the USA1440 79th Street Causeway, Suite 117, Miami, FL 33141

Editorial Office: 305.868.0624 • 305.865.5150 (Fax) E-mail: [email protected] • Website: www.chopin.org Publisher: Lady Blanka A. RosenstielExecutive Editor: Jadwiga Viga GewertEditor: Barbara Muze, Marketing/Development ManagerContributors: Allan Park, Robert Joskowiak, Mack McCray, Barbara Muze, Helena Houge, Mark Fountain, Beata Paszyc, Lynne SchaeferDesign: Rick Tuckerman, Zoom IQ Creative Marketing

Message from the Founder and President .......................................... 2

Chopin Foundation Donors and Contributors ................................... 3

Message from the Executive Director .................................................... 4

Highlights from 2016-2017 Season ............................................................ 5

2017-2018 Chopin Foundation Concert Season ................................ 6

Sponsors .................................................................................................................7

New Acquisition for the Chopin Museum in Warsaw ................. 8-9

Chopin Prizes, National & Florida State MTNA Competition ......10

Sponsor Highlight ............................................................................................. 11

Folk Influences on the Music of Chopin & Szymanowski........ 12-15

Chopin Foundation Council of San Francisco ................................... 16

Chopin Foundation Council of the Northwest .................................. 17

Chopin Foundation Council of Virginia ................................................18

International Federation of Chopin Societies ................................... 19

Chopin Competition Conference .......................................................... 19

Scholarship Program for Young Pianists ............................................20

Contributions/Donations ............................................................................ 21

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SPRING 2017Volume XXVII / Number 2

Cover photo: Chopin Monument by Jacques Froment-Meurice (1906) at Parc Monceau in Paris

Copyright © Chopin Foundation of the United States, Inc. All rights reserved.

Blanka A. RosenstielFounder and President

2 // POLONAISE SPRING 2017

Forty-five years ago I had a dream. My dream was to give American pianists the opportunity to perform Chopin’s music at the highest level. Further, my dream was to see American pianists supported in such a way that they could compete on an international level at the Warsaw Chopin Competition. This is how the Chopin Foundation was born. To think that this dream has now been a reality

for forty years is both humbling and inspiring: humbling because so many like-minded individuals and sponsors have come forward to share in this dream, and inspiring because there has never been a more urgent time for us to work to keep this dream alive. In February of 2020, the Chopin Foundation will present the 10th National Chopin Piano Competition. It may sound like a long time from now, but believe me, it is closer than we think. Scores of young pianists all across our nation are already hard at work to master the technicalities and intricacies of the required Chopin repertoire. Teachers are diligently guiding these young hearts and minds to reach their musical goals. For many, the goal will be to get selected to come to Miami in 2020, perform at our competition and earn a place among our finalists. Then it is off to Warsaw to represent the US on an international stage, just like our 2015 first prize winner Eric Lu, who made us proud as a top finalist in front of the whole world. Who will give these incredibly talented young musicians the opportunity to achieve their dreams?

We must! And we must be steadfast in our efforts to insure that funding is available to support young American pianists and keep Chopin’s music alive.

In order to continue our mission we need your help:

• Teachers: Please continue to prepare your students to enter the Competition in 2020. The specific guidelines will soon be posted on our website and will mirror the rules and requirements for the International Competition in Warsaw. Everything we do is in support of your students. Please give them the tools they need to succeed. For additional inspiration, please go with your students to the Chopin Foundation video channel on our website so they can watch performances by the competitors from 2015.

• Chopin Lovers: Please consider supporting the Chopin Foundation today. There are many sponsorship opportunities available for the upcoming Competition: Winners’ prizes, special prizes for the best mazurka, polonaise, sonata and concerto - and more. As you can imagine, the cost of the Competition is extraordinary, but with your generous contributions, we can again help these talented young pianists reach their dreams. Please contact us so we can discuss your sponsorship of the 2020 Competition.

Please enjoy this Spring 2017 edition of the Polonaise magazine. We hope you find the news and articles of interest. Deepest thanks to our dear members and supporters. I especially thank Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits and Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Chaplin for generously sponsoring our Chopin for All free concert series. Together we can keep the dream alive.

Blanka A. Rosenstiel

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

Goethe’s Faust

MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER

FOUNDERLady Blanka A. Rosenstiel

GRAND BENEFACTORS* Harvey & Roberta Chaplin* Dr. Carlos J. & Mrs. Carmen Dominguez* Keith & Agnes GrayMark & Brenda FountainFunding Arts Network* Marvin & Isa Leibowitz * Richard & Terry Lubman

BENEFACTORS* Ruby Bacardi Dr. Bao-Tran Doan & Bac Hai Nguyen* Norman Edelcup* Rosa-Rita Gonzalez* Iga Henderson* Paul and Beatriz Hicks * Dr. William & Frankie Hipp* Norman & Margaretha Leathers* Janine Lennox* Olga & David Melin* Renate Ryan * Stephen & Lorraine Sonnabend

PATRONSSari Agatston* Keiko Alexander* Hilda Andrews* Drs. David Drucker & Lynn Atkinson* Evelyn Axler* Manuel & Rebecca BaezPhilip Balbi* Erica Balogh & Jim Barklow* George Berberian* Jewel Bertman* Irmengard “Ika” Bettendorf* Charles Block

* Sheila Brauchler* Jasper & Carol BrockLinda Brumagin* Andrzej Bytnar* Peter Capua* Kay Carpenter & B G Carter * Buddy & Dina CohenLucette Comer* Barbara Cooper* Carmen CuencaSophie Dabrowska* Eldris De La TorreWendy Erickson* Olga Figueras* Edith Hall Friedheim* Roberto & Maritza Friedman* Ariel Garcia & Ursula Zolnierska* Zbigniew & Raquel Jarosz * Margarita Garcia* Pamela Jo Garrison* Lenore Gaynor* Gerry Gibson* Marcia Green* David & Lucille Godnik* Iga Henderson* Chie Hoban* Daniel & Sybille HolderHelene Houge* Chris Humberstone & Luisa Ruffin* William Hutchinson* Dr. Kurien & Jasmin Jacob* Michael & Susan Kaufman* Inna Kessel* Eva Kordos* Leda KwiatekEleanor Kyung* Sonia & Barbara LagunaDr. Joseph Lavinio* Christopher & Barbara Lunding

* Bruce Mencher* Avis Lee Neiman* Sabrina Noto* Dr. Jose & Maria Perez-Rivas* Tiana Pierce* Ralph & Elizabeth Piotrovsky* Luis & Esther Pujol* Daisy Richardson* Hedy Ringger & Jolanta Bak * Carlos Rivas & Maria C. AguileraMiriam Rodriguez * Carole Romer & William Nigh* Andrew Rosenthal* Alicja SchoonoverDolores Seidon* Peter & Lisa Seite* Margaret Seroppian* Daniel & Ilanit Setton* Cecily Silberman* Charles & Sandra Simon* Clara Sredni* Zygmunt Staszewski* Barbara Stephens* Richard & Margarita Tonkinson* Duane & Liliana Treeman* Jacqueline TuozzoloMigdania VegaJon Verbalis* Gerrit & Tatiana Verburg* Jean Warner* Ligia Wiegand* Hadley & Jennifer Williams* Julie & Bob Williamson * Shelby Dennis Winstead* Lawrence Wong* Brenda Yarbrough

FRIENDSSonia AlcazarMarian AlpersteinAda Antunez

Richard AppelbaumJames CampbellMiriam CastellanosEdith CubasElyse FreedmanWalter FrohlichMarina GarrettMargaret GaubEva GranatowskiChuck GreifElyse HabermanMarilynn HaglerPedro HernandezPetrina HurlbertJudith HutchinsonJose & Liannette MarquezTeresa MestreClaire MorgaLi Chiung MoyantPatricia NavajasWojciech PutzEugene RossLeonard SanginarioIsolina SantiagoEileen M. SettonAudrey SkoppSuzanne SouthwellMonica SprouseChristine StrahanAnthony TraveisMiara Mooi WiltenMaria Zayas

CORPORATE SPONSORSAmerican Pianists Association Friends of Broward Libraries

POLONAISE SPRING 2017 // 3

We extend our deepest thanks to thosewhose vision and support have helped us this year with our mission: to develop the next generation of great musicians! May we continue to add to this esteemed roster others who would join us in support of our mission.

Gray & Sons Jewelers* Greater Miami Convention & Visitors BureauLynn UniversityPiano Music Center /Tony SicilianoSouthern Glazer’s Wine & SpiritsVillage of Key BiscayneYamaha Artist Services

FOUNDATIONS/TRUSTSAudrey Love Charitable FoundationBachelor FoundationRosenstiel FoundationFlorman Family FoundationLouis Leibowitz Charitable Trust

GOVERNMENT GRANTSCity of Coral GablesMiami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of CommissionersMiami-Dade County Tourist Development CouncilCity of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts CouncilState of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council of Arts and Culture

* Chopin Foundation Member

CHOPIN FOUNDATION DONORS AND CONTRIBUTORS

Our fortieth season of concerts has been very busy and exciting. We have introduced five excellent Polish pianists to South Florida audiences, including Ms. Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron, jury chair of the 2015 International Chopin Competition, in a masterful performance of music by Schubert and Chopin. Janusz Olejniczak and Marek Drewnowski completed the series of Master pianists presented in our annual Chopin Salon series. Among the artists featured in our Chopin for All series of free concerts we have presented two Polish pianists of the young generation, Krzysztof Ksiazek and Anna Miernik. This year’s series also included two top winners of the 2015

National Chopin Competition who returned by popular demand: Rachel Kudo, this time to play solo and piano duo with Marina Radiushina, and

Jadwiga Viga GewertExecutive Director

Eric Lu with Ariel Horowitz, a young talented American violinist. Drew Petersen, a 2015 prize winner of the Leeds Competition, and a recipient of our four-year scholarship, performed in November. The April concerts will feature, according to our tradition, selected young local piano students, and in May we’ll conclude the series with a concert by Reed Tetzloff.

Our forty-first season is also filled with stars, established and rising – including Rafal Blechacz, first prize winner of the 2005 International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, and the return of Kate Liu, Bronze Medalist of the 2015 Warsaw Competition. Also among the featured artists will be the 2017 winner of the American Pianists Association Classical Award and a new winner from the Music Teachers National Association Piano Performance Competition.

Enjoy reading our magazine, and please join us at our concerts in South Florida, San Francisco, Seattle and Virginia. For more information on our programs please visit www.chopin.org.


MESSAGE FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Agnes & Keith Gray, and Iga Henderson with Janusz Oleniczak

Tony Siciliano (Piano Music Center) with Paulina Sokolowska and Janusz Oleniczak

Katarzyna Popowa Zydron with Lady Blanka and Kevin Kenner

Katarzyna Popowa Zydron with Eva Kordos, Lady Blanka and Mrs. & Dr. Carlos Dominguez

Lady Blanka and Marek Drewnowski with delighted concert attendees

Marek Drewnowski with Inga & Francisco Senis

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2016-2017 SEASON

POLONAISE SPRING 2017 //5

November 2016Drew Petersen with Isabel & Marvin Leibowitz

December 2016Rachel Kudo & Marina Radiushina with Lady Blanka

January 2017Ariel Horowitz and Eric Lu

February 26, 2017 – Chopin in Key BiscayneNoah Waddell with Mayor of Key Biscayne, Mayra Pena Lindsay,

Vice Mayor, Franklin Caplan, Chopin Foundation Executive Director, Viga Gewert and Commissioner Patricia Woodson

March 2017Anna Miernik

February 2017Krzysztof Ksiazek


CHOPIN FOR ALL FREE CONCERTS All Concerts are presented in two locations:

Saturdays at 3:00 pmBroward County Main Library, 100 S. Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale

On Sundays at 3:00 pmGranada Presbyterian Church, 950 University Drive,Coral Gables

Nov 4, 5, 2017

Dec 2, 3, 2017

Jan 13, 14, 2018

Feb 10, 11, 2018

March 3, 4, 2018

Apr 21, 22, 2018

May 19, 20, 2018

Elzbieta Bilicka, prize winner of the 2016International Paderewski Competition

Timothy Jones, 2017 winner of the MusicTeachers National Association Competition

Alex Beyer, prize winner of both the 2015National Chopin and International QueenElisabeth Competitions

Athena Tsianos, an outstanding youngAmerican pianist

Kate Liu, 2015 Bronze Medalist of theInternational Chopin Competition inWarsaw

Young Pianists Concerts

Drew Petersen, 2017 winner of theAmerican Pianists Association Award

SALON CONCERTSLa Gorce Country Club, 4:00 pm5785 Alton Road, Miami Beach, FL 33410

Nov 19, 2017 Yves Henry – An internationally acclaimed French pianist Underwritten by BARNES INTERNATIONAL REALTY MIAMI

Jan 21, 2018 Mei-Ting Sun – Winner of the 2005 National Chopin Competition Underwritten by LIGIA WIEGAND

April 15, 2018 Andrew Armstrong, Silver Medalist of the 1995 National Chopin Competition & Frank Almond, concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Underwritten by David & Olga Melin

SPECIAL CONCERTSSept 9, 2017 Magdalena Baczewska, Director, Columbia University Music Performance Program

Presented in partnership with the Florida State Music TeachersAssociation Annual Conference at the Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables, FL

Feb 25, 2018 Chopin at Key Biscayne

Presented in partnership with the Village of Key Biscayne at theKey Biscayne Community Center

April 17, 2018 Rafal Blechacz, winner of the 2005, International Chopin Competition in Warsaw

Presented in partnership with Friends of Chamber Music of Miamiat the Coral Gables Congregational Church, Coral Gables, FL

2017-2018 CHOPIN CONCERT SEASON


The Chopin Foundation’s programs are sponsored in part by the Rosenstiel Foundation, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of Commissioners; the City of Coral Gables; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council of Arts and Culture; the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; numerous generous individuals; and the following:

OUR SPONSORS


There have been few musicians in the history of music to reach the calibre of Fryderyk Chopin. One could mention just a handful of names similar in stature, including Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. There has been no greater composer in the history of Polish music than Chopin. The enduring fascination with his music over the decades and centuries, growing, in fact, the whole world over and transcending cultural boundaries, means that every opportunity for contact with his masterpieces arouses great emotion.

An exceptional insight into the composer’s creative process – never entirely fathomed – is offered by his manuscripts. Here we have the music written in his hand; we can trace every movement of his pen, the resolute or delicate strokes, evidence of his thoughts and his hesitations, his efforts to pour onto paper, with the utmost perfection, his immaterial, fleeing ideas.

On November 29, 2016, at an auction in London, the Fryderyk Chopin Institute, with the backing of PKN ORLEN and the

NEW ACQUISITION FOR THE CHOPIN MUSEUM IN WARSAW

Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, purchased a unique manuscript of the first page of Chopin’s Ballade in G minor, Op. 23, which for several decades had remained in private hands. This is the first manuscript of any of Chopin’s four piano ballades to be acquired for a collection in Poland. The other three ballade manuscripts known to exist are held in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Bodleian Library in Oxford and a private collection.

The purchase of the Ballade in G minor, one of the most important of Chopin’s masterworks (if they may be hierarchised at all), since it is the first in a group of compositions in a new genre created by Chopin, is an event of tremendous significance not only for musicians, but for Polish culture in general. This beautiful manuscript, shrouded in mystery, as it breaks off after thirteen bars (What was its fate? Did the composer lose it? Did he abandon it for some reason?), brought out of hiding after many years, is coming to Poland to enhance the collection of the Fryderyk Chopin Museum in Warsaw.

Kamila Stępień-Kutera

Photo on next page:Fragment of the manuscript of Ballade G minor, Op. 23, 1835-36.

Photo courtesy of the National Institute of Fryderyk Chopin/Waldemar Kielichowski.

Discovered Manuscript


CHOPIN PRIZES AWARDED AT NATIONAL AND FLORIDA STATE MTNA COMPETITIONS

Shuen WuAwarded the Chopin Prize of $500 for the Best Chopin Performance by Junior Solo

Piano. Shuen Wu is from Woodbury, NM; teacher: Alexander Braginsky

Pictured with Shuen is MTNA Executive Director & CEO Gary L. Ingle, left, and MTNAPresident Rebecca Grooms Johnson, NCTM, right. .

Alejandra SarmientoAwarded the Chopin Prize of

$200 by the Chopin Foundation of the United States for the

Best Chopin Performance by Junior Piano. Ms. Sarmiento lives in Lighthouse Point, FL;

teacher: Maria Gomez.

James LengAwarded the Chopin Prize of $400 by the Chopin Foundation of the United States for the Best Chopin Performance by Senior Piano. Mr. Leng lives in Palmetto Bay, FL; teacher: Paul Posnak.

Collin JinksWinner of the MTNA-Yamaha Corporation of America Senior Piano Competition

and of the Chopin Prize of $1,000 for the Best Chopin Performance by Senior Solo Piano. Collin Jinks is from Bayport, MN; teacher: Jo Ann Link

With Collin is MTNA Executive Director & CEO Gary L. Ingle; Jun Fujimoto, Yamaha Corporation of America; Dan Rodowicz, Yamaha Corporation of America; and MTNA President, Rebecca

Grooms Johnson, NCTM.

NATIONAL MTNA WINNERS

FLORIDA MTNA WINNERSChopin prizes were also awarded at the Florida State MTNA Competition held in Orlando in November of 2016. Congratulations to these gifted young pianists and their teachers who we sincerely thank for instilling a love for Chopin’s music in their students.

The Chopin Foundation was pleased to award Chopin Prizes at the MTNA Junior and Senior Solo Piano Competitions. The prizes were presented during the Annual MTNA National Conference held in Baltimore, MD in March of 2017.

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SPONSOR HIGHLIGHT

Mark and Brenda FountainHow and why is there a Paderewski Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina? Romantic music (Chopin), and history (the history of Poland), converged in the persons of Mark Fountain and Brenda Bruce, neither of whom has family ties to Poland.

In 2002 the Polish American Club in Raleigh was celebrating its 20th anniversary and invited Brenda Bruce to perform a program of Chopin. Brenda was intent on constructing the program by connecting Polish history with North Carolina. Members of the Club directed her to Mark Fountain, an historian of Poland. As she puts it, “Mark very gently told me there is no substantial, direct connection of immigration from Poland to North Carolina until the 1980s.” They met to discuss what could be done.

Their mutual interests led to marriage in 2003. In January, 2003, a Polish/French piano friend, Adam Wibrowski, was coming to visit. Mark knew of

a piano in Raleigh, signedby Paderewski, a gift to a lady who had been secretary to Madame Paderewska during World War I. The piano, a Steinway M, was still around, in the hands of the lady’s distinguished family. Brenda and Mark thought it a fun surprise to show their Polish friend.

As it happened, the family was closing the estate that included the piano. Mark and Brenda agreed to purchase it as a mutual wedding gift, a fitting tribute to Paderewski that would keep it in Raleigh. Adam excitedly suggested that they should create a piano festival to honor Paderewski. Brenda uses the piano daily for teaching; she also has a Steinway B. Mark’s knowledge of the history of Poland laid the foundation to establish both purpose and theme for the Festival.

Their First Annual Paderewski Piano Festival took place in November 2014 with three successful concerts and two lectures, one of which, by Mark, presented Paderewski’s associations with Raleigh. These included not only the gift of the piano but also four concerts Paderewski played there (1917, 1923, 1931, and 1939). The Second and Third Festivals in 2015 and 2016 featured four concerts. They are now planning the Fourth Annual Festival, again with four concerts. (www.paderewski-festival.org)

The Festival has had a most favorable reception from the public and added to the cultural life of the city, being the sole venue of solo piano music. Brenda notes, “It gives us immense pleasure to promote the music and culture of Poland. And that’s also why we support the Chopin Foundation, and its mission of helping young talented musicians and promoting the music of Chopin.”

Lady Blanka and pianist, Krzysztof Ksiazek with Brenda and Mark Fountain

Brenda and Mark with the piano signed by Paderwski


hile preparing to record my recently-released album featuring the music of Chopin and Szymanowski (Paraty 116137), I revisited the unique connection of both composers to traditional Polish music. While both Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849) and

Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) grew up in Poland, they died nearly a century apart. Moreover, each composer drew his inspiration from folk music of a different region in Poland at different points in his career. While Chopin’s first encounter with Polish folk music was in Szafarnia in the Kuyavy [pron. ku’iavy] region, Szymanowski’s muse were the songs of Polish highlanders, Górale [pron. goo’rahle] in Zakopane, situated in the Tatra Mountains of southern Poland.

Chopin in SzafarniaChopin’s family left the small village of Żelazowa Wola, Fryderyk’s birthplace, for Warsaw when he was just six months old. As Chopin was prone to illness from a young age, his parents sent him away to Szafarnia in the Kuyavy province in mid-northern Poland during the summer months of 1824 -1825. Young Fryderyk, aged 14 and 15, was a guest of Juliusz Dziewanowski, father of Chopin’s schoolmate Dominik. From Szafarnia, Chopin wrote to his parents a series of letters, titled Kuriery Szafarskie (Szafarnia Courier), parodying the tone of Warsaw newspapers. We learn from the Kuriery that young Fryderyk eagerly participated in village weddings and dances. He also sang and wrote down his favorite melodies.

Chopin had been interested in the national musical style since childhood – his first piece, written at age seven, was a polonaise. For the purposes of this discussion, however, the polonaise genre will be omitted. Though deeply connected to Polish identity, this noble dance was mainly popular among the Polish gentry, belonging to the legacy of court culture.

There are three distinctions between what Chopin simply calls a “mazurka”: kujawiak (the name deriving from Kuyavy region), mazur/mazurek (this time the name derives from the Mazovia region), and oberek, which comes from the Polish word obracać się, “to spin.”

Kujawiak is the slowest of the three (e.g.: Op. 33, No. 4 in b minor, Fig. 1), while the mazur, and especially the fastest oberek, feature twirling, stomping, and jumping (e.g. Mazurka Op. 33, No. 2 in D Major, Fig. 2).

In his Mazurkas, Chopin seems to have absorbed the style, rhythm, melody and harmony of folk music to perfection. We do not know how many folk melodies are directly quoted in Chopin’s work, despite the efforts of Oskar Kolberg, a nineteenth-century composer and ethnomusicologist who collected thousands of pieces. The atmosphere of Polish folk music, however, stayed with Chopin throughout his life. He passionately created mazurkas while living in France. At the time, his

Fig 2: Mazurka Op. 33, No. 2 in D Major

Folk Influences on the Music of Chopin and Szymanowski

Fig 1: Mazurka Op. 33, No. 4 in b minor


homeland was erased from the map of Europe, having been partitioned between Russia, Prussia, and Austria.

Traditional mazurkas, designed for dancing, are often accompanied by drums and/or tambourine, an instrument of Polish culture since the Middle Ages. Another important element of this accompaniment is a drone bass. Consisting of repeated note or notes (usually an open fifth), drone bass was often performed by lower string instruments or dudy, the Polish equivalent of bagpipes. Examples of drone bass in Chopin’s Mazurkas are numerous, e.g.: Mazurka Op. 30, No. 4, and middle sections of Op. 7, No. 1, or Op. 68, No. 3 (Fig. 3), to name a few. The rhythmically quirky hemiolas, usually created by the accents in the words, are also abundant in traditional mazurkas. This is not lost on young Chopin: the opening of Op. 24 No. 2 (Fig. 4) suggests a hemiola. Chopin notates a hemiola clearly with accents in the Poco più vivo section of Op. 68, No. 3.

The frequent monophonic chanting of the singer, whose call is answered by the rest of the players, is beautifully portrayed in Op. 59, No. 1, Op. 50, No. 3, and the middle section of Op. 24, No. 4 (See Fig. 5). Many of Chopin’s nearly sixty mazurkas are notated in Lydian mode, with the fourth scale degree raised (e.g. Mazurka Op. 68, No. 2). Upon listening to folk singers or violinists improvising (‘fiddling”), one notices intricate ornamentation woven into an otherwise simple melodic line. Though never formally notated, Improvisation was a crucial element of the style, passed down through oral tradition. Chopin seemingly effortlessly inserts melodic variation into his mazurkas (e.g.: Op. 24, No. 2), and translates traditional ornamentation (some of it nearly microtonal) into grace notes and trills of various lengths. For performers of Chopin’s music, listening to such “fiddling” ’ may prove valuable in the treatment of ornaments notated in the score.

It was fashionable among Chopin’s contemporaries, including his teacher, Józef Elsner, to create their own arrangements of folk music. Chopin referred to these as “beauties with fake noses, tinted, and on stilts” and believed that removing these “beautifications” would prove cumbersome for musicologists in the future. While Chopin’s curiosity about Polish folklore was born in the Mazovia and Kuyavy regions in the very heart of Poland, exquisite chromaticism and modulation, as well as intricate rhythm and phrasing in his folk-inspired music, indicate the aristocratic sophistication of a highly cosmopolitan society, where Chopin and other important artists of the epoch worked. Contrary to his contemporaries’ fashionable arrangements of folk melodies, Chopin created a style of his own, expanding the harmonic language to “the brink of atonality” (Alan Walker), and paving the way for the highly chromatic music of Richard Wagner.

Fig 5: Mazurka Op. 59, No. 1 in a minorFig 3: Mazurka Op. 68, No. 3 in F Major

Fig 4: Mazurka Op. 24, No. 2 in C Major


Szymanowski and the Tatra Mountains Karol Szymanowski had a lifelong reverence for the musical language of Chopin, beginning with his first compositional steps. In his Preludes Op. 1, Szymanowski draws on the legacy of Chopin’s late style. This fascination culminates decades later in the Mazurkas, Op. 50 and Op. 62. The composer admits: “The national character of a composer does not rely on quotations of folklore, the greatest proof of which is the music of Chopin.”

Having abandoned the Romantic style, Szymanowski becomes enamored with the music of Debussy and Ravel. Following his travels to Italy, Sicily, and North Africa, his music (e.g. Metopes and Masques) loses tonality and consonance. After hearing Stravinsky’s Les noces in 1921, Szymanowski takes another turn--this time, towards Modernism heard through the prism of Polish folk music. Szymanowski decided to settle in Zakopane, where he writes twenty Mazurkas, Op. 50 (1924-1925). The characteristics of folk music of the Tatra Mountains, Góral music, now infuses his music.

Interestingly, the dotted rhythms of a mazurka are not found in Góral music--Szymanowski creates a whole new style by fusing the mazurka’s triple meter and dotted rhythm with the Góral idiom. He absorbs the world of sound particularly through the use of the Góral mode. It is similar to the Lydian mode used by Chopin, with the addition of a flattened seventh scale degree. Thinking of folklore as merely of “fertilizing importance,” Szymanowski does not directly quote folk melodies in any of his mazurkas.

In the words of musicologist Jim Samson, Szymanowski’s mazurkas are a “deliberate and profoundly symbolic recreation of Chopin’s achievement.” The diversity, vitality, and richness of expression in Szymanowski’s mazurkas are comparable to Chopin’s. Like Chopin, Szymanowski uses the dotted rhythms of a mazur, weaves the monophonic chant, zaśpiewki, with drone bass accompaniment (e.g.: Op. 50, No. 1 in Fig. 6, or Op. 50, No. 3), and integrates the singing cries of the highlanders in his notation (e.g. dissonant grace notes in Op. 50, No. 2, see Fig. 7). Though Szymanowski consciously refers to the tradition of Chopin, he reinvents rather than imitates Chopin’s approach to mazurkas. Aside from the folk element, Szymanowski renders his mazurkas distinctive and unique by implementing modernist compositional techniques that include dissonance, polytonality, modality and polymodality.

Fig 6: Mazurka Op. 50, No. 1

Villa Atma in Zakopane, Poland, home of Karol Szymanowski


Polish-born pianist and harpsichordist Magdalena Baczewska [ba-CHEV-ska] performs and gives piano master classes internationally. She is currently Lecturer in Music and Director of the Music Performance Program at Columbia University in the New York, NY.

Her album featuring the music of Chopin and Szymanowski was released by French label Paraty, and is available on Amazon and iTunes. Baczewska is a Yamaha Artist.

www.MagdalenaNYC.com

While folklore was by no means their sole artistic influence, both Chopin and Szymanowski explored it in mature stages of their compositional output. In fact, each composer leaves a mazurka as the last piece he would ever put down on paper.

Special thanks to Cindy Liu.

Fig 7: Mazurka Op. 50, No. 2

Sources to explore:

• Recording of Szymanowski playing his own Mazurkas - http://www.karolszymanowski.pl/the-traveller/zakopane/

• Chopin’s letters / Frédéric Chopin; collected by Henryk Opieński ; translated, with a preface and editorial notes, by E.L. Voynich. New York: Dover, 1988.

• http://www.karolszymanowski.pl• http://en.chopin.nifc.pl/institute/• Jan Gorbaty. Polish Folk Music and Chopin’s Mazurkas - http://www.chopin.org/articles/

Magdalena Baczewska will perform the music of Chopin and Szymanowski on September 9, 2017 at theFlorida State Music Teachers Association Annual Conference at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. More information at www.fmta.org

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Magdalena Baczewska


The San Francisco Chapter has had a busy year. Buoyed by the success of our February Gala Benefit Concert in 2016 (featuring many distinguished pianists from the Bay Area) and a healthy Young Pianists Competition in June, we feel we are stronger financially that we have been in several years.

We had a lovely traditional holiday concert and reception for our competition winners in December at the beautiful Queen Anne Hotel, and this February we were finally able to bring Eric Zuber to perform the annual Chopin

CHOPIN FOUNDATION COUNCIL OF SAN FRANCISCO

Mack McCrayPresident

Birthday Concert. Four years ago we had engaged Eric but a terrible accident had injured him and forced his cancellation, so we were especially happy to have this magnificent pianist finally visit us.

On a sadder note, our Treasurer Winnie Tso is resigning due to illness. For years she has been our rock solid supporter and wise and faithful friend. All of us have been proud to serve on her watch. We send our love and thanks, Winnie!

This coming June, another edition of our Young Pianists Competition is coming. As every year, we look forward to working with young talented musicians of the Bay Area, and to select the best of them with hope and encouragement for their artistic success.

Eric Zuber at Chopin Birthday Concert Eric Zuber, Caria Tomczykowska, Mack MackCray The 2016 Competition Winners at the Holiday Concert


CHOPIN FOUNDATION COUNCIL OF THE NORTHWEST

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest! We had a record turnout for our 2017 Northwest Chopin Festival! Over 180 pianists of all ages competed for cash, medals, and performance opportunities. For our Prizewinners’ Concert held at the Resonance at SOMA Towers in Bellevue, Washington, the winners were adorned with custom-made medals, flowers, and certificates. Our four adjudicators selected the following pianists from aroster of 182 students.

2017 Gold Medalists: Michelle Cao, Roxy Jones, Yuna Yamagami, Stephan Chita, Elsie Lu, Izabella Tu, Adrian King, Young Park, Eashan Vagish, Emily Park, Janet Phang, Megan Lu, Caleb Ren, Shichu Liu, Kyran Park Adams, and Concerto Gold Medalist, Stephen Binondo.

2017 Silver Medalists: Emily Qi, Nicholas Grote, Chiara Rogers, Kaitlyn Gia Lee, Eunrae Kim, David Gatien, Raymond Zhang, Alison Tan, Sarah Zong, Sarah Yang, Ella Sumanaseni, Earnest Wheelwright, Ivory Wang, Olivia Qi, Sanjay Akam, Sandy Huang, Nicole Yang, Jesse Morris, Daniella Tsang, Benjamin Yu, Daniel Chen, Andrea Liao, Allyson Lee, Emily Pan, Christopher Marley, Steve Silverberg, Connor Zhang, Kelly Chen, Annie Yang, Jonathon Lin, Christopher Huang, Robert Yee, Bryan Zhao, and Concerto Silver Medalist, Steve Silverberg.

Our 2017 Festival Concerto Gold Medalist winner, Stephen Binondo, student of Judy Baker, will be performing with both Orchestra Seattle as well as the Cascade Symphony.

We are also proud to announce the addition of a new board member, Conney Vernall, who was nominated by Dr. Yelena Balabanova. Our board recently voted to select two new Vice-Presidents, Dr. Hanna Cyba and Dr. Adam Aleksander. Many thanks to our existing board members, especially to Dr. Steven Lagerberg, our own Chopin expert and founder,

Allan ParkPresident

who provided intriguing commentary and insight for the Winners’ Concerts. Our goal is not only to share the music of Chopin, but also to allow the audience to experience the mind of this musical genius and have a better background understanding of his compositions. Our Artistic Director Judy Baker’s extensive preparations once again made the Festival registration and volunteer roster run flawlessly. Yunbo Cassady supervised the Winners’ Concerts. Kurt Kolb purchased and donated amazing commemorative tote bags filled with goodies for the students. Cathy Carpenter ensured that all of our adjudicators had their proper travel itineraries. Dr. Adam Aleksander, Dr. Hanna Cyba, Dr. Yelena Balabanova, Conney Vernall, Alison Bell, and Dr. Mary Chandler each monitored the performance rooms and kept the contestants on time.

This will be my final year serving as the President of the Chopin Foundation’s Northwest Council. I will continue to support our board as a past President and as Registrar. Our new President will be Dr. Adam Aleksander. I cannot be any more pleased to see such a qualified and passionate colleague assume the leadership of our organization. With his incredible vision, leadership, and organizational skills, he undoubtedly will raise our Council to even greater success and popularity.

The 2017 Gold Medalists; in the back row:Conney Vernall, Dr. Hanna Cyba, Dr. Steven Lagerberg, Dr. Mary Chandler, and Judy Baker


CHOPIN FOUNDATION COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA

Robert JoskowiakPresident

We have welcomed the 13th season of Chopin in Virginia with a concert by Anna Miernik. This young Polish pianist has performed in world’s largest concert halls on all five continents including Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall) and the Sydney Opera House. Anna prepared a very unique program featuring only music of Polish composers. This rare event encompassed music by Chopin, Paderewski, Szymanowski, Tansman and Nowowiejski. Many compositions like “Borowiak” were not previously known to our Virginia audience.

Since our mission is driven by promotion of Chopin piano music with special focus on young concert goers, we hosted our concert at the beautiful Gibson Chapel at the Blue Ridge School in St. George, Virginia. According to the school’s website: “The chapel’s design was a gift from America’s best-known architect at the time, Ralph Adams Cram. Then in

his late sixties, Cram was a professor of architecture at M.I.T. and had been a major force in the gothic revival movement since the beginning of the century. He was best known for his monumental churches, particularly the chapels at West Point and Princeton, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.” Gibson Chapel is truly a magical sanctuary, well suited for angelic play of Anna Miernik. Dressed in a long, dark sapphire dress, Anna showed elegance and grace while superbly performing all the works. Ms. Miernik shared with the audience background information about composers and pieces she chose for the event. She was knowledgeable and informative and gained several rounds of encore from students and visitors for her performance. Anna Miernik was complimented by the audience for her poetic style and melancholic (when necessary) playing of relatively unknown Polish repertoire. I have a feeling she may visit Virginia again!

My sincere thanks to Blue Ridge School for hosting Chopin Council of Virginia at St. George, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland for their patronage, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Fithian, Mr. & Mrs. John Sponski and Premier Virginia Properties for their financial support and all the boys and guests who came to celebrate an evening of Polish Music at the Blue Ridge School.

Gibson Chapel Dr. Kevin Miller, Kate Daniels and Anna Duong Dang (an exchange student fromVietnam) with Anna

The International Federation of Chopin Societies was established in 1985 in Żelazowa Wola, Poland, the birthplace of Frédéric Chopin, as a global organization representing Chopin Societies from all over the world. Since 1989 the Federation has been a part of the International Music Council, which is a member of UNESCO.

The Board of the Federation is elected by the General Assembly for a five-year term.

CURRENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS: (elected October 2015)

President: Dr. Theodor Kanitzer (Austria, Vienna)Vice-Presidents: Sookie Schober (Germany, Hannover) Antoine Paszkiewicz (France, Paris)General Secretary: Elżbieta Artysz (Poland, Warsaw)Treasurer: Andrzej Merkur (Poland, Duszniki)

Members of the Board: Rosa Capplonch Ferra (Spain, Valldemossa) Alejandra Castro (Chile, Santiago de Chile) Jadwiga Gewert (USA, Miami) Kazimierz Gierżod (Poland, Warsaw) Hiroyuki Takashima (Japan, Tokio)

The 2016 meeting of IFCS was held October 14 – 16, 2016 in Nohant, France, hosted by the Chopin Festival of Nohant and its president, Yves Henry.

Attendees in front of the home of George Sand, where F. Chopin spent six summers, from 1839 to 1846. In front row, center, Yves Henry; to his left Elzbieta Artysz, and Dr. Theodor Kanitzer; on his right Sookie Shober.


The second meeting of representatives of Chopin competitions worldwide took place September 20 to 22, 2016 in Warsaw and Radziejowice near Warsaw. Sixteen competitions from thirteen countries were represented, from Australia and Korea, to China, Siberia, Turkey, Egypt, a number of European countries, and the United States.

A representative of the International Federation of Chopin Societies also attended the summit. The meeting was hosted by the National Institute of Fryderyk Chopin in Warsaw (NIFC), represented by Dr. Artur Szklener, Director, Dr. Wojciech Marchwica, Deputy Director, Jerzy Michniewicz and Joanna Bokszczanin. Agnieszka Grunwald represented the Department of International Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.The keynote speaker of the conference was prof. Wojciech Świtała, a member of the jury of the 2015 International Chopin Competition. Prof Switala presented a lecture titled “In the Eyes of the Jury Member” evaluating the competitors and jury members in piano competition.

Dr. Marchwica presented a draft of the Chopin Competition Conference Regulation Chart, as an attempt to institutionalize the relationship of member organizations with the NIFC, presenter of the International Chopin Competition. After a discussion, the draft was accepted with open options for improvement.

The representatives shared their experiences on all matters related to the preparation and presentation of the competitions in their respective countries. A relaxed and friendly atmosphere has become a tradition of these meetings, making it easier for participants to freely discuss their problems and ask others for advice.

More at https://ccc.nifc.pl/en/radziejowice/year2016 .

INT’L FEDERATION OF CHOPIN SOCIETIES CHOPIN COMPETITIONS CONFERENCE

Dr. Artur Szklener is fourth from right in the front row, Agnieszka Grunwald to his right.


The purpose of the Chopin Foundation Scholarship Program is to support and encourage young, talented American pianists through up to four years of preparation for the National Chopin Piano Competition of the United States, which is held in Miami, Florida, every five years. Renewable scholarships of $1,000 are awarded each year on a competitive basis to outstanding young American pianists who demonstrate a special affinity for the interpretation of Frédéric Chopin’s music. In addition, the Scholarship Committee may grant half-awards in the amount of $500 to qualified applicants. A half-award may be granted to an applicant only once during the four-year program.

EligibilityThe Scholarship Program is open to all qualified American pianists (US citizens or legal residents) not younger than 14 and not older than 17 years of age on May 15 of their first year of application.

ProcedureAll Scholarship applications must be submitted online. Please visit the Chopin Foundation website, www.chopin.org for complete requirements and procedures.

PLEASE READ ALL ONLINE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION.

A complete application and recording of required Chopin repertoire are required for EACH year of the scholarship program.

Please use the online application link to www.GetAcceptd.com. Applications, along with all attachments must be received by May 15th each year. Scholarships will be announced by July 15th. Please contact the Chopin Foundation with any questions.

Chopin Foundation of the United States, Inc.

Phone: (305) 868-0624Web: www.chopin.org • Email: [email protected]

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR YOUNG PIANISTS

The Chopin Foundation of the United States, Inc., is a national non-profit organization headquartered in Miami, FL, and since 1977 has been dedicated to the support of young, very talented American classical musicians. Thanks to your gifts, many more young talented American artists will receive the encouragement they need and the recognition they deserve.

There are many tax wise ways to contribute to the Chopin Foundation

Outright Gift of CashConsider a one time gift or set up regular monthly payments through your bank’s bill pay service.

Bequest A charitable bequest can be a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or what remains after other bequests are made.

Outright gifts of securities or personal property

Retirement fund assetsAssets from qualified plans or IRAs are ideal for charitable giving. This option offers an opportunity to avoid income and estate tax.

Charitable remainder trustsAllow you to receive income (or provide income to another person) for life with the knowledge that funds remaining when the trust terminates will be used to support the Chopin Endowment.

Gift of Life InsuranceSupport our endowment by making it the beneficiary of part or all of the insurance proceeds.

We do not provide legal or tax advice. You should always consult your legal,tax or financial advisor to assist with your charitable planning.

For more information please visit our websitewww.chopin.org or call us at (305) 868-0624.

Donations to the Chopin Foundation of the United States are tax-deductibleto the extent permitted by law. The Foundation is a non-profit corporation qualified

under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.

YES, I want to help talented, young musicians!

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Please make check payable to: The Chopin Foundation

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Chopin Foundation of the United States1440 79th St. Causeway, Suite 117, Miami, FL 33141

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