Eugeniusz Knapik
Encyclopedia
Eugeniusz Knapik is a Polish
pianist
and composer of classical music best known for his 1980 chamber piece
String Quartet No. 1. Knapik studied composition and piano with Henryk Górecki
(1933-2010) and Czesław Stańczyk at the University of Music in Katowice
. Later, he studied composition under Olivier Messiaen
in Paris under a French government scholarship. As a pianist he has recorded widely, specialising mainly in 20th century music. He has won numerous prizes for his compositions, including at the Festival of Polish Piano Interpretation in Słupsk, and the International Chamber Music Competition in Vienna
.
Along with Andrzej Krzanowski
and Aleksander Lasoń, Knapik is generally seen as a leading member of the composers who emerged in Poland during the mid 1970s. This group was collectively named Stalowa Wola
after the city at which they stated their manifesto at a 1975 festival of music which was sub-titled "From young composers to a young City". Their statement read, "The work of the composers who entered their artistic lives at the fesivals in Stalowa Wola was a kind of opposition to the 1950s and 60s avant-garde: opposition towards novelty for novelty's sake, and towards total destruction. This opposition was a spontaneous, intuitive, deep-rooted reaction, which we only later became fully aware of."
Knapik is often seem as a composer out of his time, in that his music is heavily influenced by the musical idiom
s of the late Romantic
era, in particular by the work of Gustav Mahler
(1860-1911). More recent influences include Górecki, Krzysztof Penderecki
(b. 1933) and Witold Lutosławski (1913-1994). He has borrowed from 19th and 20th century English language poetry for both libretto
and inspiration, a fact which sets him apart from most of his Polish contemporaries.
Today, Knapik teaches at the Katowice Academy of Music, where he is professor and director of composition.
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and composer of classical music best known for his 1980 chamber piece
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
String Quartet No. 1. Knapik studied composition and piano with Henryk Górecki
Henryk Górecki
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki was a composer of contemporary classical music. He studied at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice between 1955 and 1960. In 1968, he joined the faculty and rose to provost before resigning in 1979. Górecki became a leading figure of the Polish avant-garde during...
(1933-2010) and Czesław Stańczyk at the University of Music in Katowice
University of Music in Katowice
University of Music in Katowice is one of the leading musical schools in Poland. It is located in Katowice, Silesia...
. Later, he studied composition under Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
in Paris under a French government scholarship. As a pianist he has recorded widely, specialising mainly in 20th century music. He has won numerous prizes for his compositions, including at the Festival of Polish Piano Interpretation in Słupsk, and the International Chamber Music Competition in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
Along with Andrzej Krzanowski
Andrzej Krzanowski
Andrzej Krzanowski was a Polish composer of classical music and accordionist...
and Aleksander Lasoń, Knapik is generally seen as a leading member of the composers who emerged in Poland during the mid 1970s. This group was collectively named Stalowa Wola
Stalowa Wola
Stalowa Wola is the largest city and capital of Stalowa Wola County with a population of 64,353 inhabitants, as of June 2008. It is located in southeastern Poland in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship...
after the city at which they stated their manifesto at a 1975 festival of music which was sub-titled "From young composers to a young City". Their statement read, "The work of the composers who entered their artistic lives at the fesivals in Stalowa Wola was a kind of opposition to the 1950s and 60s avant-garde: opposition towards novelty for novelty's sake, and towards total destruction. This opposition was a spontaneous, intuitive, deep-rooted reaction, which we only later became fully aware of."
Knapik is often seem as a composer out of his time, in that his music is heavily influenced by the musical idiom
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
s of the late Romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
era, in particular by the work of Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
(1860-1911). More recent influences include Górecki, Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...
(b. 1933) and Witold Lutosławski (1913-1994). He has borrowed from 19th and 20th century English language poetry for both libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
and inspiration, a fact which sets him apart from most of his Polish contemporaries.
Today, Knapik teaches at the Katowice Academy of Music, where he is professor and director of composition.
Selected works
- "Sonata" for Violin and Piano, 1971
- "Psalms" for soloists, choir and orchestra, 1973-75
- "String Quartet No. 1", 1980
- "Hymn" for clarinet, trombone, cello and piano, 1980
- "The Minds of Helena Troubleyn", Cycle of three Operas, 1987-96
- "Up into the Silence" for soprano, baritone, string quartet and orchestra, 1996-2000