Gabriela Moyseowicz
Encyclopedia
Gabriela Maria Moyseowicz(b. May 4, 1944 in Lwów
) is a Polish
composer and pianist.
skillfully at the age of three. She was recognized as a musical prodigy at music schools in Gdańsk
, Bytom
and Gliwice
. At the age of 13, Gabriela composed a 25-minute concerto
for two pianos. She performed it before a group of respected professors-musicians in Kraków
and was instantly admitted to the prestigious Academy of Music in Kraków
. The concerto was both classical & romantic in style. The work and a number of superb fugue
s she composed as school-exercises were the first indicators of the scope of the composer’s talent.
A renowned musical critic in Kraków1 highly praised the first atonal
composition of Gabriela - “The Piano Sonata No. 1” (1960). Also, the atonal chamber work “Media Vita” (1961) was met with a warm reaction by both the public and musical critics.
From 1962 Moyseowicz attended composition classes at the Academy of Music in Kraków and the State Conservatory in Katowice
, and graduated from the latter in 1967. She was awarded the degree of Master of Arts
after submitting her second piano concerto. A stormy discussion resulted, among the local professors, over Gabriela’s dissertation in which she had presented her artistic attitudes.
In 1974 Moyseowicz moved to West Berlin
, where she worked for thirty years as an organ
ist and choir director at a Catholic church. She made several recordings of her own music for the German Radio (WDR
, NDR
). Two CDs with orchestral and piano compositions, respectively, were released. Scores of over twenty of Moyseowicz’s compositions were released by a famed musical editor in Berlin.
system, it has not been her main artistic goal to compose tonal music. It should be noted the ideas of the “sclerotic avant-garde
of the sixties”2 were never attractive for her. From her teens she searched for her own way and managed to develop an original style that has nothing to do with any “modern” or “fashionable” ideas of the second half of the 20th century. Gabriela’s compositions are thoroughly atonal, but listeners have, very often, an impression to hear the tonal music. It is a secret of Gabriela’s workshop that she is able to extract from the highly complex sound material sequences of ear-friendly modern contemporary classical music
. The composer uses instruments with the great respect to their design, destination and limitations, yet she produces extraordinary effects. Her dazzling music is rich in invention and imagination. “Gabriela Moyseowicz is a genial composer whose work merits more attention”6. The opinions like this have been expressed on several occasions by musical professionals and music lovers. The work of Gabriela Moyseowicz has been subjected to analyses by several authors3,4,6,7(8).
s, piano concertos, one symphony
, one oratorium
, cantata
s, songs, etc. Tonal compositions include church songs, a capriccio
for string orchestra, piano variations and other occasional works.
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
) is a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
composer and pianist.
Biography
Gabriela Moyseowicz played pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
skillfully at the age of three. She was recognized as a musical prodigy at music schools in Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, Bytom
Bytom
Bytom is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The central-western district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Bytom is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Bytomka river .The city belongs to the Silesian Voivodeship since...
and Gliwice
Gliwice
Gliwice is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Gliwice is the west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
. At the age of 13, Gabriela composed a 25-minute concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
for two pianos. She performed it before a group of respected professors-musicians in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
and was instantly admitted to the prestigious Academy of Music in Kraków
Academy of Music in Kraków
The Academy of Music in Kraków is a conservatory located in downtown Kraków, Poland.-History:The Academy, until 1945 as a conservatory under the name Cracow Conservatory or Conservatory of the Music Society, was founded in 1888 by the eminent Polish composer Władysław Żeleński thanks to artistic...
. The concerto was both classical & romantic in style. The work and a number of superb fugue
Fugue
In music, a fugue is a compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject that is introduced at the beginning in imitation and recurs frequently in the course of the composition....
s she composed as school-exercises were the first indicators of the scope of the composer’s talent.
A renowned musical critic in Kraków1 highly praised the first atonal
Atonality
Atonality in its broadest sense describes music that lacks a tonal center, or key. Atonality in this sense usually describes compositions written from about 1908 to the present day where a hierarchy of pitches focusing on a single, central tone is not used, and the notes of the chromatic scale...
composition of Gabriela - “The Piano Sonata No. 1” (1960). Also, the atonal chamber work “Media Vita” (1961) was met with a warm reaction by both the public and musical critics.
From 1962 Moyseowicz attended composition classes at the Academy of Music in Kraków and the State Conservatory 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...
, and graduated from the latter in 1967. She was awarded the degree of Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
after submitting her second piano concerto. A stormy discussion resulted, among the local professors, over Gabriela’s dissertation in which she had presented her artistic attitudes.
In 1974 Moyseowicz moved to West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, where she worked for thirty years as an organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
ist and choir director at a Catholic church. She made several recordings of her own music for the German Radio (WDR
Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Westdeutscher Rundfunk is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD...
, NDR
Norddeutscher Rundfunk
Norddeutscher Rundfunk is a public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR transmits for the German states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein...
). Two CDs with orchestral and piano compositions, respectively, were released. Scores of over twenty of Moyseowicz’s compositions were released by a famed musical editor in Berlin.
Appraisal
Although Moyseowicz has always been at ease with the tonalTonality
Tonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center", or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
system, it has not been her main artistic goal to compose tonal music. It should be noted the ideas of the “sclerotic avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
of the sixties”2 were never attractive for her. From her teens she searched for her own way and managed to develop an original style that has nothing to do with any “modern” or “fashionable” ideas of the second half of the 20th century. Gabriela’s compositions are thoroughly atonal, but listeners have, very often, an impression to hear the tonal music. It is a secret of Gabriela’s workshop that she is able to extract from the highly complex sound material sequences of ear-friendly modern contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
. The composer uses instruments with the great respect to their design, destination and limitations, yet she produces extraordinary effects. Her dazzling music is rich in invention and imagination. “Gabriela Moyseowicz is a genial composer whose work merits more attention”6. The opinions like this have been expressed on several occasions by musical professionals and music lovers. The work of Gabriela Moyseowicz has been subjected to analyses by several authors3,4,6,7(8).
Works
Gabriela Moyseowicz has composed a variety of atonal instrumental and vocal works3,7(8). They include piano-, violin- and cello-sonataSonata
Sonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...
s, piano concertos, one symphony
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
, one oratorium
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
, cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s, songs, etc. Tonal compositions include church songs, a capriccio
Capriccio (music)
A capriccio or caprice , is a piece of music, usually fairly free in form and of a lively character...
for string orchestra, piano variations and other occasional works.
External links
- Neuland Musikverlag Herbert Henck, Germany:http://www.herbert-henck.de/Bibliographie/Neuland/neuland.html
- Musikverlag Ries& Erler, Berlin, Germany:http://www.rieserler.de/autoren/v_moyseowicz.htm
- Polish Music Information Centre, Warsaw, Poland:http://www.polmic.pl/