Moszumańska-Nazar, Krystyna (EN)

Moszumańska-Nazar Krystyna, *5 September 1924 Lviv, †27 September 2008 Kraków, Polish composer. She studied piano at the conservatory in Lviv in 1931–39, and later, from 1949, piano with J. Hoffman and composition with S. Wiechowicz at the State Higher School of Music (PWSM) in Krakow, obtaining diplomas in both fields in 1955. In 1963, she started teaching at the PWSM (now the Academy of Music) in Krakow, from 1966 as an assistant professor, from 1971 as a docent, from 1981 as an associate professor, and from 1987 as a full professor; she taught composition, instrumentation, fugue and contemporary composition techniques. In 1974–75, she headed the Department of Composition, in 1975–78, she was dean of the Faculty of Composition, Conducting and Music Theory, from 1978 vice-rector, and in 1987–93 rector of this university. In 1964–71, she served as the president of the ZKP Branch in Kraków, in 1971–73 she was on the Main Board of the ZKP, she sat on the jury of domestic and foreign composition competitions several times, and from 1993, she was a member of the Council of Higher Artistic Education in Warsaw.

In 1954, Moszumańska-Nazar received an honourable mention at the ZKP Youth Circle competition for Oberek from Suite of Polish Dances, in 1961 and 1966 honourable mentions at the International Competition for Women Composers in Mannheim for Hexaèdre and Exodus, and in 1962 the 1^st prize and a gold medal at the International Competition for Women Composers in Buenos Aires for Music for Strings, third prize at the A. Malawski Composition Competition in Krakow in 1966 for Variazioni concertanti, in 1974 second prize at the K. Szymanowski Composition Competition in Warsaw for Polish Madonnas. Additionally, she is a laureate of, among others, ZKP awards (1988), MKiS awards five times (1971, 1977, 1984, 1987, 1991), awards of the Prime Minister for works for children and youth (1977), awards of the city of Krakow (1970), Honorary Award of the Foundation of Polish Culture in Krakow ( 2003). She was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit (1975), the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1983), the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1993), the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1999), the Medaille de l’Officier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2004) and the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2007). She also received an honorary title and medal of Merit for National Culture (1989) and an honorary doctorate from the Academy of Music in Krakow (2007).

Moszumańska-Nazar is the co-author (with H. Danyszowa, Z. Iszkowska, J. Jargoń and M. Leitner) of the repeatedly reissued Zbiór ćwiczeń do kształcenia słuchu [Collected Exercises for Ear Training] (Kraków 1962, 14^th ed. 2022). She gave many lectures about her work, contemporary music, and new notation in Poland and abroad (including Leipzig, Mannheim, Heidelberg, Nuremberg, and Lviv). In 1994, a television film called Krystyna Moszumańska-Nazar was made (from the series Album krakowskiej muzyki, directed by G. Kościński).

Moszumańska-Nazar’s compositional work is characterised by a variety of musical forms and genres, from those derived from the tradition of overture, sinfonietta, concerto, variations, miniature, or string quartet, to narrative genres represented by Rhapsody I and II, Essay, Frescoes and Exodus. Early pieces from the 1950s show connections with neoclassical music (3 Miniatures); the composer then also turned to dodecaphony used freely. There are three periods in Moszumańska-Nazar’s work: 1. neoclassical (until 1958), 2. experimental-sonoristic (1959–73), 3. stage of synthesis (from 1973), characterised by the creative use of previous experiences (E. Mizerska-Golonek, 1996). The connection with sonorism, characteristic of the second period, is also visible in the composer’s later work. Many songs show an excellent sense of the colours of the instruments (e.g. 2 Dialogues). Moszumańska-Nazar’s music is characterised by the use of timbre as a construction factor (String Quartet No. 2), timbre diversity resulting from the use of many instruments within the group of percussion instruments (From End to End Percussion, 3 Concert Studies), differentiation of means of articulation in individual works (Music for Five), and polymorphic treatment of time. Music for percussion is of foremost importance in Moszumańska-Nazar’s oeuvre. In addition to numerous pieces for solo percussion, the composer also used extensive percussion ensembles in symphonic pieces (Rhapsody II, Fresco III), chamber pieces (Interpretations, Un petit cadeau) and vocal-instrumental pieces (Bel canto, Polish Madonnas, Challenge), in which they play a significant, sometimes a leading role. The peak achievement in this respect came in the Concerto for Percussion, in which, in addition to the rich instrumentation for the soloist, the composer introduced two percussion instruments in the orchestra, sometimes joining the soloist part.

In addition to music for percussion, symphonic works are of great importance in Moszumańska-Nazar’s work. These are generally compositions of an epic nature and narrative form. The composer’s interest in religious themes is visible in her vocal and instrumental works (Polish Madonnas, Song of Songs, Pater noster). They use various means of vocal texture (polyphony, repetitions and chords in Polish Madonnas) and instrumental texture (contrasting the chord texture with the pointillistic texture in the Song of Songs). The composer’s inspiration with poetry and visual arts was expressed in the poem Polish Madonnas, composed to texts selected from the collection of poems by J. Harasymowicz under the same title. Individual poems describe paintings and figures of the Virgin Mary found in Polish churches and wayside shrines. The use of five poems in the composition affects its formal division (introduction and five parts). A large, separate group consists of chamber and solo pieces, characterised by selectivity of sound structures and great timbre diversity.

The principle of narrative plays a vital role in the formal shaping of Moszumańska-Nazar’s works. There are strongly contrasting sections in the musical progression, and characteristic several climaxes in the piece; the composer also uses evolutionary shaping. In the construction of Moszumańska-Nazar’s works, apart from sonoristic qualities, motivic and thematic structures are equally important. The means of construction combined with the variety of articulation and instrumentation are subordinated to expressive purposes. The dynamism of the musical progression and strong, dramatic expression are characteristic of Moszumańska-Nazar’s works.

Moszumańska-Nazar’s music is distinguished by its original, individual style, characterised by the creative use of modern compositional techniques (aleatorism, sonoristic techniques) combined with the use of thematic structures and an individual concept of musical form. The masterful use of percussion ensembles and the use of interesting, unusual chamber instrumental ensembles (Bel canto, Interpretations) also give this music its character. Moszumańska-Nazar was an outstanding representative of the Polish school of music from the second half of the 20^th century and one of the most interesting personalities of the Krakow composition school.

Literature: Świat ogarnięty muzyką, interview of G. Stanek-Peszkowska with Moszumańska-Nazar, “Ruch Muzyczny” 1999 no. 18; Z walcem w tle, interview of M. Janicka-Słysz with Moszumańska-Nazar, “Ruch Muzyczny” 2004 no. 18; M. Woźna-Stankiewicz Lwowskie geny osobowości twórczej. Rozmowy z K. Moszumańską-Nazar, Kraków 2007; H. Schiller „Muzyka na smyczki” Krystyny Moszumańskiej-Nazar, “Ruch Muzyczny” 1963 no. 22; A. Walaciński „Hexaèdre,” “Ruch Muzyczny” 1965 no. 17; T. Marek Composer’s Workshop. Krystyna Moszumańska-Nazar, “Polish Music” 1974 no. 2; E. Mizerska-Golonek Krystyna Moszumańska-Nazar „Madonny polskie”. Wybrane problemy z zakresu faktury wokalnej, in: Muzyka instrumentalno-wokalna kompozytorów krakowskich, «Zeszyty Naukowe PWSM w Krakowie», Kraków 1979; E. Mizerska-Golonek „Pieśń nad pieśniami” Krystyny Moszumańskiej-Nazar, in: Krakowska Szkoła Kompozytorska 1888–1988, ed. T. Malecka, Kraków 1992; L. Polony Jubileusz K. Moszumańskiej-Nazar, “Ruch Muzyczny” 1994 no. 25; E. Mizerska-Golonek Krystyna Moszumańska-Nazar i jej muzyka na perkusję solo, in: Muzyka polska 1945–1995, ed. K. Droba, T. Malecka and K. Szwajgier, Kraków 1996; K. Kasperek Krystyna Moszumańska-Nazar. Katalog tematyczny utworów, Kraków 2004 (includes, e.g., articles by M. Janicka-Słysz „Poruszyć słuchacza…”. O muzyce K. Moszumańskiej-Nazar and by K. Moszumańska-Nazar: Szkic biograficzny, Autorefleksja kompozytorska and O roli perkusji i traktowaniu jej w moich utworach); L. Czapliński De color concentionis albo o stylistycznej tożsamości autora. K. Moszumańska-Nazar, klasyk sonoryzmu, “Opcje” 2009 no. 1; T. Sobaniec Perkusja znakiem rozpoznawczym muzyki K. Moszumańskiej-Nazar, Kraków 2011; M. Stefański Źródła inspiracji twórczych i formy ich wyrazu w muzyce organowej kompozytorów krakowskich drugiej połowy XX wieku na przykładzie wybranych utworów T. Machla, K. Moszumańskiej-Nazar, J. Łuciuka i J. Jargonia, Kraków 2011; M. Mądro W poszukiwaniu idiomu kompozytorskiego K. Moszumańskiej-Nazar, doctoral dissertation, Akademia Muzyczna w Krakowie, 2015; A. Kłaput-Wiśniewska Artistic Work of Women. Female Works in Self-reflection of G. Bacewicz, K. Moszumańska-Nazar and A. Zubel, in: The Musical Work and its Creators, ed. A. Nowak, Bydgoszcz 2015; J. Miklaszewska Literature and visual arts as a source of inspiration in the work of K. Moszumańska-Nazar, “Musicology Today” XVI, 2019; E. Wójtowicz Oblicza kwartetu smyczkowego w twórczości kompozytorów krakowskich. B. Buczek, Z. Bujarski, K. Meyer, K. Moszumańska-Nazar, K. Penderecki, M. Stachowski, Kraków 2021.