Nowowiejski, Feliks (EN)

Nowowiejski Feliks, *7 February 1877 Wartembork (now Barczewo, Warmia), †18 January 1946 Poznań, Polish composer, organist, conductor, teacher and organizer of musical life. In 1887–93, he attended the monastery school in Święta Lipka, where he studied music. From 1893 he lived in Olsztyn. He started working in the Prussian grenadier regiment orchestra, composing pieces for the military orchestra and amateur bands. In 1898–1900, he served as organist at the church of St. Jakub in Olsztyn. He continued his studies at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin (1898) in the organ class of O. Dienel and in the composition class of E.E. Taubert and at the school of church music in Regensburg (1900). In 1900–06, he studied at the Meisterschule Königliche Akademie der Künste in Berlin, in the composition class of M. Bruch (until 1902 and 1904–06). In parallel, he attended lectures on musicology and aesthetics at Friedrich Wilhelm Universität (1901–02). He was awarded the G. Meyerbeer prize twice (1902 and 1904) (the so-called Roman); he used the funds obtained for an 18-month artistic journey through Germany, France, Belgium, Italy and northern Africa. From 1906, he lived in Berlin, where he became closely associated with Polish groups; he was also active as a composer and virtuoso. He travelled many times to Warsaw, Krakow, Lviv and the Middle East, where he gave concerts, among others. in the presence of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. At that time, Nowowiejski’s first symphonic concerts took place in Poland (Lviv, Warsaw), where, among others, Symphony in B minor and oratorio The Finding of the Holy Cross. In 1907, the premiere performance of the oratorio Quo Vadis took place in Ústí nad Labem; the premiere of the final version of the work took place in 1909 in Amsterdam. This work was enthusiastically received throughout Europe and America, by 1939 it was performed over 200 times, on Polish soil for the first time in 1912 in Warsaw. In 1909, Nowowiejski settled in Kraków, where he stayed until 1914. He served as the artistic director of the Musical Society, performed, conducted symphonic concerts, and gave concerts as an organist. In 1910, he joined the celebration of the 500^th anniversary of the victory at Grunwald and the unveiling of a monument in Krakow funded by I.J. Paderewski, and composed Rota to the text by M. Konopnicka (original title: Hasło). He spent the years of World War I in Berlin as a member of the garrison orchestra.

After the war, he settled in Poznań and actively joined the city’s regenerating cultural life. In 1920, he took an active part in the plebiscite in Warmia and Mazury. From 1920, he taught at the conservatory in Poznań at the church music department, conducted the orchestra, and in 1922–27, taught organ classes and taught improvisation. In 1924, the premiere of Legend of the Baltic Sea took place at the Poznań opera house, and it was performed over 50 times during one season. Nowowiejski has collaborated with many choral groups; participated in singing conventions, led large, combined choral groups, and in 1920–21, organised the 400-person National Choir; he sat on the judging panels of many competitions. He often gave organ recitals, performing baroque music, works by contemporary French composers and his own improvisations. Traditionally, on Maundy Thursday, his organ recitals were broadcast by Poznań radio throughout Poland. In 1927, he resigned from his permanent job and devoted himself entirely to composition and concert activities. In 1929, during a singing convention, Nowowiejski conducted a choir of 20,000 singers who performed his Psalm 136, Jerusalem – Homeland. In 1931, the composer became, alongside J. Sibelius, P. Hindemith and A. Roussel, an honorary member of The Organ Music Society in London. In 1934, as part of a series of composer’s concerts in Paris, he conducted his opera-ballet Folk Paintings; in the same year, M. Dupré performed his First Organ Symphony in Paris. From 1935 to 1939, Nowowiejski led the Poznań City Symphony Orchestra, promoting contemporary music (M. Ravel, A. Roussel, F. Schmitt, I. Strawiński, T.Z. Kassern, T. Szeligowski). In September 1939, fearing arrest, he hid in the hospital of the Elizabethan Sisters and then in Kraków, from where he returned to Poznań in 1945. He died soon and was buried on Skałka Poznańska, in the Crypt of the Distinguished in the church of St. Wojciech.

Nowowiejski received the following awards and distinctions: in 1898, the award of The British Musician Association at a composition competition in London for the piano march Under the Banner of Peace; twice the G. Meyerbeer award (the so-called Roman Award): in 1902 for the oratorio The Return of the Prodigal Son, Fugue for choir and orchestra and Romantic Overture, and in 1904 for Symphony in A minor and Symphony in B minor, in 1903 the award named after L. van Beethoven in Bonn for Polish Matchmaking; in 1907, first prize at a competition in Chicago for Cantata for choir, orchestra and organ; in 1907, an award at a competition in Lviv for Kościuszko’s funeral procession to Wawel; in 1910, an award at a competition celebrating the 100^th anniversary of Chopin’s birth in Lviv for They Have Already Faded; in 1911 the prize in Arras for Méditation en mi majeur; in 1931, distinction from The Organ Music Society in London for his 9^th Symphony for organ; in 1935, the State Music Award of the Year, awarded to him by a group of Warsaw musicians. He also received the dignity of Papal Chamberlain and in 1936 the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and the Badge of Honour of the Union of Polish Singing and Musical Ensembles. Some of his manuscripts were burned in 1945 during the war, many of them were lost. Nowowiejski’s achievements are kept in the Raczyński Library and the private collections of the Nowowiejski family in Poznań.

Nowowiejski’s compositional output, very abundant in quantity and diverse in genre and form, was widely appreciated by the public and partly criticised during the composer’s lifetime; however, he is still little known because few of his works have been published. Nowowiejski’s achievements include vocal and instrumental music, including oratorio, which brought him fame all over the world. It was performed on almost all the most important stages in Europe and America. The first oratorio The Return of the Prodigal Son (1901), a work of heterogeneous style, refers to the baroque and classical tradition (the texture of the choral part modelled on Handel, Haydn, the final double fugue for two 4-voice choirs) and the romantic tradition (harmonic language and technique of operating a symphonic ensemble). Nowowiejski’s most outstanding oratorio work is Quo Vadis (1903), described as dramatic scenes based on the novel by H. Sienkiewicz, a type of 5-part cantata for soprano, baritone, bass, mixed choir, organ and a large symphony orchestra. This work, similar to the style of Meyerbeer’s great opera, shows considerable influence from Handel’s oratorio style, especially in the choral parts, which play a leading role in Nowowiejski’s works. The composer used the language of late Romanticism, as evidenced by: leitmotifs, numerous modulations, an extensive orchestra, emphasis on wind instruments (especially brass), monumentalism of form, and the contrast between dramatic parts and lyrical fragments. In the oratory The Finding of the Holy Cross (1905–09) Nowowiejski emphasised choral parts, using the polyphonic technique (fugato) on a large scale, including in scene 2, part II for the 8-voice choir and soloists.

Choral works, in which religious works and patriotic songs and anthems constitute a significant trend, include nearly 500 compositions. These are original pieces inspired by Gregorian chant, church or folk songs; many of them were created with amateur bands in mind, hence their popular nature. As a creator of functional religious compositions (9 mass cycles, motets, psalms, carols and organ compositions). Nowowiejski is considered one of the most outstanding – next to J. Maklakiewicz – representatives of Polish religious music of the interwar period.

Being an excellent virtuoso organist, Nowowiejski had an extensive repertoire and great ease in improvising. In his organ work, a special place is occupied by a collection of 9 symphonies (1920–33), which the composer called his “musical testament,” 4 concertos (1938–41) and the poem In paradisum (1941). Generally, these are program pieces, with titles, inspired by religious themes, especially Marian songs (Po górach, dolinach in the 2^nd Symphony, Bogurodzica in the 9^th Symphony, Witaj święta i poczęta in the 3^rd Concerto) and Gregorian chant (Veni Creator in the 1^st Concerto and the 8^th Symphony, Tantum ergo in the 7^th Symphony, Orbis factor in the 2^nd Concerto, Gloria Tibi Trinitas in the 4^th Concerto). In the opera The Legend of the Baltic Sea, Nowowiejski referred to the tradition of romantic Italian and German opera, introduced elements of Polish folklore, used archaic techniques with pleasure, constructed monumental ensemble scenes, expanded ballet scenes (act II), and highlighted choral parts. He introduced vocal parts in ballet works – solo and choral. In the 1930s, he tried to modernise his technique, referring to the achievements of French composers from the turn of the 19^th and 20^th centuries, as well as to neo-romanticism (Mahler).

Nowowiejski’s work is based on various sources: Polish tradition (folk, religious, literary), German music (Wagner, R. Strauss, Bruckner) and French; he is considered a conservative trend in Polish music of the first half of the 20^th century. Nowowiejski’s musical language is characterised by freedom in using typically late Romantic means of compositional technique. In his orchestral and organ symphonies and concerts, Nowowiejski adopted the patterns of the classical sonata cycle, i.e. a 3- or 4-movement arrangement and the form of individual parts (sonata allegro, ABA form, rondo, variation form), and also used free forms arising from the spirit of organ improvisation, often designated by a non-musical program. He willingly used sophisticated polyphonic means (fugue) and archaization (modal scales) and introduced characteristic rhythms of Polish folk dances. The orchestration and colours of his works are influenced by the texture of the organ. The primary role in Nowowiejski’s works is played by melodious melody inspired by folk and church songs; the composer was particularly eager to reach out to the folklore of Warmia, Upper Silesia, Greater Poland, Kujawy and Lesser Poland.

In large vocal-instrumental or instrumental forms in the musical narrative, Nowowiejski combined lyrical, dramatic and epic elements, used bright, strongly outlined contrasts and a monumental sound. Nowowiejski’s compositional style was influenced by his artistic practice as an excellent organist and choirmaster, so Nowowiejski’s organ and choral works have remained in the concert repertoire to this day, the rest have only historical significance.

Literature: Spis rękopisów i druków muzycznych Feliksa Nowowiejskiego, Poznań, Raczyński Library; F. Nowowiejski Przemówienie pożegnalne do Polonii berlińskiej, 11 November 1909, in: Polacy w Berlinie, ed. J. Kaźmierczak, Inowrocław 1937; Ostatni list Nowowiejskiego, “Ruch Muzyczny” 1946 No. 3; Archiwum Feliksa Nowowiejskiego. Zbiory prywatne, in: Katalog mikrofilmów muzycznych, Warsaw 1956, BN; Feliks M. i Kazimierz Nowowiejscy. Dookoła kompozytora, Poznań 1971 (contains list of compositions and biography to 1970); J. Boehm Feliks Nowowiejski. Zarys biograficzny, Olsztyn 1968, 2. wyd. 1977; M. Zientara-Malewska Działacze spod znaku Rodła, Olsztyn 1974; Feliks Nowowiejski. W setną rocznicę urodzin, Gdańsk 1978; J. Boehm Feliks Nowowiejski. Artysta i wychowawca, Olsztyn 1985; Z. Kozub Feliks Nowowiejski, Poznań 1994; S. Zetowski Ćwierćwiecze „Roty”, “Śpiewak” 1935 No. 6; S. Pigoń W sporze o „Rotę” słowa spokojne, in: Na drogach kultury ludowej. Rozprawy i studia, Warsaw 1974; D. Kämper Max Bruch und Felix Nowowiejski, «Studien zur Musikgeschichte des Rheinlands» IV, Cologne 1975; F.M. Nowowiejski W 100 rocznicę urodzin Feliksa Nowowiejskiego, “Ruch Muzyczny” 1977 nr 18; H. Ratajczak Utwory fortepianowe Feliksa Nowowiejskiego, «Muzyka Fortepianowa» II, in: «Prace Specjalne PWSM w Gdańsku» No. 12, Gdańsk 1977; M. Obst Feliks Nowowiejski. kompozytor chóralny, «Zeszyty Naukowe PWSM w Gdańsku» No. 17, Gdańsk 1978; J. Erdman Pieśń religijna w twórczości organowej Feliksa Nowowiejskiego, «Zeszyty Naukowe Akademii Muzycznej w Gdańsku» No. 23, Gdańsk 1984; D. Wawrzykowska-Wierciochowa Siedem melodii skomponowanych do tekstu „Roty” M. Konopnickiej, “Muzyka” 1984 No. 3; J. Kukla Programowość w utworach organowych Feliksa Nowowiejskiego. Próba jej interpretacji, «Organy i Muzyka Organowa» VII, in: «Zeszyty Naukowe Akademii Muzycznej w Gdańsku», Gdańsk 1986; Muzyka na Warmii i Mazurach. Materiały z sesji naukowych 1983–1985, Olsztyn 1986; J. Erdman Die Orgelmusik von Felix Nowowiejski, in: Deutsch-Polnische Musikbeziehungen, Monachium 1987; R. Suchecki O koncercie wiolonczelowym Feliksa Nowowiejskiego, in: Polska literatura wiolonczelowa XIX i XX wieku, «Zeszyty Naukowe Akademii Muzycznej w Warszawie» No. 19, Warsaw 1988; J. Gołos Nowowiejski jako kompozytor i wirtuoz organowy w świetle relacji i recenzji prasowych, “Poradnik Muzyczny” 1989 No. 7/8; J. Gołos Feliks Nowowiejski. V Symfonia i II Koncert organowy, “Ruch Muzyczny” 1990 No. 1/2; J. Gembalski Związki Feliksa Nowowiejskiego z Górnym Śląskiem, in: Tradycje śląskiej kultury muzycznej, ed. M. Passella, A. Wolański and M. Zduniak, Wrocław 1992.