2015-02-18

It is with great sadness that we inform you that Andrzej Koszewski, a renowned composer with tremendous contribution in choral music, musicologist and pedagogue, died on February 17, 2015.
 

Choral music was one of the most important areas of Koszewski's artistic interest and it is in this field that he managed to achieve great success. Before WWII, the composer used to sing in the Poznań Cathedral Choir conducted by Wacław Gieburowski. It is a great loss for the world of music, says Daniel Cichy, editor in chief of PWM Edition. The output of Professor Koszewski was iconic for many generations of choristers and his successive compositions quickly became hits. Two trends can be distinguished in his vocal works: traditional, inspired by folklore (Kashubian Suite, Great Poland Triptych) and innovative, showing individual characteristics (Fa-re-mi-do-si Music, La espero, Nicolao Copernico). In his later works, he strived at achieving a synthesis of traditional and contemporary means, while raising choral music to the role of vocal orchestra (Campana, Angelus Domini).

Andrzej Koszewski came from Poznań and it is exactly Poznań music circle that he was associated with throughout his professional life. He studied musicology at the University of Poznań, and theory of music and composition at the State Higher Music School in Poznań and at the State Higher Music School in Warsaw. In 1948 he turned to education. Through the years of his work, he has educated a few generations of musicians. He used to teach at Poznań music schools and held a composition class at the Academy of Music in Poznań (former State Higher Music School) where he was granted professor's degree in 1985. He was also the head of the Chair of Composition and Theory of Music and the dean of the Vocal Department at the Poznań Academy.

Andrzej Koszewski was a laureate of many awards, including the Awards of the Minister of Culture and Art, second degree (1967, 1973 and 1977) and first degree (1978, 1982 and 1988), the Prime Minister's Award for works for children and young people (1982), annual Award of the Polish Composers’ Union (1986) and the Jerzy Kurczewski Award (2003). He was also honoured with the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture - Gloria Artis for his artistic output.

fot. Krystyna Koszewska