Maria Szymanowska( 17s9-1s3L)

Maria Szymanowska was born in Poland to a middle class,|ewish family in the year of the start of the French Revolution. Her music has been describedas displaying some of the romantic, spiritual ideals of the revolution, i.e., the role of the individual, evident in her many works for virtuoso soloists,and patriotism, observed in her use of folk melodies and dances.

As a concert pianist, she toured Germany, France,Italy, England and Russia,where she was appointed Courf Pianist to the Tsar in 1822. Factual information about her life is scant. Her po,ssible mentors appear to include J6zefElsner, the teacherof Chopin" FranciszekLessel, the pupil of Haydn, the composer]ohn Field whom she met while in Moscow, and Luigi Cherubini, whom she met in Paris. What can been documented from contemporary materials is her great talent as a lyrical performer, her brilliant technique,her accomplishmentsas a composer,and her undoubted personal beauty and intellect.

Szymanowskainspired the admiration of many. Composers|ohan Nepomuka Hummel and John Field dedicated piano piecesto her. |ohann Goethe is said to have fallen madly in love with her. Robcrt SchumanndesCribed Szymanowska's 6tudes as "written by the'feminine Field,' ...in character and invention ...present[ing] the most remarkablequalities, for a woman composer,that we have met with..." Clara Schumann'sshort characterpieces foi piano show influencesof Szymanowska,who performed and was published in Leipzig - - Schumann'sresidence - - in the early 19th Century. Critics wrote of Szymanowskaas a musicianwho defined Romanticism in her compositionsand in her playing.

The music in this collectionis drawn from severalsources. Most of Sz'r'manowska'smusic was publishedin the 19thCentury; somewas reprinted in Polandin the 1950'-s.The Contradance,Menuet and Polonez are in a collectionpublished by Breitkopf & Hdrtel (1819);The Etudes were originally Breitkopf & Hiirtel 19thCentury (n.d.); the four Waltzesfor Three Hands were publishedin Rotterdam(19th Century, n.d.), composed and dedicatedto her friend CountessSophie Plater as a birthday gift.

In this edition all original markings (dynamics, articulations, phrasing) are preserved and appear in large print. Performancesuggestions by the editor are enclosedin brackets,shown in dotted litres, or appear in small print.

The original publications of theseworks can be found in the Library of Congress,the library of Alliance Collegein Erie,PA., the National Library in Warsaw,the Bibliotekafagiellonska in Krakow, and the Biblioteka Polska in Paris.

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Bibliography:

Davies,Joan, "Maria Szymanowska,"article inThe Consort(Surrey, England) Annual lournal ot' the DolmetschFoundation, No. 23, 1955. Grove'sDictionary of Music andMusiciarc,5th Edition, Volume Vlll,272. Meggett, |oan M., KeyboardMusic by WomenComposers , a Catalogand Bibliography, Westport, Conn.,Greenwood Press 1981. Mirscy, ]osef and Maria, Maria SzymanowskaAlbum, Krakow, Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyrne, 1953. Poniatowska, Irena, private correspondencewith the editor. Reich,Nancy 8., ClaraSchumann, the Artistand the Womtn,Ithaca,N.Y., Cornell University Press, 1985.

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