Janina Garscia

Janina Gressel (born Janina Garścia; March 12, 1920 – March 1, 2004) was a Polish composer, pianist, and teacher.[1][2]

Janina Garścia
Born(1920-03-12)March 12, 1920
Kraków, Poland
DiedMarch 1, 2004(2004-03-01) (aged 83)
Kraków
Other namesJanina Gressel
Occupation(s)Composer, teacher
Era20th century music

Career

In 1945, she graduated from the Władysław Żeleński State Secondary School of Music (class of piano professor Olga Stolfowa), then studied at the State Higher School of Music in Kraków (composition with Stanislaw Wiechowicz and conducting with Artur Malawski). From 1946 she worked as a piano teacher in Kraków schools, first at the Władysław Żeleński State Secondary School of Music (1946-1950), and later for many years at the S. Wiechowicza State Primary School of Music (1951–1995).[3]

Compositions

She composed roughly 700 pieces for children and teenagers, mainly for piano, as well as for cello, oboe, recorder, and percussion.[4] She also composed works for four cellos, two pianos, and a folk band. Her works include musical illustrations, polyrhythmic pieces, pieces for piano and percussion for one performer, and pieces for piano with electronic music.[5]

Selected songs
  • The Easiest Pieces for Children (1946)
  • Puzzle (1958)
  • Little Suite for two pianos (1961)
  • Zrytmizowany świat for piano and children's percussion instruments for one performer (1974)
  • Cello Impressions (1981)
  • Fairy Tales Written with Sound (1994)
  • 6 Expressive Miniatures (1997)

Arrangements

Some of her pieces have been arranged for accordion and harmonica. Many of her compositions have been included in method books in the Austria, Japan, the Czech Republic, East Germany and the former Soviet Union. Her pieces are included in the Royal Conservatory of Music Piano Syllabus.[6]

Awards and decorations

She was the winner of the first degree departmental award (1973) and the award of the Prime Minister (1975). She was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1983), the Medal of the Commission of National Education (1979), the Golden Badge of the City of Kraków (1972), and the Order of the Smile (2002).[7]

Commemoration

In Lubliniec,[8] Chrzanów, Jelenia Góra, and Tczew, she is the patron of music schools.

Since 1993, the Janina Garścia International Contest has taken place in Stalowa Wola.[9] She is also the patron of the Festival of Polish Contemporary Music for Pianists in Lubliniec.[10]

References
  1. "PWM -Kompozytorzy I Autorzy, Janina Garścia, Biogram". pwm.com.pl.
  2. Zabielska, Katarzyna (2015-05-25). "Janina Garścia – Dziecięca przewodniczka po barwnym świecie muzyki". Lounge Magazyn. Kraków. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  3. Garścia Janina [w:] Encyklopedia Krakowa, p. 233, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warsaw - Kraków 2000
  4. Dehnerová, Alexandra (2016-05-10). Janina Garścia a její instruktivní tvorba pro klavír se zaměřením na sonatiny (Janina Garścia and her pedagogical work for piano with a focus on the sonatinas) (PDF) (Thesis). Brno, Czech Republic: Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  5. Anna Kozera (2015-07-06). "Dziecięca literatura fortepianowa Janiny Garści: analiza wybranych utworów (Children's piano literature by Janina Garści: analysis of selected works)" (PDF). Chopin University of Music. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  6. "The Royal Conservatory Piano Syllabus, 2015 Edition" (PDF). The Royal Conservatory of Music. 2015. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  7. "Janina Garścia, Piosenki Mojego Dzieciństwa". Polish Music Publishing House (Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne). Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  8. "Our Patroness (Nasza Patronka)". The Janina Garscia State Music School (Państwowej Szkoły Muzycznej I st. im. Janiny Garści). Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  9. "VIII Międzynarodowy Konkurs im. Janiny Garści 23–26 maja 2018". psmstalowawola.pl. Archived from the original on 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  10. "X Festiwal Polskiej Muzyki Współczesnej dla Pianistów imienia Janiny Garści 9–10 kwietnia 2019". psm-lubliniec.com.pl. Archived from the original on 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2020-11-10.

Bibliography
  • Elżbieta Dziębowska, ed. (1987). Encyklopedia muzyczna PWM (in Polish). Vol. 3 (I ed.). Kraków: PWM. p. 238. ISBN 83-224-0344-5.
  • Andrzej Chodkowski, ed. (1995). Encyklopedia muzyki (in Polish). Warsaw: PWN. p. 300. ISBN 83-01-11390-1.
  • Kto jest kim w Polsce. Informator biograficzny, edition 3, Warsaw 1993.
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