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Krzysztof Komeda

January 01, 1970

Krzysztof Trzciński (27 April 1931 – 23 April 1969), known professionally as Krzysztof Komeda,[a] was a Polish film music composer and jazz pianist. Perhaps best known for his work in film scores, Komeda wrote the scores for Roman Polanski’s films Knife in the Water (1962), Cul-de-sac (1966), The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), and Rosemary’s Baby (1968). Komeda's album Astigmatic (1965) is often considered one of the most important European jazz albums. British critic Stuart Nicholson describes the album as "marking a shift away from the dominant American approach with the emergence of a specific European aesthetic."[1]

Krzysztof Komeda
Born
Krzysztof Trzciński

27 April 1931
Poznań, Poland
Died23 April 1969 (aged 37)
Warsaw, Poland
Other namesChristopher Komeda
Occupations
  • Composer
  • musician
Years active1952–1969
Spouse
Zofia Tittenbrun Trzcińska
​
​
(m. 1958)​
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentsPiano
LabelsPolskie Nagrania Muza

Biography edit

Born Krzysztof Trzciński, he chose Komeda as his stage name only upon graduation from university as a means of distancing himself as a jazz musician from his daytime job in a medical clinic.[2][3]

He grew up in Częstochowa and Ostrów Wielkopolski where in 1950 he graduated from the 'liceum (high school) for Boys'. While at school, he participated in the Music and Poetry Club. After high school he entered the Medical Academy in Poznań to study medicine. He finished his six-year-long studies and obtained a medical doctor diploma in 1956. He chose to specialize as an otolaryngology physician.

He took music lessons from early childhood; to become a virtuoso was his dream. He became a member of the Poznań conservatorium at the age of eight, but World War II thwarted his plans. Komeda explored the theory of music, and learned to play piano, during this period and later, until 1950; however, he was aware of the loss of the past six years.[citation needed]

Komeda was interested in light and dance music. He met Witold Kujawski, a graduate of the same school and active as a swing bass player, at the gymnasium (high school) in Ostrów Wielkopolski. It was Kujawski who acquainted Komeda-Trzciński with jazz, and took him to Kraków. The romantic period of Polish jazz, called the catacombs, had its day in the spotlight. Jam sessions, in which such musicians as Matuszkiewicz, Borowiec, Walasek and Kujawski himself participated, took place in Witold's small apartment in Kraków.[citation needed]

Some years later, it became clear why Komeda was fascinated with be-bop performed by Andrzej Trzaskowski. The fascination with jazz and the friendship with other musicians strengthened his connections with music, even though he was a doctor by profession. He worked for some time with the first, postwar, pioneer Polish jazz band, a group called Melomani that was from Kraków and Łódź, whose mainstays were Matuszkiewicz, Trzaskowski and Kujawski.[citation needed]

Later, he played with pop groups from Poznań. One of them, Jerzy Grzewiński's group, soon transformed into a dixieland band. Komeda appeared with Grzewiński on the I Jazz Festival in Sopot in August 1956, but he achieved success performing with saxophonist Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróblewski and vibraphonist Jerzy Milian, because dixieland did not meet Komeda's expectations at the time. He was more fascinated with modern jazz. Thanks to this passion, the Komeda Sextet was created. Krzysztof Trzciński used the stage name 'Komeda' for the first time when he worked at a laryngological clinic, and wanted to conceal his interest in jazz from co-workers. Jazz was beginning its struggle for respectability with the communist authorities in the era of 'the thaw' and with Polish society; jazz was regarded as a suspicious music of night clubs.[citation needed]

The Komeda Sextet became the first Polish jazz group playing modern jazz, and its pioneering performances opened the way for jazz in Poland. He played jazz that related to European traditions and which was the synthesis of the two of the most popular American groups at that time: the Modern Jazz Quartet and the Gerry Mulligan Quartet.[citation needed]

In the thirteen years after the I Sopot Jazz Festival, the artistic personality of Krzysztof Trzciński became more mature, crystallized and lyrically poetic. Krzysztof was, above all, a constantly searching poet who could find ways of individual expression of himself within jazz, in Slavic lyricism, and in the traditions of Polish music.[citation needed]

In 2012, a crater on the planet Mercury was named in honor of Komeda by the International Astronomical Union.[4]

1960s edit

 
Krzysztof Komeda, fragment of commemorative plaque in Poznań

The years 1956–1962 saw Komeda with his group taking part in domestic festivals and preparing ambitious programs. These were also the years of his first foreign successes in Moscow, Grenoble and Paris. A "Jazz and Poetry" programme was prepared for Jazz Jamboree '60, and later in Warsaw Philharmonic. Komeda's adventure with film music also began by this time. Scores for the films of Roman Polanski such as Knife in the Water (1962), of Andrzej Wajda such as Innocent Sorcerers (1960), and of Janusz Morgenstern Good Bye, Till Tomorrow (also 1960) were created. This period, which in Komeda's artistic biography can be called the period of growing up and improving his own music language, was crowned with "Ballet Etudes" performed on Jazz Jamboree ’62. Although the reaction of domestic critics for the Etudes was rather cold, it opened the doors to Europe for Krzysztof Komeda Trzciński.

Komeda visited Scandinavia for the first time in spring 1960, and he went back there every year thereafter. All of his performances at the 'Gyllene Cirkeln' (Golden Circle) in Stockholm and at the Montmartre Jazz Club in Copenhagen were a success. The Danish director Hennig Carlsen ordered music for his movies Hvad Med Os and Sult (the movie based on Knut Hamsun's novel Hunger). Komeda also wrote the music for Henning Carlsen's film The Cats (Kattorna, 1965). Overall Komeda wrote more than 70 soundtracks. After successes in Scandinavia, came further successes: jazz festivals in Prague, Blend, Koenigsberg; tours of Bulgaria and both West and East Germany. Komeda stayed in Los Angeles in 1968 where he composed film music for Roman Polanski's Rosemary’s Baby (with one of his most recognizable compositions, "Rosemary's Lullaby" sung by Mia Farrow) and Buzz Kulik's Riot.

In December 1968, in Los Angeles, Komeda had a tragic accident which led to a haematoma of the brain. He was pushed off an escarpment by writer Marek Hłasko during a drinking party. Roman Polański mentioned in his memoirs that as a result of friendly rough-and-tumble with Marek Hłasko, Komeda fell down and suffered head injuries. Medical treatment in the US hospital did not save his life. After being transported home to Poland in a coma and in a terminal state, he died in April 1969, aged 37. Hłasko himself died just two months later, aged 35.

As a jazz musician, he exerted a crucial influence on creating an original style, often described as the Polish school of jazz, which subsequently influenced the Polish jazz scene's development after his death. Since 1995, the Komeda Jazz Festival has been held on a regular basis, including an International Composers' Competition. The goal of the competition is to promote young artists.

Discography edit

 
Cover of vol. 14

Albums edit

  • I Sopot Jazz Festival 1956 (Muza)
  • Crazy Girl (1962, Muza)
  • Etiudy Baletowe "Ballet Etudes" (1963, Metronome)
  • Jazz Jamboree'64 vol. 2 (1964, Muza)
  • Astigmatic (1966, Muza)
  • Le Depart (1967, Philips)
  • Meine süsse europaische Heimat (c. 1967–1968, Columbia [EMI Germany])
  • Cul-De-Sac (1966, Polydor)
  • Rosemary's Baby (1968, Dot Records)
  • The Riot (1968)

Compilations edit

  • Muzyka Krzysztofa Komedy vol. 1-4 (1974 - Muza)
  • Krzysztof Komeda (1989, Muza)
  • The Complete Recordings of Krzysztof Komeda vol. 1-23 (1994-98 Polonia Records)
  • Genius of Krzysztof Komeda vol. 1-14 (1996-2005 Power Bros)
  • Zofia Komeda Presents vol. 1-14 (1998–2005, Power Bros)

Appeared on edit

  • I Sopot Jazz Festival 1956 (Muza)
  • Jazz Believers (1958, RCA Victor)
  • Jazz Jamboree'60 nr. 4 (1960, Muza)
  • Jazz Jamboree'60 nr. 1 (1961, Muza)
  • Jazz Jamboree'60 nr. 2 (1961, Muza)
  • Jazz Jamboree'60 nr. 4 (1961, Muza) reedition
  • Jazz Greetings From The East (1964, Fontana)

Film scores edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Since 1967 credited as Christopher Komeda.

References edit

  1. ^ . Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  2. ^ Małgorzata Kosińska, Krzysztof Komeda 2013-11-03 at the Wayback Machine at Culture.pl website, Polish Music Information Center.
  3. ^ "Krzysztof Komeda Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Komeda". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA. Retrieved 16 March 2022.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Krzysztof Komeda.
  • Krzysztof Komeda – official site
  • Krzysztof Komeda at AllMusic
  • Krzysztof Komeda discography at Discogs  
  • Krzysztof Komeda at IMDb

January 01, 1970
krzysztof, komeda, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, septembe. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Krzysztof Komeda news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2021 Learn how and when to remove this message Krzysztof Trzcinski 27 April 1931 23 April 1969 known professionally as Krzysztof Komeda a was a Polish film music composer and jazz pianist Perhaps best known for his work in film scores Komeda wrote the scores for Roman Polanski s films Knife in the Water 1962 Cul de sac 1966 The Fearless Vampire Killers 1967 and Rosemary s Baby 1968 Komeda s album Astigmatic 1965 is often considered one of the most important European jazz albums British critic Stuart Nicholson describes the album as marking a shift away from the dominant American approach with the emergence of a specific European aesthetic 1 Krzysztof KomedaBornKrzysztof Trzcinski27 April 1931Poznan PolandDied23 April 1969 aged 37 Warsaw PolandOther namesChristopher KomedaOccupationsComposer musicianYears active1952 1969SpouseZofia Tittenbrun Trzcinska m 1958 wbr Musical careerGenresJazzFilm musicInstrumentsPianoLabelsPolskie Nagrania Muza Contents 1 Biography 2 1960s 3 Discography 3 1 Albums 3 2 Compilations 3 3 Appeared on 3 4 Film scores 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksBiography editBorn Krzysztof Trzcinski he chose Komeda as his stage name only upon graduation from university as a means of distancing himself as a jazz musician from his daytime job in a medical clinic 2 3 He grew up in Czestochowa and Ostrow Wielkopolski where in 1950 he graduated from the liceum high school for Boys While at school he participated in the Music and Poetry Club After high school he entered the Medical Academy in Poznan to study medicine He finished his six year long studies and obtained a medical doctor diploma in 1956 He chose to specialize as an otolaryngology physician He took music lessons from early childhood to become a virtuoso was his dream He became a member of the Poznan conservatorium at the age of eight but World War II thwarted his plans Komeda explored the theory of music and learned to play piano during this period and later until 1950 however he was aware of the loss of the past six years citation needed Komeda was interested in light and dance music He met Witold Kujawski a graduate of the same school and active as a swing bass player at the gymnasium high school in Ostrow Wielkopolski It was Kujawski who acquainted Komeda Trzcinski with jazz and took him to Krakow The romantic period of Polish jazz called the catacombs had its day in the spotlight Jam sessions in which such musicians as Matuszkiewicz Borowiec Walasek and Kujawski himself participated took place in Witold s small apartment in Krakow citation needed Some years later it became clear why Komeda was fascinated with be bop performed by Andrzej Trzaskowski The fascination with jazz and the friendship with other musicians strengthened his connections with music even though he was a doctor by profession He worked for some time with the first postwar pioneer Polish jazz band a group called Melomani that was from Krakow and Lodz whose mainstays were Matuszkiewicz Trzaskowski and Kujawski citation needed Later he played with pop groups from Poznan One of them Jerzy Grzewinski s group soon transformed into a dixieland band Komeda appeared with Grzewinski on the I Jazz Festival in Sopot in August 1956 but he achieved success performing with saxophonist Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski and vibraphonist Jerzy Milian because dixieland did not meet Komeda s expectations at the time He was more fascinated with modern jazz Thanks to this passion the Komeda Sextet was created Krzysztof Trzcinski used the stage name Komeda for the first time when he worked at a laryngological clinic and wanted to conceal his interest in jazz from co workers Jazz was beginning its struggle for respectability with the communist authorities in the era of the thaw and with Polish society jazz was regarded as a suspicious music of night clubs citation needed The Komeda Sextet became the first Polish jazz group playing modern jazz and its pioneering performances opened the way for jazz in Poland He played jazz that related to European traditions and which was the synthesis of the two of the most popular American groups at that time the Modern Jazz Quartet and the Gerry Mulligan Quartet citation needed In the thirteen years after the I Sopot Jazz Festival the artistic personality of Krzysztof Trzcinski became more mature crystallized and lyrically poetic Krzysztof was above all a constantly searching poet who could find ways of individual expression of himself within jazz in Slavic lyricism and in the traditions of Polish music citation needed In 2012 a crater on the planet Mercury was named in honor of Komeda by the International Astronomical Union 4 1960s editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed January 2016 Learn how and when to remove this message nbsp Krzysztof Komeda fragment of commemorative plaque in Poznan The years 1956 1962 saw Komeda with his group taking part in domestic festivals and preparing ambitious programs These were also the years of his first foreign successes in Moscow Grenoble and Paris A Jazz and Poetry programme was prepared for Jazz Jamboree 60 and later in Warsaw Philharmonic Komeda s adventure with film music also began by this time Scores for the films of Roman Polanski such as Knife in the Water 1962 of Andrzej Wajda such as Innocent Sorcerers 1960 and of Janusz Morgenstern Good Bye Till Tomorrow also 1960 were created This period which in Komeda s artistic biography can be called the period of growing up and improving his own music language was crowned with Ballet Etudes performed on Jazz Jamboree 62 Although the reaction of domestic critics for the Etudes was rather cold it opened the doors to Europe for Krzysztof Komeda Trzcinski Komeda visited Scandinavia for the first time in spring 1960 and he went back there every year thereafter All of his performances at the Gyllene Cirkeln Golden Circle in Stockholm and at the Montmartre Jazz Club in Copenhagen were a success The Danish director Hennig Carlsen ordered music for his movies Hvad Med Os and Sult the movie based on Knut Hamsun s novel Hunger Komeda also wrote the music for Henning Carlsen s film The Cats Kattorna 1965 Overall Komeda wrote more than 70 soundtracks After successes in Scandinavia came further successes jazz festivals in Prague Blend Koenigsberg tours of Bulgaria and both West and East Germany Komeda stayed in Los Angeles in 1968 where he composed film music for Roman Polanski s Rosemary s Baby with one of his most recognizable compositions Rosemary s Lullaby sung by Mia Farrow and Buzz Kulik s Riot In December 1968 in Los Angeles Komeda had a tragic accident which led to a haematoma of the brain He was pushed off an escarpment by writer Marek Hlasko during a drinking party Roman Polanski mentioned in his memoirs that as a result of friendly rough and tumble with Marek Hlasko Komeda fell down and suffered head injuries Medical treatment in the US hospital did not save his life After being transported home to Poland in a coma and in a terminal state he died in April 1969 aged 37 Hlasko himself died just two months later aged 35 As a jazz musician he exerted a crucial influence on creating an original style often described as the Polish school of jazz which subsequently influenced the Polish jazz scene s development after his death Since 1995 the Komeda Jazz Festival has been held on a regular basis including an International Composers Competition The goal of the competition is to promote young artists Discography edit nbsp Cover of vol 14 Albums edit I Sopot Jazz Festival 1956 Muza Crazy Girl 1962 Muza Etiudy Baletowe Ballet Etudes 1963 Metronome Jazz Jamboree 64 vol 2 1964 Muza Astigmatic 1966 Muza Le Depart 1967 Philips Meine susse europaische Heimat c 1967 1968 Columbia EMI Germany Cul De Sac 1966 Polydor Rosemary s Baby 1968 Dot Records The Riot 1968 Compilations edit Muzyka Krzysztofa Komedy vol 1 4 1974 Muza Krzysztof Komeda 1989 Muza The Complete Recordings of Krzysztof Komeda vol 1 23 1994 98 Polonia Records Genius of Krzysztof Komeda vol 1 14 1996 2005 Power Bros Zofia Komeda Presents vol 1 14 1998 2005 Power Bros Appeared on edit I Sopot Jazz Festival 1956 Muza Jazz Believers 1958 RCA Victor Jazz Jamboree 60 nr 4 1960 Muza Jazz Jamboree 60 nr 1 1961 Muza Jazz Jamboree 60 nr 2 1961 Muza Jazz Jamboree 60 nr 4 1961 Muza reedition Jazz Greetings From The East 1964 Fontana Film scores edit Dwaj ludzie z szafa 1958 a k a Two Men and a Wardrobe Gdy spadaja anioly 1959 a k a When Angels Fall Szklana gora Szklana gora 1960 a k a The Glass Mountain Do widzenia do jutra 1960 a k a Good Bye Till Tomorrow Niewinni czarodzieje 1960 a k a Innocent Sorcerers Le Gros et le Maigre 1961 a k a The Fat and the Lean Cmentarz Remu 1961 Ambulans 1961 credited as Krzysztof Komeda Trzcinski Wyrok 1962 a k a The Verdict Ssaki 1962 a k a Mammals USA Noz w wodzie 1962 a k a Knife in the Water Jutro premiera 1962 a k a Opening Tomorrow Zbrodniarz i panna 1963 a k a The Criminal and the Lady Smarkula 1963 a k a Teenager Hvad med os 1963 a k a Epilogue Les Plus belles escroqueries du monde 1964 segment La Riviere de diamants a k a World s Greatest Swindles Kattorna 1965 a k a The Cats USA Pingwin 1965 a k a Penguin Prawo i piesc 1966 a k a The Law and the Fist Cul de sac 1966 Markiza de Pompadour 1966 Przedswiateczny wieczor 1966 a k a Evening Before Christmas Perly i dukaty 1966 Ping pong 1966 Niekochana 1966 a k a Unloved Sult 1966 a k a Hunger Bariera 1966 a k a Barrier The Fearless Vampire Killers 1967 Le Depart 1967 Manniskor mots och ljuv musik uppstar i hjartat 1967 a k a People Meet Mia and Roman 1968 Rosemary s Baby 1968 Riot 1969 Hor var der ikke en som lo 1978 a k a Did Somebody Laugh Rece do gory 1981 a k a Hands Up The Kid Stays in the Picture 2002 from Rosemary s Baby and Lullaby Lodz plynie dalej 2004 Notes edit Since 1967 credited as Christopher Komeda References edit Krzysztof Komeda Astigmatic Jazz com Jazz Music Jazz Artists Jazz News Archived from the original on 30 April 2011 Retrieved 4 May 2015 Malgorzata Kosinska Krzysztof Komeda Archived 2013 11 03 at the Wayback Machine at Culture pl website Polish Music Information Center Krzysztof Komeda Songs Albums Reviews Bio amp More AllMusic Retrieved 24 September 2021 Komeda Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature NASA Retrieved 16 March 2022 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Krzysztof Komeda Krzysztof Komeda official site Krzysztof Komeda at AllMusic Krzysztof Komeda discography at Discogs nbsp Krzysztof Komeda at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Krzysztof Komeda amp 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