Nowowiejski, Feliks

Author: PWM Edition
Last updated:September 20, 2022
Author: PWM Edition
Feliks Nowowiejski
(1877 Warmia [Poland] – 1946 Poznań [Poland])
Feliks Nowowiejski was a Polish composer, conductor, and educator. At the age of 10, he began attending the music school in Święta Lipka, where he studied piano, violin, cello, horn, and organ.
From 1898 to 1902, he studied at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin, attended music courses in Regensburg, and began studying composition in Max Bruch's class at the Royal Academy of Arts in Berlin, as well as musicology and music aesthetics at Friedrich Wilhelm University.
Among Nowowiejski's compositions, the oratorio The Return of the Prodigal Son and Romantic Overture received high acclaim, and in 1902, he was awarded the Giacomo Meyerbeer Prize. He used the prize money to embark on a two-year artistic journey through Central and Western Europe. In 1904, he returned to Berlin and completed his studies.
Feliks Nowowiejski returned to Poland in 1909, settling in Krakow, where he became the artistic director of the city's music society. He also actively worked as a conductor and organist. After the outbreak of World War I, he moved to Germany and performed with orchestras in Berlin. After the war, he settled in Poznań and energetically worked to promote the city's musical activities, including organizing orchestral concerts and organ recitals. He taught at the State Conservatory in Poznań from 1920, but retired from teaching in 1927 to dedicate himself to composition and performance. Subsequently, he received many awards for his creative work. When World War II broke out, he moved to Krakow, fearing arrest. Nowowiejski died in Poznań in 1945, shortly after the end of the war.
Feliks Nowowiejski's works primarily consist of pieces for organ and piano (mostly accompanied by voice) and choral works. He also left countless works for various instrumental ensembles, but some of his manuscripts were damaged or lost due to the two World Wars.