Tadeusz Szeligowski

(1896 Lviv [Ukraine] – 1963 Poznań [Poland])

Tadeusz Szeligowski was a Polish composer, educator, and lawyer, who also spearheaded the revitalization of musical life. He studied piano with Wilhelm Kurz and music theory with Stanisław Niewiadomski at the Music School of the Polish Music Society in Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine), graduating in 1914. After moving to Poland, he began studying law at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, completing his studies in 1922 with a doctorate in law. He also studied musicology concurrently at the same university.

In 1923, Szeligowski moved to Wilno (now Vilnius, Lithuania), where he taught at the local Conservatory from 1925 to 1927, lecturing on music history. He also served as vice-president of the Wilno Philharmonic Society. From 1929 to 1931, he furthered his studies in Paris, learning composition from Nadia Boulanger and instrumentation from Paul Dukas. Upon his return in 1931, he taught music theory and composition at the Poznań Conservatory and was involved in leading the Stanisław Moniuszko Choir. In the same year, he married the musicologist Stanisława Harasymowicz, and together they made and implemented numerous proposals in the fields of education and music popularization.

From 1932, he taught composition classes at the Wilno Conservatory. He founded the vocal ensemble “Pro Arte” and also led the establishment of the Wilno Artists' Association Council. From 1935 to 1939, he served as vice-director of the private Karłowicz Conservatory and also taught at Wilno University. He remained in Wilno during World War II, serving as organist at St. Casimir's Church.

After the war, he moved to Lublin, becoming the director of the National Secondary Music School and a music school for children. In 1947, he relocated to Poznań, where he led the opening of the National Opera High School. He also became the director of the Poznań Philharmonic. Subsequently, he headed the composition departments at the National Higher Schools of Music in Warsaw and Poznań, achieving the rank of professor in 1950. In 1961, he founded the music festival “Poznań Music Spring.”

Tadeusz Szeligowski was actively involved in organizational management and social work. From 1951 to 1954, he served as president of the Central Board of the Polish Composers' Union, and from 1953 onwards, he was active in various bodies, including the Business Council of Polish Music Publishers (PWM), the Central Council of the Central Bureau for Artistic Education, and the Cultural Council of the Ministry of Culture and Art. He was also a music journalist, contributing articles to periodicals such as “Kurier Wileński,” “Tygodnik Wileński,” “Muzyka,” and “Kurier Poznański.”

Szeligowski died in Poznań in 1963 and was buried in the Górczyn Cemetery. In 1965, his coffin was moved to the “Crypt of Meritorious Wielkopolska Region” located beneath St. Wojciech Church in Poznań.

Regarding his compositions, Szeligowski's style evolved through different periods and stages, ranging from works inspired by Karol Szymanowski and early Stravinsky to those exhibiting retrospective tendencies and an interest in old church music (including experimental use of polytonality), as well as the use of the latest compositional techniques. A close connection to Polish and Lithuanian folklore is also characteristic of many of his works.