Wieniawski, Jozef 1837 - 1912
Author: PWM Edition
Last updated：September 30, 2022
Author: PWM Edition
Józef Wieniawski
(1837 Lublin [Poland] – 1912 Brussels [Belgium])
Józef Wieniawski was a Polish pianist, composer, educator, and conductor. He was the brother of the violin virtuoso, Henryk Wieniawski. Born in Lublin in 1837, he began learning piano at a very young age. In 1846, he moved to Paris with his mother and studied in the piano classes of Pierre-Joseph Zimmermann and Antoine-François Marmontel at the Paris Conservatoire. He graduated from the Conservatoire with honors in 1850. Until 1855, he regularly held concerts with his brother Henryk. Subsequently, Józef continued his studies, learning from Franz Liszt in Weimar and Adolf Bernhard Marx in Berlin.
In 1859, Józef Wieniawski moved to Warsaw, where he hosted musical gatherings in the mornings and evenings. Soon after, he returned to Paris, where he supported the promotion and publication of works by the Polish opera composer Stanisław Moniuszko. In 1864, he began his career as a teacher at the Russian Musical Society in Moscow, and was soon appointed to a professorship. He remained in Russia until 1870, teaching hundreds of students in various public and private musical institutions. He then moved to Warsaw, where he co-founded the Warsaw Musical Society with other musicians, becoming its president in 1875.
In 1878, he moved to France, and subsequently became a piano instructor at the Brussels Conservatoire. There, he held many concerts with Eugène Ysaÿe. In 1889, he married Melania Hillsheimer. After 1900, he independently organized and performed in concerts. He died in Brussels in 1912.
Józef Wieniawski is counted among the most distinguished pianists of the 19th century. His compositions primarily consist of piano works and works featuring piano, but he also composed chamber music, symphonies, and songs.
Major Works
Piano Works
- Polka brillante, Op. 11 (1852)
- Deux Idylles, Op. 1 (1854)
- Valse de concert, Op. 3 (1854)
- Fantaisie et variations de concert sur des motifs de 'La Sonnambula' de Bellini, Op. 6 (1854)
- Valse de salon, Op. 7 (1855)
- Deux Pièces de concert: 1. Barcarolle-Caprice (Op. 9), 2. Romance-Étude (Op. 10) (1855)
- Tarantella, Op. 4 (1855)
- Pensées fugitives, Op. 8 (1856)
- Adagio et Rondo giocoso (1857)
- Fantaisie brillante (1858)
- Polonaise, Op. 13 (c. 1858)
- Chant sans paroles (1858)
- Souvenir de valse, Op. 18 (1858)
- Menuet in D major (1859)
- Rondo, Op. 15 (1859)
- Impromptu, Op. 19 (1860)
- Souvenir de Lublin. Romance et variations, Op. 12 (c. 1860)
- Sonata in B minor, Op. 22 (1860)
- Polonaise triomphale, Op. 21 (1862)
- Huit Mazurkas, Op. 23 (c. 1865)
- Huit Chants sans paroles, Op. 14 (1869)
- Fantaisie et Fugue, Op. 25 (c. 1875)
- Étude de concert, Op. 33 (c. 1875)
- Impromptu No. 2, Op. 34 (c. 1875)
- Tarantella No. 2, Op. 35 (c. 1875)
- Étude de concert No. 2, Op. 36 (c. 1875)
- Polonaise No. 3, Op. 27 (1879)
- Valse de concert No. 2, Op. 30 (1880)
- Barcarolle, Op. 29 (1884)
- Ballade, Op. 31 (1884)
- Nocturne, Op. 37 (1884)
- Sur l'océan. Méditation in D-sharp minor, Op. 28 (1887)
- Quatre Pièces romantiques, Op. 39 (1889)
- Mazurka de concert, Op. 41
- 24 Études de virtuosité et de style, Op. 44 (1890)
- Rêve, Op. 45 (1890)
- Valse-Caprice, Op. 46 (1890)
- Polonaise No. 4, Op. 48 (c. 1895)
- Pièces pour piano, Op. 51
Chamber Music
- Allegro de Sonate for violin and piano, Op. 2 (1848), co-composed with Henryk Wieniawski
- Grand Duo Concertant sur des thèmes de l'opéra 'Lucia di Lammermoor' de Donizetti, Op. 6 (1850), co-composed with Henryk Wieniawski (lost)
- Duo Concertant sur le thème de l'hymne national russe (1851), co-composed with Henryk Wieniawski
- Duo sur des motifs finlandais for violin and piano (1851)
- Grand Duo Polonaise in D major for violin and piano, Op. 5, co-composed with Henryk Wieniawski (Op. 8)
- Sonata in D minor for violin and piano, Op. 24 (c. 1875)
- Sonata in E major for cello and piano, Op. 26 (c. 1875)
- String Quartet in A minor, Op. 32 (c. 1880), also arranged for piano four hands
- Piano Trio in G major, Op. 40 (c. 1885)
- Deux Mélodies for solo voice and piano: 1. Chant du printemps on a poem by Zmorski (1859), 2. Chant d'automne on a poem by Wicherski (1884), Op. 17
- Prière à la Sainte Vierge d'Ostra Brama for solo voice and piano or organ, Op. 16 (in Polish, Latin, and German versions) (1860)
- Quatre Mélodies, Op. 38 (1883, 1887)
- Six Mélodies, Op. 47 (c. 1895)
- Six Mélodies, Op. 50
Orchestral Works
- Symphony in D major, Op. 49 (1890)
- Overture in D major (1856?)
- Overture in E major, Op. 28 (1862?), arranged for piano four hands
- Overture 'Guillaume le Taciturne', Op. 43 (1897), also piano four-hand version
- Overture 'Wilhelm Oranski' (premiered 1897)
- Suite romantique, Op. 41 (piano arrangement by Józef Wieniawski, c. 1905)
- Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 20 (1858)
- Fantaisie, Op. 42 (for two pianos or two pianos and orchestra (c. 1886), two-piano version (c. 1888))
Author : Kanazawa, Osamu
Last Updated: November 1, 2007
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Author : Kanazawa, Osamu
Brother of the renowned Polish violinist, Henryk Wieniawski (1835–1880). He entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 10, studying piano under Zimmermann and Marmontel. Just two years later, he quickly won a first prize and began his career as an accompanist for his brother. It is said that Józef wrote most of the piano parts for Henryk's compositions, and his solid and reliable character, in contrast to his 'itinerant' brother, can be discerned from his compositional style.
In 1866, at the founding of the Moscow Conservatory, he took up a teaching position under Nikolai Rubinstein, but later moved to the Brussels Conservatoire via Warsaw, where he spent the rest of his life. He composed over 50 works, primarily piano pieces, but also including symphonies, chamber music, and songs.
Works(43)
Concerto (2)
Piano Solo (21)
etude (4)
variation (2)
polonaise (4)
waltz (6)