Opieński, Henryk

Opieński, Henryk, Polish conductor, music scholar, teacher, and composer; b. Kraków, Jan. 13, 1870; d. Morges, Switzerland, Jan. 21, 1942. He studied with Zeleński in Kraków, with d’Indy in Paris, and with H. Urban in Berlin, then went to Leipzig, where he studied musicology with Riemann and conducting with Nikisch. In 1907 he was appointed an instructor at the Warsaw Musical Soc. From 1908 to 1912 he conducted the Warsaw Opera. In 1912 he went again to Germany, where he took his degree of Ph.D. (Univ. of Leipzig, 1914). He spent the years of World War I in Morges, Switzerland, and, returning to Poland, was director of the Poznan Cons. (1919–26). He then settled again in Morges. He publ. several books and essays on Chopin (Lemberg, 1910; 2^nd ed., 1922) and also the collected letters of Chopin in Polish, German, French, and Eng. (1931). Other writings include a history of Polish music (Warsaw, 1912; 2^nd ed., 1922), La Musique polonaise (Paris, 1918; 2^nd ed., 1929), a monograph on Paderewski (Lemberg, 1910; 2^nd ed., 1928; Fr. tr., Lausanne, 1928; 2^nded., 1948), and a valuable monograph on Moniuszko (Warsaw, 1924).

Works

dramatic: opera:Maria (1904; Poznań, April 27, 1923); Jakub lutnista (Jacob the Lutenist; 1916–18; Poznań, Dec. 21, 1927). orch.: 2 symphonic poems: Lillà Weneda (1908) and Love and Destiny (1912). chamber:Scènes lyriques en forme de quatuor for String Quartet; violin pieces. vocal:The Prodigal Son, oratorio (1930); many songs.

Bibliography

A. Forenerod, H. O. (Lausanne, 1942).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire