Edward Pallasz

Edward Jan Pallasz (30-08-1936 - 22-12-2019) Polish composer

A bit copied from it:

After graduating from the Mechanical and Technical Faculties of the Gdańsk and Warsaw Universities of Technology (1953-58), he studied musicology at the University of Warsaw, which he completed in 1964.

He was a self-taught composer. Between 1954 and 1962, he worked in student theatres in Gdańsk (Bim-Bom) and Warsaw (STS). His first theatrical music compositions come from this period. From 1964 to 1966, he was the music manager of the Komedia Theatre in Warsaw. Between 1969 and 1975, he lectured at the Faculty of Drama Directing at the State Higher School of Theatre in Warsaw.

Edward Pałłasz was a laureate of many competitions. He received the Prix de Musique Folklorique of Radio Bratislava (1973) for Łado, Łado for lute or guitar and 24 voices (1973) and six times the first prize: in 1974 at the Polish Radio Competition for Pod Borem Czarna Chmura (Black Cloud Near the Forest, trans. MG) for mezzo-soprano and chamber orchestra, in 1976 at the Grzegorz Fitelberg Composition Competition in Katowice for his Symphony 1976, in 1984 at the Guido d’Arezzo Composers’ Competition in Arezzo for De Beata Virgine Maria Claromontana per coro misto, in 1988 at the Karol Szymanowski Composition Competition for Trzy Pieśni Kaszubskie for mixed choir (Three Kashubian Songs, trans. MG), in 1990 at the Trento Competition for Brandelli di cielo for women’s choir (1988) and in 1991, at the Jan Maklakiewicz Composition Competition for Dziewczyna O Perłowych Włosach (Girl with Pearl Hair, trans. MG) for orchestra.

Moreover, in 1979 he received the Prime Minister’s Award for his work for children, in 1986 – Polish Radio and Television President’s Award for his compositional work for radio, in 1989 – Frist Degree Award of the Minister of Culture and Art and in 2005 – the Grand Honorary Splendor of the Polish Radio.

Meet Your Maker: Polish Composers on Sacred Music
Polish contemporary music legends and young composers reveal all about their approach to the sacred in music.
Read more
go to the#musictopic pagego to the#culture.pl interviewstopic pageRead more
He was the vice-president (1984-1988, 1997-2003) and president (1988-1993 and from 2003 to 2009) of the ZAiKS Authors’ Association. Between 1981 and 1996, he held a seat on the Repertoire Committee of the 'Warsaw Autumn' Festival. From 1979 to 1997, he was a member of the General Board of the Polish Composers’ Union (from 1979 to 1981 as the treasurer, and from 1981 to 1983 as the vice-president). He was a co-founder of the Consultative Committee of Creative Associations and Scientific Societies (1980) and a member of the Cultural Council advising Polish President Lech Wałęsa. In the years 1995 to 1998, he was the director of the Polish Radio Two. He was also the Deputy General and Artistic Director of the Warsaw Chamber Opera (1999-2012). From 2010 to 2013, he chaired the Programme Council of the Polish Radio and was its member until 2016. Since 2013, he served as the Chairman of the Council of the ZAiKS Authors’ Association.

Edward Pałłasz has been awarded the Commander’s Cross, Commander’s Cross with Star, Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Gold Cross of Merit, Medal of the Commission of National Education, Meritorious Cultural Activist Medal, Honorary Badge of the Capital City of Warsaw, and Silver Medal and Honorary Badge of the ZAiKS Authors’ Association.

In 2018, Iskry publishing house published an autobiographical book by Edward Pałłasz entitled Na Własną Nutę (To My Own Note, trans. MG)

Source Website ARVES (editor Peter Boll)

Wikipedia write about him:

 He was born August 30, 1936 in Starogard Gdański, died December 22, 2019 in Warsaw ) – Polish composer and artistic community activist, head of the Second Program of the Polish Radio (1995–1998), President of the ZAiKS Authors' Association (1988–1993 and 2003–2009).

Biography

The grave of Edward Pałłasz at the Powązki Military Cemetery in Warsaw
Son of Bolesław and Anna. In the years 1953–1958 he studied at the Technical Universities of Gdańsk and Warsaw, then studied musicology (he received his master's degree in 1964 at the University of Warsaw). From the mid-1950s he was associated with student theaters: Bim-Bom (until 1962) and Student Theater of the Satirists. He was musical director of the Komedia Theater in Warsaw (1964–1966) and taught at the drama directing department of the State Drama School (1969–1975). He composed music for Polish films as well as for radio and television programs (including Olga Lipińska's Cabaret in the 1990s).

He was vice-president of the Polish Composers' Union (1981–1983), also a member of the repertoire committee of the Warsaw Autumn festival (1981–1996) and a member of the Presidential Council for Culture (1991). –1995) and head of the second program of the Polish Radio (1995–1998). In 1999 he took on the duties of deputy general director and artistic director of the Warsaw Chamber Opera. In the years 1988–1993 he was president of the authors' association ZAiKS. He took on this position again in 2003 and held it until 2009. He also became vice president of the board of the “Pro Musica Camerata” foundation 

In 2001, he unsuccessfully applied for the position of member of the National Broadcasting Council on behalf of AWS and the University of Warsaw. In the 2001 elections he was a member of the Honorary Committee of the Freedom Union. In 2010, on the recommendation of the PO Parliamentary Club, he was appointed to the Program Council of the Polish Radio 

He received numerous awards at home and abroad for his compositions. In 2005 he was awarded the Honorary Great Splendor Award by the Artists' Ensemble of the Polish Radio Theater 

Buried at Powązki Military Cemetery (Section GII–2–27)

Others: Chess composing

7 endgame studies composed by Edward Pallasz are selected on Website ARVES

Edward Pałłasz was head of Programme 2 at Polish Radio from 1995 to 1998.  In a series of stories recorded in 2006, he told listeners stories from his childhood, school and student days.

In his memoirs, he also recalled friends he had met in his youth, including Kazimierz Kutz and Konrad Swinarski: Kazimierz Kutz and Konrad Swinarski. As Edward Pałłasz emphasised, it was the latter director who helped him greatly in his professional career. He particularly remembers his debut in Bertolt Brecht's ‘The Threepenny Opera’.  - I was slightly tempted to take over the musical direction of this performance, although I stumbled a little. During one of the first rehearsals, Aleksander Bardini was brought to me. I didn't quite realise the significance of this character, so I started berating him from time to time for not managing to draw it here, not keeping up with the rhythm there. And I realised that there were only two of us left in the rehearsal room. After the rehearsal, Konrad Swinarski came up to me and said that I had shouted at the most important man in Polish theatre. I said: ‘I know he's quite important, but he has to sing cleanly and rhythmically,’ the composer recalled.

Edward Pałłasz also spoke about his work in the Polish Composers‘ Association and the ZAiKS Authors’ Association, recalled important personalities (including Witold Lutosławski, Władysław Bartoszewski and Stefan Kisielewski) and also revealed the functioning of the Warsaw Theatre behind the scenes Chamber Opera and cooperation with its founder and artistic director, chief editor and artistic director Stefan Sutkowski.

Source: polskieradio.pl