New Items in the Ryterband Collection
We were recently visited by Diana Eisele (pictured above), the daughter of Roman Ryterband, who has served as an endless fount of enthusiasm and assistance for building and organizing her father’s collection at the PMC. She came bearing wonderful news—several manuscripts and other materials regarding some of her father’s most beloved works had been returned to the family by a publisher, and these materials were immediately added to the Ryterband Collection under our protection.
Works included in this most recent donation are: Sonata for Two Flutes and Harp; Double Flute Quintet; Deux Sonnets de Suite Marine for contralto, harp and flute; Deux Images for harp solo; and Trois Ballades Hébraïques. Although we already had some materials for all of these works, this gift included new manuscripts of works for which we previously only had xerox copies, as well as notes from the composer and other musicians regarding approved corrections to published scores and other precious information. These materials will prove invaluable to future researchers, publishers and performers.
Additional Ossowski Donation
In April, Ms. Trudy Ossowski sent us a very interesting donation comprised of music-related books previously belonging to members of her family who have recently passed away. These book collections had been the property of Walter Ossowski and his son, Jerry Ossowski, who were both multi-talented musicians active in the Philadelphia area. Those familiar with the PMC’s library collection may recognize Walter Ossowski’s name, as he had previously donated an extensive collection of choral music to the PMC during his lifetime.
This donation includes several collections of music that will be interesting to our patrons: 2 copies of Pastorele staro-polskie na zespoly wokalno-instrumentalne Vol. I, edited by Zygmunt M. Szweykowski (PWM); Art Songs and Ballads from Treasured Polish Songs with English Translation, edited by Josepha K. Contoski; Musica antiqua polonica, Barok 2 & 3, edited by Zygmunt M. Szweykowski (PWM); and Złota ksiega pieśni polskiej [The Golden Book of Polish Songs] by Adam Harasowski. There are also several rare books—Skrwawione serce edited by Wanda Dolezal, Danuta Idzik and Jerzy Wojciech Maritn (PWM), Chopin’s Musical Style by Gerald Abraham (Oxford University Press), and Szymanowski by Teresa Chylinska—as well as copies of the Polish Music History Series, Vols. 2-5.
Dobrzański Donation
Our good friend in Kansas, pianist Sławomir Dobrzański recently sent us a package of books and two CD recordings. They are a DUX disc featuring Sir Andrzej Panufnik’s violin, cello and piano concertos with the Symphony Orchestra of Gdańsk Music Academy under the baton of Zygmunt Rychert, as well as another DUX release with Piano Preludes by Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Wojciech Kilar, Krzysztof Knittel, Miłosz Magin, Zygmunt Mycielski, Paweł Mykietyn and Kazimierz Serocki, performed by Magdalena Prejsnar.
The three books that will be added to our library include: Forma i technika dzwiękowa oraz problemy interpretacyjne w wybranych preludiach fortepianowych kompozytorów polskich XX wieku [Form and Sound Technique and Interpretational Challenges in Selected Piano Preludes by Polish 20th Century Composers] by Magdalena Prejsnar; Polska sonata fortepianowa 1845-1910 na tle sonaty ogólnoeuropejskiej [Polish Piano Sonatas 1845-1910 as Compared to Other Sonatas in Europe] by Alicja Kozłowska-Lewna; and Aspekty Muzyki 2015 [Musical Aspects, 2015] published by the Music Theory, Conducting and Composition Department of the Gdańsk Music Academy.
More Chopin
Recently, we received three interesting items from Betty Harford-Naszódy, a longtime PMC friend in Santa Barbara area. They include the pristine first edition of Casimir Wierzynski’s, The Life and Death of Chopin, as well as an album of Chopin’s most popular solo piano works, published by Schuberth on 1945, and a brochure about Lotusland—a palatial Montecito residence and gardens of Polish opera singer, Ganna Walska (1887-1984).
More Gifts
Dr. Roman Salyutov, concert pianist as well as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Bergisch Gladbach Symphony Orchestra in Germany, paid us a visit in early May. He took this opportunity to present us with a CD titled “Adoration” and recorded by violinist Krzysztof Zimowski and pianist Jarosław Gołembiowski. The disc features several transcriptions for violin and piano of Chopin’s most popular solo piano works as well as original compositions by Henryk Wieniawski, Felix Borowski and Jarsoław Gołembiowski.
Thank you! Dziękujemy!