Manuscript Collection

One of the treasures of the Polish Music Center’s Archival Collection is a number of unique musical manuscripts which were donated to the PMC by composers or by members of their families. The Manuscript Collection was created in 1985 with a gift of five original manuscripts from Witold Lutosławski (Mi-Parti, Paroles tissées, Preludes and Fugue, and Novelette). Works by Grażyna Bacewicz, Tadeusz Baird, Joanna Bruzdowicz, Marta Ptaszyńska and Stanisław Skrowaczewski created the core of the collection (22 scores), enlarged in 2000-2003 by gifts of about 80 manuscripts and 200 letters from over 30 Polish composers, their families and friends.

The list of donors and composers whose works they donated includes:

1. Contradizione for orchestra (1966); I. Grave, II. Acuto. Orchestral Parts; in ink.
2. A. Concerto per 2 pianoforte e orchestra (1966). Orchestral Parts, in ink.
3. B. Concerto per 2 pianoforte e orchestra (1966). Orchestral parts for the string section (printed).
4. Koncert na 2 fortepiany i orkiestrę. Wyciąg fortepianowy [Concerto per 2 pianoforti e orchestra. Piano reduction]. Copy with handwritten annotations of the composer in pencil and ink. 61 pages.
5. Koncert na 2 fortepiany i orkiestrę. First orchestral draft in pencil with red pencil and black in annotations. 13 bi-folios, or 53 pages, all pages folded together in half, frayed at edges. 30-staves PWM music paper, 1966.
6. Dzwony i dzwonki. [Bells and little bells]. Song to a text by Adam Mickiewicz. Sketches in pencil, 3 pages, illegible, incomplete, without text.
7. Unidentified String Quartet. Sketches in pencil, 5 pages, fragments from mm. 115-191.
8. String Quartet. Sketches in blue and gray pencil, 49 measures on 2 pages.
9. Convoi de joie [Pochód radości/Parade of Joy]. Piano reduction, 2 pianos. 2 pages in blue ink. Dated 1933, Paris.
10. Rondino for piano. 5 pages in black ink with editorial notes and marks in red pencil. 14-stave PWM music paper. 1953.
11. Adagio for string quartet, sketches, 3 pages in pencil. Fragment, no date.
12. Le jeu d’amour / Gra miłosna z baletu Pożądanie [Love game from the ballet Desire], 1968-1969. Two pages from the beginning of Act 2, in pencil and ink.

KRZYSZTOF BACULEWSKI (b. 1950)

1. Suite de cheminée for two accordions. 11 pages in black ink on 26-staves Polish music paper. Composed in 1984.

TADEUSZ BAIRD (1928-1981)

1. Wariacje bez tematu [Variations without a theme] (1961-62). Manuscript score, in pencil. 16 bifolios of PWM music paper with 26 staves (bifolio no. 1 has 30 staves), folded in half. The piece begins in the central bifolio.
2. Cassazione per orchestra (1956). Manuscript score, in ink; 19 bi-folios, 68 pages, sewn as a booklet, starts in black ink with pencil annotations, ends in blue ink with blue pencil annotations, page 20 is an insert about performance data. Composed in 1956, dedicated to Witold Rowicki. 32 stave PWM paper.
3. Koncert na fortepian i orkiestrę: Wyciąg fortepianowy [Concerto for piano and orchestra: Piano reduction]. 57 pages in black, grey and dark blue ink. 12-stave PWM music paper. Composed in 1949. Donated by Zofia Serocka in September 2000.

JOANNA BRUZDOWICZ (b. 1943)

1. Trio dei Due Mondi for violin, cello and piano (1980). Manuscript score, in black ink, 26 pp. Donated in 1986.
2. Tre Contre Tre for flute, oboe, viola and three percussions (1979) Manuscript score in black ink, 20 pp. Donated in 1986.
3. Piano Concerto, for piano and orchestra (1974). Dedicated to Desire N’Kaoue. Commissioned by French government for l’Orchestre Colonne in Paris. First orchestral draft, manuscript score in pencil, with annotations and title page in ink, 60 pp. PWM music paper, 26 staves. Donated in December 2003.
4. Marlos Grosso Brasileiras, “Chant d’amitié” for flute, violin, harpsichord and tape (1980). Commissioned by “Trio Baroque”, Brussels. Manuscript score in pencil, 32 pp. Unmarked music paper, 14 staves. Donated in December 2003.

ZBIGNIEW BUJARSKI (b. 1933)

1. Musica domestica for string orchestra, sketches. 60 pages in black ink with red, green, and blue marks in pencil.
2. Concerto per archi [Concerto for strings]. 68 pages in dark blue, or black ink, with red marks in pencil. 20-stave Dom Książki music paper. 1979.

KRZESIMIR DĘBSKI (b. 1953)

Koncert podwójny na skrzypce, altówky i orkiestrę [Double Concerto for violin, viola and orchestra]. Sketches for three movements: I (32 pages), II (11 pages), III (44 pages). 20-stave MARCUS music paper, composed in 1999-2000.

KRZYSZTOF KNITTEL (b. 1947)

Kwartet smyczkowy [String Quartet]. Sketches. 32 pages in black ink, 8-stave music paper. 1976.

WŁODZIMIERZ KOTOŃSKI (1925-2014)

Sceny liryczne na 9 wykonawców [Lyric scenes for 9 performers], for flute, clarinet, trombone, 2 percussionists, piano, violin, viola, cello. Manuscript score, 31 pages, Xerocopy with handwritten annotations in blue and red pencil. 26-stave music paper. 1986.

ZYGMUNT KRAUZE (b. 1938)

Commencement for harpsichord solo. Sketches, 8 pages in pencil on 26-stave Dom Książki music paper, 1982.

HANNA KULENTY (b. 1961)

1. AAA tre for two viola, cello and double bass. Manuscript score prpepard for facsimile printing, 13 pages in black ink, 36-stave paper, oversized. 1988.
2. Trigon for orchestra. Manuscripts score. 56 pages in black ink, 36-stave music paper prepared for facsimile printing, oversized, 1989.
3. Perpetuus for chamber orchestra. Manuscript score. 44 pages in black ink, 36 stave-music paper, 1989.

SZYMON LAKS (1901-1983)

1. Chants de la terre de Pologne: Grand fantaisie folkloristique pour orchestre / Polska ziemia śpiew: Wielka fantazja ludowa na orkiestrę. [Polish land is singing]. Manuscript score with parts. 36 parts, in black ink with marks in dark blue ink, plus 24 parts in dark blue ink, on 12 stave music paper. 14 pages of the manuscript score, on 22-stave music paper. Donated by Andre Laks in October 2000.
2. Divertimento for flute, violin, cello and piano. 32 pages in black ink on 20 stave music paper with parts on 14-stave music paper. Donated by Krzysztof Meyer, June 2000.
3. Trzy pieśni / Trois chants [Three songs] for voice and piano. 10 pages in black ink on 12-stave music paper.
4. Erratum for voice and piano to a text by Julian Tuwim, with French translation by Henri Lemarchand. Manuscript. 4 pages in black ink, and English translation inserted in red ink. 12 Stave music paper.
5. Wszystko / Tout le donner [Everything]. Song to a text by Julian Tuwim, with French translation by Henri Lemarchand. Manuscript. 4 pages in black ink, with English text in red ink.
6. Mały więzień [Little prisoner], for voice and piano to a text by Wanda Maja Berezowska. Manuscript, 4 pages in black ink on 12-stave music paper.
7. Elegia żydowskich miasteczek [Elegie pour les villages juifs / Elegy of Jewish villages], song for voice and piano to a poem by Antoni Słnimski, with French translation by Henri Lemarchand and English translation by Robert Braun. Manuscript, 8 pages in black ink, on 12-stave music paper.
8. IIIe Quatuor à cordes (sur des motifs populaires polonais) [Third String Quartet for popular Polish motives]. Manuscript, 26 pages in black ink on 24-stave music paper.
9. IVe Quatour en la [Fourth String Quartet in A]. Manuscript, 19 pages in black ink on 24-stave music paper.
10. Concerto da camera pour piano, 9 instruments a veàtterie [Chamber concerto for piano, 9 wind instruments and percussion]. Manuscript, 30 pages in black ink on 16-stave music paper, orchestral parts on 12-stave paper.
11. Concertino pour trio d’anches [Concertino for woodwind trio]. Manuscript, 24 pages for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, on 20 stave music paper, in black ink.

ALEKSANDER LASOŃ (b. 1951)

Katedra na orkiestrę [Cathedral for orchestra]. Manuscript, 88 pages in pencil, on 26-stave Dom Książki music paper, composed in 1987-1989. With dedication “Witold Lutosławski gewidmet.”

WITOLD LUTOSŁAWSKI (1913-1994)

1. Mini-uwertura [Mini Overture]. 1982. Manuscript score: 3 bi-folios, 11 pages, including cover page in ink and the music pages in pencil. On 20-stave B&H music paper with logo.

Preludia i fuga na 13 instrumentów smyczkowych [Preludes and Fugue for 13 strings]. 1970-1972. Completion date 29 June 1972. Manuscript score of over 150 pages, with a cardboard cover and title handwritten by the composer, the score in pencil with annotations in red and blue. 20-stave Dom Książki paper. Seven preludes and fugue: Prelude 1 (10 pages dedicated to Mario D. Bonaventura), Prelude 2 (8 pages), Prelude 3 (12 pages), Prelude 4 (12 pages), Prelude 5 (7 pages), Prelude 6 (14 pages), Prelude 7 (14 Pages), Fugue (74 pages).

Mi-Parti for orchestra. Completion date 15 June 1976. Manuscript score of 43 pages, individual sheets, written on one side in pencil, with marginal marks (X) to show annotations and changes. On Panopus Score system made in England C30, L45 paper.

Novelette for orchestra. 1979. Manuscript score of 46 pages, individual sheets, written on one side in pencil, with pencil annotations and taped inserts correcting sections with corrections in red. On Panopus Score system made in England C30, L36, L40, L 45 paper.

Paroles tissées for tenor and orchestra. 1965. Completion date 10 May 1965. 12 bi-folios, 48 pages, in pencil with blue and red pencil annotations, title page in black marker. Pages 24-25 contain inserts attached with a paper-clip over a crossed-out section of the score. 32-stave PWM music paper. Paper in poor condition.

Trois poèmes d’Henri Michaux: partition d’orchestre. [Three Poems by Henry Michaux: orchestral score]. Orchestral score of work for double chorus and orchestra. 45 pages, blue print copy from the composer’s manuscript, with the title page made and signed by the composer. Oversized.

Trois poèmes d’Henri Michaux: partition de choeur. [Three Poems by Henry Michaux: chorus score]. Choral score of work for double chorus and orchestra. 45 pages, blue print copy from the composer’s mansucript, with a handmade cover, title page signed by the composer who wrote the title in large letters. Oversized.

ROMAN MACIEJEWSKI (1910-1998)

Carrols [Carols, with a spelling error in the title] for choir and ensemble, including flute, brass ensemble and two pianos. 30 pages in pencil. Setting of English Christmas Carols.

BERNADETTA MATUSZCZAK (b. 1937)

1. Dramat kameralny w V częściach / Chamber Drama in 5 parts for baritone and ensemble. Cycle of songs to texts by Thomas Stearns Eliot, 9 min. 11 pages in black ink on 16-stave PWM music paper.
2. Quo vadis: misterium operowe wg. Henryka Sienkiewicza w VII aktach: Dramat muzyczny [Quo Vadis. Music drama according to Henryk Sienkiewicz in 7 acts]. Sketches and fragment of the first version. 33 pages in pencil.
3. Hymns in honorem Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo, version 2, for chorus with solo voice and instrumental ensemble, to hymns written by Jerzy Wojtczak, 7 mn. 7 pages in pencil on 20-stave Dom Książki music paper.
4. Elegia o chłopcu polskim [Elegy about a Polish Boy], for soprano, reciting alto voice, two female choirs and orchestra. 19 pages in pencil, with color marks written by Witold Rowicki for the first performance, on 32-stave Dom Książki music paper.

KRZYSZTOF MEYER (b. 1943)

1. Cyberiada: Opera fantastyczna w 3 aktach (11 obrazach) / Cyberiade: Opera fantastique en trois actes (11 tableaux) [Cyberiada: Fantastic opera in three acts (11 scenes)]. Manuscript score in three volumes (duration: 137 minutes). 436 pages in three volumes, bound in hard cover with navy cloth on the covers, written in red, blue, and green ink, with minimal corrections in pencil. (1970). Manuscript of the full work, with annotations about staging.
2. Koncert fortepianowy (partitura scritta in do) [Piano concerto: Score written in C]. 108 pages, in black ink on 16-stave PWM music paper, 1979.
3. String Quartet no. 10. Complete sketch material. 16 bi-folios, 24-stave STAR music paper, sketches in pencil and black ink. 1967.
4. Pezzo capriccioso for oboe ed pianoforte Op. 60. 8 pages, in black ink, Xerox copy with handwritten annotations, dedication “Heinz Holliger gewidmet. 1982.

KRYSTYNA MOSZUMAŃSKA-NAZAR (1924-2008)

1. Bagatele [Bagatelles] for piano. Manuscript, 22 pages in black ink in small music book.
2. Un petit cadeau, dedicated to Krzysztof Penderecki on his 60th birthday, for flute, cello and percussion. Manuscript, 7 pages in black ink with yellow and red annotations, on 18-stave music paper.

JAN OLESZKOWICZ (b. 1947)

1. Dramma for mezzzo-soprano and 7 instruments. Xerocopy with later annotations in hand on 26 stave Dom Książki music paper.
2. Skeleton III for bassoon and string quartet. Manuscript, 23 pages on 15-stave music paper, in pencil. Composed in 1991.
3. Morze dżdżów / Mare imbrium [Drizzle sea] for percussion and tape. Manuscript, 11 pages, in pencil. Composed in 1986. With a second score in xerocopy of 8 pages.

WALTER OSOWSKI

Arrangement of Chopin’s piano music for orchestra. Manuscript score and parts.

ROMAN PALESTER (1907-1989)

II Trio a cordes / 2 String Trio / II Streichtrio. 20 pages in black ink, STAR No. 64 50-stave music paper; with parts written in a different hand on PWM 10-stave music paper; oversized.

KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI (b. 1933)

Kvartetto [Quartet] for string quartet. Manuscript copy, 6 pages in black ink, with measure lines in red pencil, with the composer’s inscription on the title page and handwritten signs on a separate page with notes for the performer. Bound in green cardboard with printed title on the title page, oversized. 1960.

MARTA PTASZYŃSKA (b. 1943)

1. Arioso e toccata per violino solo (1969). Manuscript score with sketches, in pencil and ink. 9 pp. stapled together.
2. From Parisian Tapestries for harp solo (revised into Arabesque, 1972). Manuscript score of the first version of the work, in pencil and ink, 5 pp.

Un grand sommeil noir [A Great Dark Sleep] for flute, soprano and harp, to a poem by Paul Verlaine, 1977. Sketches and the first version of the work. Manuscript score, in pencil; 4 pp.

Sidereals for two percussion quintets and light projection (optional), 1974. Manuscript score, in pencil. 13 pp.

Crystallites for orchestra (1973) Manuscript score, in pencil; 36 pp.

BOGUSŁAW SCHAEFFER (b. 1929)

1. Symphony in one movement for orchestra. 82 pages in black ink; handwritten copy of the original manuscript, copied and signed by the composer. 18-stave music paper. 1998 copy.
2. Miscellaneous music sketches. In black ink on different music papers, loose leaf.
3. Miscellaneous graphic sketches. In colors and black ink on different paper sizes, loose leaf.

EDWARD SIELICKI (b. 1956)

1. Arpeggione per violino e chitarra; for violin and guitar. Manuscript, 13 pages in black ink on 20-stave Dom Książki music paper, 1987.
2. Six pieces for viola and harpsichord. Manuscript, 17 pages in black ink on 18-stave musci paper. 1989.
3. Dulci sono melodiae for baritone and organ. Manuscript, 8 pages in pencil, page no. 9 missing, on 20-stave Dom Książki music paper, 1987.

RYSZARD SIELICKI (1916-2005)

Serenade orientale for cello solo. Manuscript, 5 pages in black ink, on 14-stave music paper, 1998.

ELŻBIETA SIKORA (b. 1944)

Ariadna, opera kameralna, praca dyplomowa napisana pod kierunkiem doc. Zbigniewa Rudzinskiego na Wydz I. kompozycji PWSM w Warszawie w 1977 r. [Ariadne: Chamber opera. Diploma composition written under the direction of Assoc. Prof. Zbigniew Rudzinski in the First Department of Composition, State Higher School of Music in Warsaw, 1977] to a libretto by Cesare Pavese. 30 minutes. Manuscript, 72 pages in black ink, on 32-stave Dom Książki music paper, 1977.

JAROSŁAW SIWIŃSKI (b. 1964)

Postrzeganie muzyki jest procesem skomplikowanym i nie do końca klarownym [The cognition of music is a process both complex and not clear enough], for tape piano, and violin. Manuscipt, 14 pages in black ink, oversized score, 1990. With a cover handmade by the composer.

WŁADYSŁAW SŁOWIŃSKI (b. 1930)

Serio e buffo for flute solo. Manuscript, 15 pages in pencil, on 12-stave music paper.

MAREK STACHOWSKI (1936-2004)

1. Madrigali dell’estate for chorus and string trio, to texts by Gabriel D’Annunzio. Manuscript, 21 pages in black ink on 20 stave music paper, 1984.
2. Miscellaneous music sketches in pencil, on different paper sizes. Adagio ricordamente for cello and piano. Manuscript, 7 pages in pencil on 10-stave music paper.

WITOLD SZALONEK (1927-2001)

Miserere for 12-part mixed chorus of solo voices, 1997. Manuscript, 25 pages in pencil. Dedication: “Annie Szostak i Zespołowi Spiewaków Camerata Silesia dedykuję” [I dedicate this to Anna Szostak and Singers’ Ensemble “Camerata Silesia”].

STANISŁAW SKROWACZEWSKI (1923-2017)

1. Symfonia na Smyczki [Symphony for Strings]. Subtitled Symphonie pour cordes, op. 25. (1948-1949). Manuscript score, in pencil and blue ink on PWM 20-stave music paper.
2. Uwertura [Overture], 1954. Manuscript score, in ink, with a title page and the list of instruments. PWM music paper; 33 pp. Bifolios bound with a string through the middle.
3. Koncert skrzypcowy, op. 18 [Violin concerto], 1940. Manuscript score of the first seven pages only, in black ink with annotations in red. Unidentified music paper, 7 pages (the remainder was destroyed during the war).

ROMUALD TWARDOWSKI (b. 1930)

1. Preludio, recitativo ed aria con varazioni for harpsichord. Manuscript, 11 pages in black ink on 26 stave music paper, oversized.
2. Improwizacja i tokkata for two pianos. Manuscript, 8 pages in black ink on 26 stave music paper, oversized.
3. Sonata breve for harpsichord or piano. Manuscript, 8 pages in black ink on 26-stave music paper, oversized.
4. Mała liturgia prawosławna [The Lesser Orthodox Liturgy] for vocal ensemble and three instrumental groups. Manuscript, 49 pages in black ink, on 26 stave music paper, oversized, 1968.
5. Capriccio in blue for violin and piano. 19 pages in black ink, on 20-stave music paper, oversized.
6. Trio for violin, cello and piano, dedicated “a Trio de Chopin.” Manuscript, 16 pages in black ink on 18-stave music paper, oversized.
7. Hommage a J.S. Bach for organ. Manuscript, 16 pages in pencil, sketches on small music paper, not signed. 2000.
8. Interludia I, II e III from the opera “Maria Stuart.” Manuscript, 66 pages in black ink on 30-stave KKF (Russian) music paper, oversized, 1979.
9. Nigunim: Melodie Chasydów [Nigunim: Chassidic melodies] for violin and orchestra. Manuscript, 30 pages in black ink, on 24 stave music paper, oversized, 1991. With 15 pages violin part on 12-stave music paper, oversized.

TADEUSZ WIELECKI (b. 1954)

Tango for clarinet, trombone, cello and piano. 12 pages in pencil, on 26 stave music paper.

BARBARA ZAKRZEWSKA-NIKIPORCZYK (b. 1946)

1. Na mlecznej drodze: Kwartet smyczkowy [On the Milky Way, string quartet]. Manuscript, 6 pages in black ink, on 26-stave music paper, 1980.
2. Preludium na organy for organ. Manuscript, 4 pages in black ink, 1987.
3. Solitude for double bass, flute (picc.) and percussion, 1980. Manuscript, 10 pages in black ink on 20-stave music paper.
4. Miazga [The pulp] for orchestra. Manuscript, 50 pages in black ink, 1983.

ANNA ZAWADZKA-GOŁOSZ (b. 1955)

1. Mozart Kugeln for flute. Manuscript, 4 pages in black ink, 8 stave music paper, oversized, 1998.
2. Poco a poco piu for viola and piano. Manuscript, 7 pages in black ink, in colorful binder made by the compser with the handwritten title, commissioned by Dr. M.A. Harley of McGill University, Montreal; 16-stave music paper.
3. Witraż II [Stained-glass Window] for clarinet, cello, accordion and vibraphone. Manuscript, 12 pages in dark red and black ink, oversized, 1988.

LIDIA ZIELIŃSKA (b. 1953)

1. Sonet o Tatrach [Sonnet about the Tatras], for trumpet, trombone, violin, sheep-bells, and accordion. Manuscript, 8 pages in dark blue ink, on 240-stave music paper, oversized, 1985. With 8 pages of the first version, in pencil, written in the same year.
2. Dwa tańce na smyczki [Two dances for strings]. Manuscript, 49 pages in black ink, 16 stave music paper, 1981.
3. Jednostka Togo for male chorus and prepared piano, to a text by the composer. Manuscript, 7 pages in pencil on 28 stave muisc paper, first version, 1995.
4. Jednostka Togo for male chorus and prepared piano, to a text by the composer. Final printout of the computer file, ready for publishing, 7 pages; also sketch material on loose leaf, graph paper, old recycled paper.

Letters and Documents

SZYMON LAKS (1901-1983)

The Correspondence of Szymon Laks. 71 letters from and to the composer, including correspondence with the PWM in Poland, and letters from: Nadia Boulanger, Jankelevitch, Piotr Perkowski, Krzysztof Meyer, Igor Markevitch, Antoni Marianowicz, Zygmunt Mycielski, Robert Satanowski, Antoni Słonimski, Tymon Terlecki, Katarzyna Zachwatowicz, and Alexander Tansman.

IGNACY JAN PADEREWSKI (1860-1941)

Letter of Recommendation for Maria and Zofia Naimska, Polish musicians active in New York. Handwritten in May 1916, on letterhead paper from Gotham Hotel, New York. Gift of Maja Trochimczyk, 2002.

ALEKSANDER TANSMAN (1897-1986)

Sixteen Letters to Tadeusz Kaczyński. Handwritten; dated 5 December 1971 to 3 October 1985, written in Polish, from Paris, or during Tansman’s travels. Loose leaf, black or blue ink, various sizes one postcard; some with envelopes.

MAJA TROCHIMCZYK (b. 1957)

Music Correspondence of Maja Trochimczyk (Maria Anna Harley). 75 letters and postcards, 1980s-2000. The letters include sets of:

1. Women Composers’ Collection: Letters and postcards from Wanda Bacewicz (25 letters), Zofia Helman (5), Hanna Kulenty (14), Anna Zawadzka (4), Krystyna Moszumańska-Nazar (2), Elzbieta Sikora (3), Judith Weir (1).
2. Composers’ Letters: Louis Andriessen (7), Iannis Xenakis (2), Zygmunt Krauze (3), Pawel Szymanski (1), Jerzy Kornowicz (1).
3. Musicologists’ Letters: Karol Berger (1), Elliott Antokoletz (1), Malcolm Gillies (6), David Nicholls (1), Harold Powers (1), Laszlo Somfai (2), Tadeusz Kaczyński (1), and others.

---

History of the Collection