# Marta Ptaszynska

Marta Ptaszyńska (born 29 July 1943) is a Polish composer, percussionist and professor of music at the University of Chicago. She has been described by the Polish Music Center of the University of Southern California as "one of the best known Polish woman composers" as well as "a virtuoso percussionist specializing in performances of contemporary music".

## Career

Ptaszyńska was born in Warsaw, Poland. In 1998, she was appointed a Professor of Music and the Humanities at the University of Chicago. Since 2005 she holds an endowed chair of Helen B. & Frank L. Sulzberger Professor in Composition.
She has been honored with many prizes and awards including Simon J. Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, the Danks Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Fromm Music Foundation Award, the Award at the International Rostrum of Composers at the UNESCO in Paris, several ASCAP Awards, and many more. In 1995, she received the Officer Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

## Works
### Orchestral music

| Title | Date Composed | Date Premiered | Premiering Orchestra | Conductor | Notes |
| Improvisations | (1968) | March 26, 1971 | The Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra | Renard Czajkowski |
| Spectri Sonori | (1973) | January 22, 1974 | The Cleveland Orchestra | Matthias Bamert |
| Crystallites | (1973–74) | January 24, 1975 | The Pomeranian Philharmonic Orchestra, Bydgoszcz, Poland | Antoni Wit | Commissioned by the Kościuszko Foundation in New York |
| Concerto for Percussion Quartet and Orchestra | (1974) | October 10, 1974 | Sage City Symphony Orchestra, Bennington, Vermont | Louis Calabro | Commissioned by the Sage City Symphony Orchestra |
| Conductus – A Ceremonial for Winds | (1982) | March 18, 1983 | The Chicago Symphonic Band, Chicago | | for symphonic band |
| La Novella D'Inverno (Winter's Tale) | (1984) | May 5, 1985 | The Polish Chamber Orchestra, Lisbon, Portugal | Jerzy Maksymiuk | for strings. Commissioned by and dedicated to Jerzy Maksymiuk and the Polish Chamber Orchestra, Second Prize at the International Rostrum of Composers in Paris, France, 1986 |
| Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra | (1985) | May 8, 1986 | The Cracow Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra, Cracow | Szymon Kawalla | Dedicated to Keiko Abe. Recordings: CD, Muza Records, Poland, 1991 |
| Charlie's Dream | (1988) | | | | Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra |
| Ode to Praise All Famous Women | (1992) | March 22, 1992 | Orlando, Florida Space Coast Philharmonic Orchestra | Maria Tunicka | Commissioned by the Florida Space Coast Philharmonic |
| Fanfare For Peace | (1993) | November 18, 1994 | Cincinnati, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra | Jesús López-Cobos | Commissioned by Jesús López-Cobos and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra |
| Concerto Grosso | (1996) | January 26, 1997 | Warsaw, Sinfonia Varsovia | Lord Yehudi Menuhin | for two violins and chamber orchestra |
| Fanfare in Memoriam Frédéric Chopin | (1999) | June 12, 1999 | Chicago, Polish American Symphony Orchestra | Wojciech Niewzol |
| Drum of Orfeo – Concerto for Percussion | (1999–2001) | | | | Written for and dedicated to Evelyn Glennie |

### Vocal and instrumental works

| Title | Date Composed | Instrumentation | Premiere | Notes |
| A Tale of Nightingales | (1968) | for baritone and chamber ensemble | | To the poetry of K.I. Gałczyński |
| Vocalise | (1971) | for female voice and vibraphone | July 18, 1971, Breukelen, the Netherlands | Cornelia van der Horst,soprano; Marta Ptaszyńska, vibes |
| Oscar of Alva opera in 6 scenes | (1971–72, revised in 1986) | for 5 soloists (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass), mixed choir and orchestra | A TV production: 1988, Cracow, Poland, Polish Radio and Television (in Polish with English subtitles). Stanisław Zajączkowski, director, Cracow Radio and TV Orchestra and Chorus, Szymon Kawalla, conductor | Libretto based on Lord Byron's poem by Z. Kopalko |
| Epigrams | (1976–77) | for women's choir, flute, harp, piano and percussion | May 8, 1977, Santa Barbara, California, Dorians Choir, Michael Ingham, conductor | To ancient Greek poetry; in English. Commissioned by the Dorians Choir of the University of California at Santa Barbara |
| Un Grand Sommeil Noir (A Great Dark Sleep) | (1977) | for soprano, flute and harp | June 22, 1979, Pontino, Italy, XV Festival di Musica Contemporanea | To Paul Verlaine's poem (French/English) |
| Die Sonette an Orpheus (Sonnets to Orpheus) | (1980–81) | for middle voice and chamber orchestra | October, 1989, Warsaw, Poland, Sinfonia Varsovia, Jerzy Maksymiuk, conductor, Ewa Podleś, mezzo-soprano | To Rainer Maria Rilke's poems; in German. |
| Ave Maria | (1982 version) | for four men's voices, brass, percussion and organ | October 10, 1982, Boston Cathedral, New England Conservatory New Music Ensemble | Commissioned by the S. Moniuszko Musical Society of Boston |
| Ave Maria | (1987 version) | for men's choir and orchestra | April 18, 1988, Cracow, Poland, The Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir |
| Polish Letters (Listy Polskie) | (1988) | for percussion, piano, string quartet, soprano, mezzo-soprano, baritone soli | July 15, 1989, Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland, Warsaw Academy of Music chamber Choir and Instrumental Ensemble, Varsovia String Quartet, Ryszard Zimak, conductor, VHS recording: Polish TV Poltel, Warsaw, 1984 | Cantata to commemorate Poland's Independence. To the poetry of Polish and other European poets; in Polish |
| Songs of Despair and Loneliness (Pieśni rozpaczy i samotności) | (1988–89) | for mezzo-soprano and piano | October 3, 1989, Warsaw Philharmonic, Poland, E. Podleś and J. Marchwiński. Recordings: CD, Muza Records, Poland, 1991 | Poems by Rilke, Verlaine, Shakespeare, Staff, and Lorca in original languages. Commissioned by Jerzy Marchwiński for Ewa Podleś, contralto |
| Holocaust Memorial Cantata | (1992) | for three solo voices, mixed choir and orchestra (percussion, harp, strings) | April 5, 1992, Glencoe, Illinois; Lira Singers; Lucy J. Ding conductor. Score and piano reduction. Recordings: CD, POLYGRAM CD ACCORD, Poland, 1996 | To the poetry of Leslie Woolf Hedley "Chant for All the People on Earth" (English/Hebrew/Yiddish/Polish). Commissioned by the Lira Singers of Chicago |
| Liquid Light for Mezzosoprano | (1994–1995) | Piano and Percussion | Warsaw Autumn Festival 1997 and in the unabridged version at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, November 25, 1997. Patricia Adkins Chiti, mezzo-soprano; Ian Buckle, piano; Marta Ptaszynska, percussion | To the poetry of Modene Duffy. Commissioned by and written for Patricia Adkins Chiti |
| Cantiones Jubilationis | (1995) | for women's choir and Percussion | March 19, 1995, Chicago; The Lira Singers; Lucy Ding, conductor | To the poetry of Modene Duffy. Commissioned by the Lira Singers of Chicago |
| Silver Echos of Distant Bells | (1995) | for mezzo-soprano and string quartet | December 10, 1995 in New York at the Kościuszko Foundation by Mary Henderson-Stuckey (mezzo-soprano) and the Halycon String Quartet | To the poetry of Lord Tennyson, Laslie Woolf Hedley, Donald Bogan, Krzysztof Koehler and Stanisław Wyspiański; in English. Commissioned by the Kosciuszko Foundation |

### Chamber music

| Title | Date Composed | Instrumentation | Notes |
| Four Preludes | (1965) | for vibraphone and piano |
| Scherzo | (1967) | for xylophone and piano |
| Jeu-Parti | (1970) | for harp and vibraphone |
| Madrigals "Canticum Sonarum" Igor Stravinsky in Memoriam | (1971) | for woodwind and string quartets, trumpet, trombone and gong | First performance: March, 1972, Warsaw, Poland, Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Players. Special Mention, Young Polish Composers Contest, 1971 |
| Cadenza | (1972) | for flute and percussion |
| Siderals | (1974) | for two percussion quintets and light projection | Commissioned and premiered by the University of Illinois Percussion Ensemble, Thomas Siwe, conductor. 1974 Percussive Arts Society Award |
| Mobile | (1976) | for two percussionists | First performance: November 10, 1976, Bennington College, Vermont, Louis Calabro, Marta Ptaszyńska |
| Classical Variations | (1976) | for timpani and string quartet | 1976 Award at the Percussive Arts Society Composition Contest |
| Synchrony | (1978) | for percussion trio |
| Dream Lands, Magic Spaces | (1979) | for violin, piano and 6 percussion players | First performance: November 13, 1980, San Francisco Conservatory Percussion Ensemble, Daniel Kobialka, violin, Barry Jekowski, conductor. Percussive Arts Society International Conference, San Jose, California |
| Scintilla | (1984) | for two marimbas | First performance: 1985 by the duo Tavernier in France |
| Moon Flowers (Kwiaty Księżyca) | (1986) | for cello and piano | Commissioned by the BBC in Bristol for the duo R. Jabłoński, cello, and K. Borucińska, piano. First broadcast performance: May 14, 1986, BBC, England. First live performance: September 27, 1986, Warsaw, Poland, 29th International Music Festival Warsaw Autumn. Recordings: Proviva – Teldec Germany, ISPN 152 |
| Ajikan – Unfolding Light | (1989) | for flute and percussion | Commissioned by and dedicated to the Uroboros Ensemble in England. First performance: September 10, 1989, Southampton International Music Week |
| Poetic Impressions | (1991) | for wind quintet and piano | Commissioned by the Warsaw Wind Quintet. Recordings: CD, DUX Records, Poland (CD of the Year 1996) |
| Concerto for saxophone and chamber orchestra | (1988–90) | for solo alto and tenor saxophone | Written for David Pituch and Sinfonia Varsovia First performance: June 26, 1997, Festival European Cultural Month in Ljubljana, Slovenia |
| Four Portraits | (1994) | for string quartet | Written for the Wilanów String Quartet. Premiered: April 22, 1994 at Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center in New York. |
| Concerto Grosso | (1996) | for 2 violins and chamber orchestra | Written as "A Birthday present for Lord Yehudi Menuhin" First performance: January 26, 1997, Warsaw, Poland, Sinfonia Varsovia and Lord Menuhin. VHS recording By Polish Television, Warsaw, 1997 |
| Letter To The Sun | (1998–2000) | for frame drum, percussion quartet and narrator | To the poem by Julia Rafalska; in English. Written for Morris Lang and the Brooklyn College Percussion Ensemble. First performance: November 8, 2000, New York, USA, Brooklyn College Percussion Ensemble, Brian Willson, conductor |
| Scherzo Di Fantasia | (1997) | for euphonium and piano | Commissioned by the National Brass Society for the International Brass Conference in St. Louis. First performance: June 29, 1997, St. Louis, USA, Gail Robertson, euphonium |
| Mancala | (1997) | for 2 violins | Written for Hanna Lachert, violinist of the New York Philharmonic. First performance: April 18, 1997, New York, USA |

### Instrumental and solo works

| Title | Date Composed | Notes |
| Variations for flute | (1967) |
| Space Model for percussion | (1971–75) |
| Stress for percussion & tape | (1972) |
| Arabesque for harp | (1972) |
| Touracou for harpsichord | (1974) |
| Farewell Souvenir for piano | (1975) |
| Recitativo, Arioso and Toccata for Violin | (1969–75) |
| Two Poems for tuba | (1975) |
| Quodlibet for double-bass and prerecorded tape | (1976) |
| Six Bagatelles for harp | (1979) |
| Graffito for marimba | (1988) | Commissioned by Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic. Premiered: European Percussion Congress, Germany. Recordings: CD, "Nebojsa Zivkovic, "Percussion made in Europe, VOlume 1" Edition Musica Europea, Germany |
| Hommage a I.J. Paderewski for piano | (1992) | Premiered: 1992, Washington, D.C., Jerzy Stryjniak |
| Spider Walk for percussion | (1993) | Dedicated to Stanisław Skoczyński. Premiered: November 10, 1993, Columbus, Ohio, USA, Stanisław Skoczyński |
| Elegia: in Memoriam John Paul II for viola | (2005) | Premiered: 2005, Rekyavik, Iceland, Michael Hall |

### Multimedia works

| Title | Date Composed | Notes |
| Soirée Snobe Chez La Princesse Instrumental Theatre | (1979) | for 2 keyboard instruments, prerecorded tape, mimes and lighting. Commissioned and premiered in 1979 by Annette Sachs and Piotr Lachert, Théâtre European de Musique Vivante, Brussels, Belgium |

### Music for children

| Title | Date Composed | Notes |
| Suite Variée for percussion (4) and piano | (1965) |
| Little Mosaic for percussion ensemble | (1968) |
| Little Mexican Fantasy for percussion and piano | (1971) | Arrangement of a Mexican folk tune |
| Tunes from Many Countries of the World | (1977) | Children's songs arrangement for percussion and instruments |
| Journeys into Space for Piano in two volumes | (1978) | A set of 19 miniatures |
| Music of Five Steps for two flutes and percussion ensemble | (1979) | Commissioned by the International Society for Musical Education. First performance: July 12, 1980 by the pupils of E. Mlynarski Elementary School of Music in Warsaw, Poland, during the XIV World Congress of ISME |
| Miniatures for piano | (1982) | 14 miniatures |
| Four Seasons for Four Hands | (1984) | 12 pieces for Piano 4 hands |
| Silver Threads and Other Songs for Children | (1986) | for voice, chorus, and percussion in various combinations, to the poetry of Josef Czechowicz, in Polish |
| Musical Alphabet for two pianos | (1985–86) | A set of 22 pieces, mainly dances from A to Z |
| Mister Marimba- children's opera in 3 acts | (1992–95) | Soloists, children's choir and orchestra. To the libretto of Polish lyricist Agnieszka Osiecka; in Polish and also in English. Written for the National Opera in Warsaw, Poland. First performance: November 1997, National Opera in Warsaw |
| Magic Doremik- children's opera in 2 acts | (2007) | Soloists, children choir and orchestra. To the libretto of the composer. Written for the National Opera in Warsaw, Poland. First performance: 2008, National Opera in Warsaw |

## Books

* Ptaszynska, Marta & Niewiadomska, Barbara; Colorful World of Percussion (1978) A book for percussion training in 5 volumes.
* about Ptaszyńska (in Polish):
Muzyka to język najdoskonalszy. Rozmowy z Martą Ptaszyńską, Kraków/Cracow PWM 2001