Marta Ptaszynska facts for kids

Marta Ptaszyńska (born on July 29, 1943) is a talented Polish composer and percussionist. She is also a professor of music at the University of Chicago. Experts at the Polish Music Center have called her "one of the best known Polish woman composers." They also describe her as a "virtuoso percussionist," meaning she is incredibly skilled at playing percussion instruments, especially modern music.

Her Journey in Music

Marta Ptaszyńska was born in Warsaw, Poland. In 1998, she became a Professor of Music and Humanities at the University of Chicago. Since 2005, she has held a special position called the Helen B. & Frank L. Sulzberger Professor in Composition. This means her work in composing music is highly valued.

She has received many important awards and honors for her music. These include the Simon J. Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship and the Danks Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She also won an award at the International Rostrum of Composers in Paris, France, which is a big deal for composers. She has also received several ASCAP Awards. In 1995, Poland honored her with the Officer Cross of Merit, a special award from her home country.

Her Musical Creations

Marta Ptaszyńska has written many different kinds of music. She composes for large orchestras, for voices and instruments, for small groups of instruments, and even for solo performers. She has also created music especially for children.

Music for Orchestras

Ptaszyńska has written many pieces for full orchestras. These are large groups of musicians playing various instruments together. Some of her orchestral works include:

• Spectri Sonori (1973)
• Concerto for Percussion Quartet and Orchestra (1974), which was commissioned by the Sage City Symphony Orchestra.
• La Novella D'Inverno (Winter's Tale) (1984) for strings, which won a prize in Paris.
• Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra (1985), written for the famous marimba player Keiko Abe.
• Charlie's Dream (1988), a concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra.
• Fanfare For Peace (1993), commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
• Concerto Grosso (1996) for two violins and a smaller orchestra, which was a birthday gift for the famous musician Lord Yehudi Menuhin.
• Drum of Orfeo – Concerto for Percussion (1999–2001), written for the well-known percussionist Evelyn Glennie.

Music for Voices and Instruments

Marta Ptaszyńska has also composed music that combines singing with instruments.

• Oscar of Alva (1971–72) is an opera, which is a play set to music. It was based on a poem by Lord Byron.
• Epigrams (1976–77) was written for a women's choir, flute, harp, piano, and percussion.
• She composed two versions of Ave Maria (1982 and 1987).
• Polish Letters (1988) is a cantata, a type of vocal piece, to celebrate Poland's Independence.
• Holocaust Memorial Cantata (1992) was written for three solo singers, a choir, and an orchestra.

Chamber Music

Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments, usually one player per part.

• Jeu-Parti (1970) is for harp and vibraphone.
• Siderals (1974) is for two percussion groups and uses light projection, which sounds very cool!
• Mobile (1976) is a piece for two percussionists.
• Moon Flowers (1986) is a beautiful piece for cello and piano.
• Ajikan – Unfolding Light (1989) is for flute and percussion.
• Four Portraits (1994) was written for a string quartet.
• Mancala (1997) is a piece for two violins.

Music for Solo Instruments

Ptaszyńska has also written many pieces for just one instrument.

• Space Model for percussion (1971–75)
• Arabesque for harp (1972)
• Graffito for marimba (1988)
• Spider Walk for percussion (1993)
• Elegia: in Memoriam John Paul II for viola (2005)

Multimedia Works

She has even created works that combine music with other art forms.

• Soirée Snobe Chez La Princesse Instrumental Theatre (1979) includes two keyboard instruments, recorded sounds, mimes (actors who tell stories without words), and special lighting.

Music for Children

Marta Ptaszyńska has a special interest in creating music for young people.

• Little Mexican Fantasy (1971) is an arrangement of a Mexican folk tune for percussion and piano.
• Journeys into Space for Piano (1978) is a set of 19 short, imaginative pieces.
• Music of Five Steps (1979) was written for two flutes and a percussion group. It was first performed by students from an elementary school of music in Warsaw.
• Four Seasons for Four Hands (1984) has 12 pieces for two people playing one piano together.
• Musical Alphabet for two pianos (1985–86) is a set of 22 pieces, often dances, from A to Z.
• Mister Marimba (1992–95) is a children's opera in three acts. It was written for the National Opera in Warsaw, Poland.
• Magic Doremik (2007) is another children's opera in two acts, also written for the National Opera in Warsaw.

Books

Marta Ptaszyńska has also shared her knowledge through books:

• She co-wrote Colorful World of Percussion (1978) with Barbara Niewiadomska. This is a five-volume book series to help people learn about percussion.
• There is also a book about her called Muzyka to język najdoskonalszy. Rozmowy z Martą Ptaszyńską (Music is the Most Perfect Language. Conversations with Marta Ptaszyńska), published in 2001.

See also

In Spanish: Marta Ptaszyńska para niños

• Poles in Chicago