Hommage a Chopin

The year 1949 was the hundredth anniversary of Chopin's death. To commemorate this occasion, UNESCO commissioned works from several composers of different nationalities for performance at a special concert in Paris. As the only Pole to receive this invitation, of course I accepted. I decided to pay my tribute to Chopin not by making use of his themes or his style of piano writing, but rather by attempting to go deep into his roots, drawing on his love of the rustic melodies and rhythms which inspired him throughout his life. Thus I made use of folk music from Mazowia, the central part of Poland where Chopin was born, and, finding words an encumbrance, I wrote five vocalises for soprano and piano, interweaving the melodies between the two performers. The work is designed symmetrically, both in metre and tempo.

Andrzej Panufnik

Note: the composer arranged Hommage a Chopin for solo flute and strings in 1966. The vocal version has been performed with orchestra, and the flute version with piano.

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This programme note can be reproduced free of charge in concert programmes with a credit to the composer