Jan Sztwiertnia 1911 - 1940

Born 1.6.1911 in Ustroń
Died 29.8.1940 in Gusen

Biography

Born on 1 June 1911 in Ustroń in Cieszyn Silesia, Jan Sztwiertnia studied from 1925-30 at the teacher training college in Cieszyn. Under the direction of Karol Hławiczka and Alfred Nohel, he learned to play the violin, piano and organ there, among others. His first compositions (op. 2) date form this period: the songs for voice and piano Farewell and I must not dream of you to texts by Leon Rygier, as well as A prayer and his Etude in f minor. In 1929 he and his colleague founded the Acord association to preserve the cultural heritage of the Cieszyn lands. He also wrote the hymn for this society. From 1930-1939 he worked as a school teacher in Wisła. At the same time he taught himself composition, counterpoint and instrumentation. In 1933 he married Ewa Wantulok and subsequently fathered two sons, Jan and Bolesław. From 1937 he studied composition and music education with Aleksander Brachocki, a pupil of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and Tadeusz Prejzner at the Silesian Musical Conservatoire in Katowice. There his teachers recognised his great musical talent. In May 1939 Sztwiertnia was awarded a stipend from the Polish government to continue his studies with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. The outbreak of war put paid to these plans. In April 1940 Sztwiertnia was arrested and, following a few days in imprisonment in Cieszyn, was deported to Dachau concentration camp – he was registered there on 28 April 1940 under prisoner number 6567. On 5 June 1940 he was transferred to the Mauthausen/Gusen concentration camp. He died in Gusen on 29 August 1940 at the age of just 29. His symbolic grave is to be found in the ‘Na Groniczku’ Protestant cemetery in Wisła.

Among his most significant composition are:

- the folk opera Salasznicy,

- the symphonic poem Śpiący Rycerze w Czantorii (The Sleeping Knight on Czantoria Mountain),

- stylised Silesian dances for symphony orchestra,

- the choral work Beskid Suite; the motets The Lord is my Shepherd, We Inherit the Word (a Polish Lutheran hymn); the cantata The Knight,

- numerous chamber music works, including a Rondo for Oboe and Piano, two Preludes for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon, a Valse Capriccio for Violin, Cello and Piano, and a Rondo for String Quartet.

His final works were three songs for voice and piano written at the beginning of 1940 that set texts by the famous Polish poet Leopold Staff.

Hubert Miśka

 

References:

Iwona Bias / Urszula Ptasińska: Jan Sztwiertnia (1911–1940). Dokumenty życia i twórczości. Katalog wystawy [Documents of his Life and Work. Exhibition catalogue] (Katowice 1981).

Stanisław Dobosiewicz: Mauthausen-Gusen. Poezja i pieśń więźniów [Mauthausen-Gusen. Prisoners’ poetry and songs] (Warsaw 1983).

J. Drozd: Jan Sztwiertnia. In: Udział ewangelików śląskich w polskim życiu kulturalnym [The Participation of Silesian Protestants in Polish Cultural Life] (Warsaw 1974).

Ryszard Gabryś: “Sałasznicy” Jana Sztwiertni. W 70 rocznicę urodzin kompozytora [Jan Sztwiertnia’s ‘Slasznicy’. On the 70th anniversary of the composer’s birth] (Cieszyn 1982).

Ryszard Gabryś: Wiślański Szymanowski. In: Dziennik Zachodni (Katowice 1982, No. 96).

Ryszard Gabryś: Dar muzycznego geniuszu. W 100. rocznicę urodzin Jana Sztwiertni [The Gift of Musical Genius. On the 100th anniversary of Jan Sztwiertnia’s birth]. In: Śląsk (2011), vol. 9.

Ryszard Gabryś: Symfonia niedokończona w: Folder okolicznościowy z okazji 100 urodzin kompozytora [Unfinished symphony in: Commemorative folder on the 100th anniversary of the composer’s birth] (Cieszyn 2011).

B. Gieburowska-Gabryś: Muzyka instrumentalna Jana Sztwiertni [Jan Sztwiertnia’s Instrumental Music]. In: Kultura muzyczna ziemi cieszyńskiej (Katowice 1977).

B. Gieburowska: Trzy pieśni do słów Leopolda Staffa – ostatnie opus Jana Sztwiertni [Three Songs to Words by Leopold Staff – Jan Sztwiertnia’s last opus]. In: Górnośląski almanach muzyczny (Katowice 1988).

J. Kantyka / W. Zieliński (ed.): Śląski Słownik biograficzny [Biographical Dictionary of Silesia] (Katowice 1979).

Hubert Miśka: Solowa twórczość wokalna Jana Sztwiertni – charakterystyka stylistyczna i aspekty wykonawcze [Jan Sztwiertnia’s Works for Solo Voice – stylistic characteristics and performance aspects] (Katowice 2010).

Hubert Miśka (ed.): Jan Sztwiertnia (1911–1940). Człowiek i dzieło - w setną rocznicę urodzin [Jan Sztwiertnia (1911–1940). The man and his work – on the centenary of his birth] (Katowice 2012).

 

Marek Podhajski (ed.): Kompozytorzy polscy 1918–2000 [Polish Composers 1918–2000] (Gdańsk / Warsaw 2005). 

Translation into English: Joanna White

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