Bolesław Szabelski

Bolesław Szabelski moved from neoclassical and late-Romantic models to twelve-tone techniques in the late 1950s. Born at Radoryż in 1896, he trained as a pianist and organist in Warsaw and studied composition with Szymanowski, then settled at the Katowice conservatory, where he taught for most of his working life. He used twelve-tone techniques between 1958 and 1964 and later combined elements of his earlier styles. He composed five symphonies, concertos, chamber and choral works, and a body of music for organ. He taught Henryk Mikołaj Górecki. He died in 1979. His Warsaw teachers also included Mieczysław Surzyński and Roman Statkowski, and the Katowice appointment dates from 1929; Zbigniew Bargielski studied with him as well. His music was heard at the Warsaw Autumn festival, and Leopold Stokowski helped to introduce his Toccata outside Poland.