Alexandre Tansman was a popular composer and pianist. He was born on 11th June, 1897 in Lodz, Poland. He did his musical studies at the Lodz Conservatory. He got his doctoral degree in law from the University of Warsaw. Thereafter he went to Paris. There he came in contact with several musicians. His style of music was neoclassical. He got married to Colette Cras who was a French pianist.
Alexandre Tansman did concert tours to United States where he performed under Serge Koussevitsky with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He is best known for his guitar pieces, which were mostly written for Andres Segovia.
Some of the notable compositions of Alexandre Tansman are:
- 1918- 8 melodies japonaises, voice and orchestra
- 1922- Le jardin du paradis, ballet
- 1923- Legende, orchestra
- 1927- La nuit kurde, opera, Piano Concerto no.2
- 1933- Rapsodie hebraique
- 1936- Orchestration of Federico Mompou's piano suite Scenes d'enfants
- 1937- Violin Concerto
- 1940- Rapsodie polonaise, orchestra
- 1944- The Genesis, narrator and orchestra, collaboration with Schoenberg, Milhaud, Stravinsky, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Toch, Shilkret, after Genesis
- 1950- Isaie le prophete, choir and orchestra
- 1951- Cavatine, guitar
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- 1954- Concerto for Orchestra
- 1956- 4 mouvements symphoniques, orchestra
- 1957-58- Sabbataï Zevi, le faux messie, opera
- 1960-61- Psaumes, tenor solo, choir, and orchestra
- 1962- Suite in modo polonico, guitar
- 1963- Cello Concerto
- 1966- Hommage a Chopin, guitar
- 1972- Stele in memoriam Igor Stravinsky, orchestra
- 1978-79- Les dix Commandements, orchestra
- 1982- Hommage a Lech Walesa, guitar
- 8 string quartets (1917, 1922, 1925, 1935, 1940, 1944, 1947, 1956)
- Film music: Poil de Carotte (1932), Flesh and Fantasy (1942), Paris Underground (1945), Destiny (1945), Sister Kenny (1946), The Bargee (1964)
- 9 symphonies (1917, 1926, 'Symphonie concertante' 1931, 1939, 1942, 'In memoriam' 1944, 'Lyrique' 1944, 'Musique pour orchestre' 1948, 1957-8)
Musician Alexandre Tansman left Paris for Los Angeles after Hitler came to power. There he composed music for two Hollywood movies. After the Second World War, he went back to Paris. But his long disappearance from the musical scene slowed down his career.
Alexandre Tansman Competition is held every year in Lodz to pay tribute to his music. Some of the musicians who have performed Tansman's music are Pablo Casals, Segovia, Jane Bathori, Walter Gieseking and Jozsef Szigeti. Tansman died on 15th November, 1986 in Paris.
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