Władysław Żeleński – composer and pedagogue. The relationship between his composing style and his pedagogical mindset

Abstract

The aim of the research. The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between Włądysław Żeleński’s composing style and his personality and pedagogical mindset.

Methodology. The research examines the broad subject literature, including encyclopedic entries, stylistic analyses, journal articles which discuss the composer’s works and the accounts and memories of his pupils. The literature was analyzed in a chronological order, which was followed by a contrastive analysis which elaborated on the creative style and the accounts of the students, which showed Żeleński’s character and pedagogical mindset. The final stage of the research was a contrastive analysis of the conclusions regarding his works vis-à-vis his views on pedagogy.

Conclusions. The contrastive analysis of the literature showed that historians had a shared position regarding Żeleński’s traditional composing style, which conserved classical values. Władysław Żeleński had a solid composing technique, creating works in accordance with his ideals and formal discipline. His creative output was most clearly conveyed in the art song and had a gentle expression with patriotic overtones.

The analysis of the accounts of Żeleński’s pupils revealed that he was a very demanding teacher, who first and foremost valued a strict adherence to the rules of music theory and flawless preparation for instrument lessons. His teaching was characterized by a lack of patience and fierce reactions – he had a choleric temperament.

Conclusions. There was a dichotomy in Żeleński’s personality: a lyrical composer and a choleric teacher. His artistic ideals were realized in his works and vindicated in his teaching – hence his personality was a unity of opposites, connected by faith in the classical ideal of order in music.