Polish Composer Romuald Twardowski has Died, Aged 93

Also a pianist and organist, Twardowski wrote a great deal of music inspired by the liturgy and style of the Orthodox Church

The Polish composer, pianist, and organist Romauld Twardowski has passed away at the age of 93.

Born in Vilnius in 1930, Twardowski began his musical education during the occupation of Poland, learning first the violin and later the piano and organ. As a teenager, he took several organ-playing positions in local churches, and in 1952, he enrolled at the Conservatory of Vilnius to study with Povilas Tamuliūnas and Julius Juzeliūnas.

Twardowski also spent time studying with Bolesław Woytowicz in Warsaw, and between 1963 and 1966, he studied Gregorian chant and medieval polyphony with Nadia Boulanger in Paris.

The liturgy and music of the Orthodox Church provided strong compositional inspiration for Twardowski throughout his whole career, with many of his works carrying liturgical texts or drawing upon the style of much older sacred music.

Twardowski received several distinctions for his work. His piece Antifone per tre gruppi d'orchestra (1961) won First Prize in the Competition for the Young of the Polish Composers' Union, and in 1963 he won second prize at the UNESCO International Composers’ Tribune in Paris. Twardowski was also awarded First Prize at the 1966 International Composers' Competition in Prague, for his Sonetti di Petrarca per tenore solo e due cori a cappella.

From 1971 onward, he held a professorship at the State Higher School of Music in Warsaw.

Our condolences to Twardowski's family, friends, and colleagues.