Jerzy Waldorff-Preyssof theNabram coat of arms(4 May[1]1910 – 29 December 1999) was a Polishmedia personality,public intellectual,socialite,music criticand musicaficionado.[2]He wrote over twenty books, mostly on the subject ofclassical musicand society. Waldorff is known as "the lastbaronof thePolish People's Republic".[3]
Jerzy Waldorff–Preyss | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Jerzy Preyss 4 May 1910 Warsaw,Russian Poland |
| Died | 29 December 1999(aged 89) Warsaw,Poland |
| Resting place | Powązki |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Alma mater | University of Poznań (M.Jur.,1932) |
| Notable works | Muzyka łagodzi obyczaje (Music Softens Manners) |
| Partner | Mieczysław Jankowski (1938-1999) |
Biography
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Early life and education
editWaldorff was born in Warsaw to a Polishengineerandlandowner,Witold Preyss. His family moved first toKościelna Wieśin the historicalKujawyregion and then toRękawczyn,Greater Poland,where his father bought an estate afterWorld War I.Waldorff spent his childhood there, in a manor house at the end of an avenue bordered with 100-year-old lime trees. He wrote later that the family left the estate and moved back to Warsaw soon after his father's death.
Waldorff spent his childhood inRękawczyn,initially taught by his mother and private tutors. Later he attendedliberal arts schools,includinggymnasiuminTrzemeszno,Saint Mary Magdalene Gymnasium in Poznań,and eventually graduated from Marcinkowski Gymnasium inPoznań(matura1928).[4]
He studied law at theUniversity of Poznań,and graduated with a Master of Jurisprudence (M.Jur.) in 1932.[1][5]Following law school, Waldorff became atrainee solicitorat the Warsaw office of the law firm owned by University of Warsaw'sdistinguished professorWłodzimierz Kozubski,but abandoned law as a profession before being admitted tothe bar.[4]
Media career
editBetween 1936 and 1939 Waldorff worked as a music-review columnist for theKurier Porannynewspaper. After theinvasion of Polandby Nazi Germany he took part in organizing the clandestine music scene in occupied Warsaw. He was also active in the social support organization calledRada Główna Opiekuńcza(Central Welfare Council), the only cross-country network allowed to function legally under the German administration with some financial aid from the authorities. After the liberation, due to wartimeannihilation of Warsaw,Waldorff settled inKrakówbetween 1946 and 1950, where he wrote for the popular magazinePrzekrój.[6]
The long series ofessayson music by Waldorff entitledMuzyka łagodzi obyczaje(Music Softens Manners) was published in Poland from 1959 inŚwiatweekly and from 1969 inPolitykanews magazine for most of his professional life, though renamed asUszy do góry(Prick Up Your Ears) afterthe Martial law.They were broadcast byPolskie Radio,and presented on TV.
Waldorff organized the Festival of Polish Piano Music inSłupskand the festival calledChopin w barwach jesieni(Chopin in Autumn Colors) inAntoninat the Hunting Palace of the PrinceRadziwiłłfamily. In 1959 he co-founded the Critics Section of the Association of Polish Music Artists. He also contributed greatly to the establishment of theKarol SzymanowskiMuzeum at the "Atma" Manor inZakopane.In the 1960s Waldorff organized the radio fundraiser and donation drive for the Warsaw Museum of Theatre. In 1974 (or 1977, sources vary) he created the Committee for the Preservation of the OldPowązki Cemeteryand served as its president until his death. He also wrote for leading periodicals.[6]Jerzy Waldorff received the title of Honorary Citizen of Warsaw in April 1992.
Friendship with Szpilman
editWaldorffput on paperand elaborated the unwritten memoir of his own friend, the Polish eminent pianistWładysław Szpilman,titledDeath of the City(Śmierć miasta), first published in 1946.[7]In the introduction to the first edition of his book Waldorff informed the reader that he wrote the story told to him by Szpilman "as closely as he could", and that he used his brief notes in the process. Szpilman was not a writer, according to the later preface by his own son Andrzej. However, reprints of Szpilman's memoir omitted Waldorff's name, and asserted that the book was authored by the subject himself. The latest edition was slightly expanded and printed under a different title,The Pianist,in line with the 2002screen versionbyPolanski,but without a single mention of Jerzy Waldorff as its author, which promptedHenryk Grynbergto question its legality.[8]
Personal life, death and legacy
editWaldorff lived in asame-sex relationshipwith a classical dancer Mieczysław Jankowski for 61 years.[9]He died on December 29, 1999, and was buried at thePowązki Cemeteryin Warsaw in January 2000.[1]
After his death, Waldorff's friends organized the lobbying, so the City Council could give one of the streets in Warsaw his name, which triggered a substantial controversy. Those, who opposed the idea, brought up Waldorff's Stalinist past, alleging that during the Stalinistwave of terrorin postwar Poland, Waldorff, being one of Kraków editors ofPrzekrój,participated in the defamation of Catholic priests accusing thePolish episcopateof actively supporting murderers who attacked socialism. This protest led by the Warsaw chapter of the Association of FormerNSZ Soldierswas ignored by the city authorities[10]and eventually street was named after Waldorff in theBemowoDistrict of Warsaw in 2009.[11]
Selected books
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- Jerzy Waldorff,Sztuka pod dyktaturą,Instytut WydawniczyBiblioteka Polska,Warsaw 1939
- Jerzy Waldorff,Śmierć miasta,1946
- Jerzy Waldorff,Dwie armaty,Warsaw 1955
- Jerzy Waldorff,Sekrety Polihymnii,Iskry, Warsaw 1956; essays, several ed.
- Jerzy Waldorff,Harfy leciały na północ,Warsaw 1968
- Jerzy Waldorff,Diabły i anioły,1971
- Jerzy Waldorff,Ciach go smykiem!,Warsaw 1972
- Jerzy Waldorff,Moje cienie,Warsaw 1979
- Jerzy Waldorff,Wielka gra. Rzecz o Konkursach Chopinowskich,Warsaw 1980, 1985
- Jerzy Waldorff,Muzyka łagodzi obyczaje: artykuły, recenzje, felietony,Wydawn. Muzyczne, 1982
- Jerzy Waldorff,Cmentarz Powązkowski w Warszawie,Warsaw 1984
- Jerzy Waldorff,Fidrek,Warsaw 1989, 1994; autobiography
- Jerzy Waldorff,Taniec życia ze śmiercią,Wydawn. Muzyczne, Warsaw 1978, 1984, 1993
- Jerzy Waldorff,Za bramą wielkiej ciszy: dwieście lat dziejów Powązek,Interpress, Warsaw 1990
- Jerzy Waldorff,Słowo o Kisielu,Warsaw 1994
- Jerzy Waldorff,Moje lampki oliwne,1999; autobiography
Selected filmography
edit- Warsaw Premiere(1951)
Notes and references
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- ^abc"Jerzy Waldorff"(in Polish). Społeczny Komitet Opieki nad Starymi Powązkami, Warsaw. Archived fromthe originalon January 27, 2012.RetrievedMay 28,2012.
- ^Katarzyna Surmiak-Domańska (2008)."Waldorff - człowiek zagadka".Gazeta Wyborcza.RetrievedMay 27,2012.
- ^"Jerzy Waldorff".Culture.pl.Retrieved2020-06-27.
- ^abpolskiego, Encyklopedia teatru."Jerzy Waldorff".Encyklopedia teatru polskiego(in Polish).Retrieved2020-06-27.
- ^"Historia Rękawczyna"(in Polish). Sołectwo Słowikowo-Rękawczyn. Archived fromthe originalon March 3, 2016.RetrievedMay 27,2012.
- ^ab"Waldorff Jerzy".Literatura, Językozawstwo(in Polish). Encyklopedia WIEM. 2012. Archived fromthe originalon November 22, 2016.RetrievedMay 27,2012.
- ^Jan Parker, Timothy Mathews (2011).Tradition, Translation, Trauma: The Classic and the Modern Classical Presences.Oxford University Press. p. 278.ISBN978-0199554591.RetrievedMay 27,2012.
Google Books preview
- ^Henryk Grynberg (September 18, 2001)."Pianista i Waldorff?".Książki.Portal Księgarski.RetrievedMay 27,2012.
- ^"Waldorff. Ostatni baron Peereluby Mariusz Urbanek ".Brulion be.el.Wydawnictwo "Iskry". 2009. Archived fromthe originalon March 1, 2012.RetrievedMay 27,2012.
- ^Grażyna Dziedzińska (March 20, 2000)."Jerzy Waldorff wspierał propagandę UB".Propaganda komunistyczna(in Polish). Narodowe Siły Zbrojne. Archived fromthe originalon October 16, 2013.RetrievedMay 28,2012.
Regarding article published by Jerzy Waldorff in No. 206 of "Przekrój" on March 20, 1949 entitled "Granice konfesjonału".
- ^Ewa Malinowska-Grupińska (2009)."Uchwała Rady Miasta Stołecznego Warszawy"(in Polish). Dziennik Urzędowy Województwa. Archived fromthe originalon August 10, 2014.RetrievedMay 28,2012.