Krzysztof Knittel
Knittel Krzysztof, composer and performer. Born in Warsaw in 1947. He studi… Read Full Bio ↴Knittel Krzysztof, composer and performer. Born in Warsaw in 1947. He studied sound engineering at the Frédéric Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw from 1966-70, where he also studied composition with Tadeusz Baird, Andrzej Dobrowolski and Wlodzimierz Kotonski from 1970-74. He then studied computer music with Lejaren Hiller at the Mathematical Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences in 1973-74 and attended Darmstadt in 1974 and 1976.
Among his honors are the Solidarity Award in Music (1985, for String Quartet '84-'85), the Award of the Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts in New York (1998, for his entire oeuvre), the Norwid Prize in Music (2003, for Norwid Songs), and the Prize of the Polish Composers Union (2003). Portrait concerts have been given in Brazil, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and Spain.
Knittel is also active in other positions. He has worked at the Experimental Studio of Polish Radio since 1973 and worked at the Center for the Creative and Performing Arts at SUNY Buffalo in 1978. He co-founded with Wojciech Michniewski and Elzbieta Sikora KEW in 1973, a group of composers, which was most active from 1973-75, as well as the Cytula Tyfun da Bamba Orkiester, which was active in 1981. He co-founded the Independent Electroacoustic Music Studio, which existed from 1982-84, the ensemble Light from Poland, which was active from 1985-87, and the interdisciplinary group Freight Train in 1986, which remains active today. He also co-founded with Marek Choloniewski the CH&K Studio in 1989, with which he has since regularly performed, and co-founded the European Improvisation Orchestra, which was active from 1996-98. Most recently, he co-founded with Marek Choloniewski and Wlodzimierz Kiniorski the trio CH&K&K in 1999 and remains a performer with it.
As a music critic and writer, he contributed to the magazine Tygodnik Literacki in 1990-91 and worked as a free-lance contributor to the music department of Polish TV from 1992-94. He also served as vice-chairman of the Polish section of ISCM from 1989-92, director of the Warsaw Autumn festival from 1995-98 and vice-president of the Polish Composers Union from 1995-99 and president from 1999-2003. In addition, he has served as vice-president of the Polish Music Council since 2000 and has served on the board of supervisors of Polish Public TV and the board of programmers of the Zacheta National Gallery in Warsaw since 2003.
He has taught computer music at the Academy of Music in Lódz since 2001 and has served as director of its computer music studio since 2001. He has also lectured on new music throughout the Americas and Europe.
In addition to the works listed below, Knittel has composed music for film, stage and TV productions.
Krzysztof Knittel's newest CD is "The Four Seasons" ("Pory roku"): http://www.myspace.com/sonosferapl
COMPOSITIONS:
~440 for violin, piano and tape (1973)
form A, form E for flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon and 5 spotlights (1973)
à la Santé for clarinet, trombone, cello and piano (1974)
detour (instrumental theatre work, text by Theodor W. Adorno) for speaker, cello, piano, percussion and 2 tapes (1974)
Lipps for tenor saxophone/trumpet, double bass, drumkit and large orchestra (1974-78)
The Conqueror Worm for tape (1976)
dorikos for string quartet and tape (1976-77)
odds and ends for tape (1978)
Glückspavillon for Cathy (instrumental theatre work, text by the composer) for tuba and tape (1978)
low sounds (text by the composer) for 2 speakers, tam-tam and tape (1978-91)
Five Pieces for cello and piano * (1979-80)
norcet 1 for tape (1980)
norcet 2 for tape (1980)
Three Studies for Piano (1980)
Woman's Voice (ballet, scenario by the composer, after Rafal Wojaczek) for 4 percussions and tape (1980)
29 Staves for small orchestra (29 players) (1980-81)
Light (monologue, text by the composer) for actress (1981)
Starry Sky for 5 percussions (1982)
Man-Orchestra I for any number of players and tape (1982)
Black Water, White Water, Old Stream for any number of players and tape (1983)
It's time now for piano and any 5 players (1983)
Four Preludes for Piano * (1983)
String Quartet „1984-85” * (1984-85)
Lapis for tape (1985)
Old Style Pieces for tape (1985)
Three Cassettes for Any 3 Players and 3 Tape Players (1986)
Poko for tape (1986)
14 Variations by Piotr Bikont and Krzysztof Knittel on 14 Variations by Edwin Morgan on 14 Words by John Cage for voice, electric guitar and 2 synthesizers (1986-92)
Brother John's Struggle for flute, trombone, guitar, violin and percussion * (1987)
Three Songs without Words for soprano and tape (1987)
Nibiru for harpsichord and string orchestra (1987)
Histoire I for tape (1988)
Histoire II for clarinet, piano, synthesizer and tape (1989)
Histoire III for harpsichord and tape * (1989)
Man-Orchestra II for synthesizer, kitchen objects and computer (1989)
Jingle-Jangle (text by Piotr Bikont) for 2 voices and synthesizer (1989)
Borders of nothing for synthesizer and computer (1990)
Man-Nature for computer (1991)
Homage to Charles Ives for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, viola, double bass, piano and percussion (1991-92)
instant reactions (text by Charles Baudelaire) for soprano, trumpet, guitar, synthesizer and percussion (1992)
Between for piano and tape * (1993)
Negev I for synthesizer (+ sampler) and percussion (1993)
Satan in Goray (ballet, scenario by the composer, after Isaac Bashevis Singer) for flute, violin, cello, piano and tape (1993)
legs sound installation (1993)
radio sculpture sound installation (1994)
passage sound installation (1994)
Der Erwählte (ballet, scenario by Marek Wortman, after Thomas Mann), bagpipes, soprano recorder (+ alto recorder, tenor recorder, bass recorder) for baroque trombone, lute, violin, viola da gamba, harmonium, synthesizer and 2 percussions (1994-95)
Homage to Barbara Zbrozyna for synthesizer and sampler (1997)
Surface en rotation for tape (1997)
Awakenings (ballet, scenario by Piotr Bikont, after Oliver Sachs) for speaker, soprano saxophone (+ tenor saxophone, percussion), synthesizers (+ samplers) (1 player) and interactive light-sound installation (1998)
The Heartpiece – Double Opera (opera, libretto by John King, the composer, after Heiner Müller) for soprano, electric guitar, string quartet, synthesizer (+ sampler) and drumkit, collaboration with John King (1999)
Out of the Depths Have I Cried unto Thee, O Lord… (texts from Psalms 23, 51, 102-03, 117, 130, 150) for mixed chorus and tape (2000)
Spiegelverkehrte Reise (text by Piotr Bikont) for soprano, actor and 2 CDs (2000)
El maale rahamim… – O God, Full of Mercy… (text from a Hebrew prayer) for mixed chorus and large orchestra (2001)
Norwid Songs (text by Cyprian Kamil Norwid) for soprano and piano (2001)
Trio for any 3 melody instruments (2001)
Der Zirkus ist gekommen (text by the composer) for soprano, dancer, flute, cello, piano, prepared piano and 2 CDs (2003)
V2R Trio (Grand River Trio) for clarinet, violin, piano and CD (2003)
to touch a snake from the inside sound installation (2003)
Among his honors are the Solidarity Award in Music (1985, for String Quartet '84-'85), the Award of the Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts in New York (1998, for his entire oeuvre), the Norwid Prize in Music (2003, for Norwid Songs), and the Prize of the Polish Composers Union (2003). Portrait concerts have been given in Brazil, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and Spain.
Knittel is also active in other positions. He has worked at the Experimental Studio of Polish Radio since 1973 and worked at the Center for the Creative and Performing Arts at SUNY Buffalo in 1978. He co-founded with Wojciech Michniewski and Elzbieta Sikora KEW in 1973, a group of composers, which was most active from 1973-75, as well as the Cytula Tyfun da Bamba Orkiester, which was active in 1981. He co-founded the Independent Electroacoustic Music Studio, which existed from 1982-84, the ensemble Light from Poland, which was active from 1985-87, and the interdisciplinary group Freight Train in 1986, which remains active today. He also co-founded with Marek Choloniewski the CH&K Studio in 1989, with which he has since regularly performed, and co-founded the European Improvisation Orchestra, which was active from 1996-98. Most recently, he co-founded with Marek Choloniewski and Wlodzimierz Kiniorski the trio CH&K&K in 1999 and remains a performer with it.
As a music critic and writer, he contributed to the magazine Tygodnik Literacki in 1990-91 and worked as a free-lance contributor to the music department of Polish TV from 1992-94. He also served as vice-chairman of the Polish section of ISCM from 1989-92, director of the Warsaw Autumn festival from 1995-98 and vice-president of the Polish Composers Union from 1995-99 and president from 1999-2003. In addition, he has served as vice-president of the Polish Music Council since 2000 and has served on the board of supervisors of Polish Public TV and the board of programmers of the Zacheta National Gallery in Warsaw since 2003.
He has taught computer music at the Academy of Music in Lódz since 2001 and has served as director of its computer music studio since 2001. He has also lectured on new music throughout the Americas and Europe.
In addition to the works listed below, Knittel has composed music for film, stage and TV productions.
Krzysztof Knittel's newest CD is "The Four Seasons" ("Pory roku"): http://www.myspace.com/sonosferapl
COMPOSITIONS:
~440 for violin, piano and tape (1973)
form A, form E for flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon and 5 spotlights (1973)
à la Santé for clarinet, trombone, cello and piano (1974)
detour (instrumental theatre work, text by Theodor W. Adorno) for speaker, cello, piano, percussion and 2 tapes (1974)
Lipps for tenor saxophone/trumpet, double bass, drumkit and large orchestra (1974-78)
The Conqueror Worm for tape (1976)
dorikos for string quartet and tape (1976-77)
odds and ends for tape (1978)
Glückspavillon for Cathy (instrumental theatre work, text by the composer) for tuba and tape (1978)
low sounds (text by the composer) for 2 speakers, tam-tam and tape (1978-91)
Five Pieces for cello and piano * (1979-80)
norcet 1 for tape (1980)
norcet 2 for tape (1980)
Three Studies for Piano (1980)
Woman's Voice (ballet, scenario by the composer, after Rafal Wojaczek) for 4 percussions and tape (1980)
29 Staves for small orchestra (29 players) (1980-81)
Light (monologue, text by the composer) for actress (1981)
Starry Sky for 5 percussions (1982)
Man-Orchestra I for any number of players and tape (1982)
Black Water, White Water, Old Stream for any number of players and tape (1983)
It's time now for piano and any 5 players (1983)
Four Preludes for Piano * (1983)
String Quartet „1984-85” * (1984-85)
Lapis for tape (1985)
Old Style Pieces for tape (1985)
Three Cassettes for Any 3 Players and 3 Tape Players (1986)
Poko for tape (1986)
14 Variations by Piotr Bikont and Krzysztof Knittel on 14 Variations by Edwin Morgan on 14 Words by John Cage for voice, electric guitar and 2 synthesizers (1986-92)
Brother John's Struggle for flute, trombone, guitar, violin and percussion * (1987)
Three Songs without Words for soprano and tape (1987)
Nibiru for harpsichord and string orchestra (1987)
Histoire I for tape (1988)
Histoire II for clarinet, piano, synthesizer and tape (1989)
Histoire III for harpsichord and tape * (1989)
Man-Orchestra II for synthesizer, kitchen objects and computer (1989)
Jingle-Jangle (text by Piotr Bikont) for 2 voices and synthesizer (1989)
Borders of nothing for synthesizer and computer (1990)
Man-Nature for computer (1991)
Homage to Charles Ives for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, viola, double bass, piano and percussion (1991-92)
instant reactions (text by Charles Baudelaire) for soprano, trumpet, guitar, synthesizer and percussion (1992)
Between for piano and tape * (1993)
Negev I for synthesizer (+ sampler) and percussion (1993)
Satan in Goray (ballet, scenario by the composer, after Isaac Bashevis Singer) for flute, violin, cello, piano and tape (1993)
legs sound installation (1993)
radio sculpture sound installation (1994)
passage sound installation (1994)
Der Erwählte (ballet, scenario by Marek Wortman, after Thomas Mann), bagpipes, soprano recorder (+ alto recorder, tenor recorder, bass recorder) for baroque trombone, lute, violin, viola da gamba, harmonium, synthesizer and 2 percussions (1994-95)
Homage to Barbara Zbrozyna for synthesizer and sampler (1997)
Surface en rotation for tape (1997)
Awakenings (ballet, scenario by Piotr Bikont, after Oliver Sachs) for speaker, soprano saxophone (+ tenor saxophone, percussion), synthesizers (+ samplers) (1 player) and interactive light-sound installation (1998)
The Heartpiece – Double Opera (opera, libretto by John King, the composer, after Heiner Müller) for soprano, electric guitar, string quartet, synthesizer (+ sampler) and drumkit, collaboration with John King (1999)
Out of the Depths Have I Cried unto Thee, O Lord… (texts from Psalms 23, 51, 102-03, 117, 130, 150) for mixed chorus and tape (2000)
Spiegelverkehrte Reise (text by Piotr Bikont) for soprano, actor and 2 CDs (2000)
El maale rahamim… – O God, Full of Mercy… (text from a Hebrew prayer) for mixed chorus and large orchestra (2001)
Norwid Songs (text by Cyprian Kamil Norwid) for soprano and piano (2001)
Trio for any 3 melody instruments (2001)
Der Zirkus ist gekommen (text by the composer) for soprano, dancer, flute, cello, piano, prepared piano and 2 CDs (2003)
V2R Trio (Grand River Trio) for clarinet, violin, piano and CD (2003)
to touch a snake from the inside sound installation (2003)
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Krzysztof Knittel Lyrics
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