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'{{Refimprove|date=September 2021}} {{Short description|Polish composer and jazz pianist}} {{Infobox person | name = Krzysztof Komeda | image = | caption = | alt = | birth_name = Krzysztof Trzciński | alias = Christopher Komeda | birth_date = 27 April 1931 | birth_place = [[Poznań]], [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]] | death_date = 23 April 1969 (aged 37) | death_place = [[Warsaw]], [[Polish People's Republic|Poland]] | occupation = {{flatlist| * Composer * musician }} | years_active = 1952–1969 | spouse = {{marriage|Zofia Tittenbrun Trzcińska|1958}} | module = {{Infobox musical artist | embed = yes | background = solo_singer | genre = {{hlist|[[Jazz]] |[[Film music]]}} | instruments = [[Piano]] | label = [[Polskie Nagrania Muza]] }} }} '''Krzysztof Trzciński''' (27 April 1931 – 23 April 1969), known professionally as '''Krzysztof Komeda''',{{refn|Since 1967 credited as '''Christopher Komeda'''.|group=lower-alpha|name=note_a}} was a Polish film music composer and jazz pianist. Perhaps best known for his work in [[film score]]s, Komeda wrote the scores for [[Roman Polanski]]’s films ''[[Knife in the Water]]'' (1962), ''[[Cul-de-sac (1966 film)|Cul-de-sac]]'' (1966), ''[[The Fearless Vampire Killers]]'' (1967), and ''[[Rosemary's Baby (film)|Rosemary’s Baby]]'' (1968). Komeda's album ''[[Astigmatic (album)|Astigmatic]]'' (1965) is often considered one of the most important European jazz albums. British critic [[Stuart Nicholson (jazz historian)|Stuart Nicholson]] describes the album as "marking a shift away from the dominant American approach with the emergence of a specific European aesthetic."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jazz.com/music/2007/11/9/krzysztof-komeda-astigmatic |title=Krzysztof Komeda: Astigmatic – Jazz.com &#124; Jazz Music – Jazz Artists – Jazz News |access-date=4 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430123840/http://www.jazz.com/music/2007/11/9/krzysztof-komeda-astigmatic |archive-date=30 April 2011}}</ref> ==Biography== Born Krzysztof Trzciński, he chose Komeda as his [[stage name]] only upon graduation from university as a means of distancing himself as a jazz musician from his daytime job in a medical clinic.<ref>Małgorzata Kosińska, [https://culture.pl/en/artist/krzysztof-komeda Krzysztof Komeda] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103110201/http://www.culture.pl/web/english/resources-music-full-page/-/eo_event_asset_publisher/eAN5/content/krzysztof-komeda |date=2013-11-03 }} at Culture.pl website, Polish Music Information Center.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/krzysztof-komeda-mn0000775684|title=Krzysztof Komeda Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=24 September 2021}}</ref> He grew up in [[Częstochowa]] and [[Ostrów Wielkopolski]] where in 1950 he graduated from the 'liceum (high school) for Boys'. While at school, he participated in the Music and Poetry Club. After high school he entered the Medical Academy in [[Poznań]] to study medicine. He finished his six-year-long studies and obtained a medical doctor diploma in 1956. He chose to specialize as an [[otolaryngology]] physician. He took music lessons from early childhood; to become a virtuoso was his dream. He became a member of the Poznań conservatorium at the age of eight, but [[World War II]] thwarted his plans. Komeda explored the theory of music, and learned to play piano, during this period and later, until 1950; however, he was aware of the loss of the past six years.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} Komeda was interested in light and dance music. He met Witold Kujawski, a graduate of the same school and active as a swing bass player, at the gymnasium (high school) in Ostrów Wielkopolski. It was Kujawski who acquainted Komeda-Trzciński with jazz, and took him to [[Kraków]]. The romantic period of Polish jazz, called the catacombs, had its day in the spotlight. Jam sessions, in which such musicians as Matuszkiewicz, Borowiec, Walasek and Kujawski himself participated, took place in Witold's small apartment in Kraków.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} Some years later, it became clear why Komeda was fascinated with be-bop performed by [[Andrzej Trzaskowski]]. The fascination with jazz and the friendship with other musicians strengthened his connections with music, even though he was a doctor by profession. He worked for some time with the first, postwar, pioneer Polish jazz band, a group called Melomani that was from Kraków and Łódź, whose mainstays were Matuszkiewicz, Trzaskowski and Kujawski.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} Later, he played with pop groups from Poznań. One of them, Jerzy Grzewiński's group, soon transformed into a dixieland band. Komeda appeared with Grzewiński on the I Jazz Festival in [[Sopot]] in August 1956, but he achieved success performing with saxophonist [[Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski|Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróblewski]] and vibraphonist [[Jerzy Milian]], because dixieland did not meet Komeda's expectations at the time. He was more fascinated with modern jazz. Thanks to this passion, the Komeda Sextet was created. Krzysztof Trzciński used the stage name 'Komeda' for the first time when he worked at a laryngological clinic, and wanted to conceal his interest in jazz from co-workers. Jazz was beginning its struggle for respectability with the communist authorities in the era of 'the thaw' and with Polish society; jazz was regarded as a suspicious music of night clubs.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} The Komeda Sextet became the first Polish jazz group playing modern jazz, and its pioneering performances opened the way for jazz in Poland. He played jazz that related to European traditions and which was the synthesis of the two of the most popular American groups at that time: the [[Modern Jazz Quartet]] and the [[Gerry Mulligan]] Quartet.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} In the thirteen years after the I Sopot Jazz Festival, the artistic personality of Krzysztof Trzciński became more mature, crystallized and lyrically poetic. Krzysztof was, above all, a constantly searching poet who could find ways of individual expression of himself within jazz, in Slavic lyricism, and in the traditions of Polish music.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} ==1960s== {{unreferenced section|date=January 2016}} [[File:Krzysztof Komeda Poznań.jpg|thumb|upright|Krzysztof Komeda, fragment of commemorative plaque in [[Poznań]]]] The years 1956–1962 saw Komeda with his group taking part in domestic festivals and preparing ambitious programs. These were also the years of his first foreign successes in Moscow, Grenoble and Paris. A "Jazz and Poetry" programme was prepared for Jazz Jamboree '60, and later in Warsaw Philharmonic. Komeda's adventure with film music also began by this time. Scores for the films of [[Roman Polanski]] such as ''[[Knife in the Water (film)|Knife in the Water]]'' (1962), of [[Andrzej Wajda]] such as ''[[Innocent Sorcerers]]'' (1960), and of [[Janusz Morgenstern]] ''Good Bye, Till Tomorrow'' (also 1960) were created. This period, which in Komeda's artistic biography can be called the period of growing up and improving his own music language, was crowned with "Ballet Etudes" performed on Jazz Jamboree ’62. Although the reaction of domestic critics for the Etudes was rather cold, it opened the doors to Europe for Krzysztof Komeda Trzciński. Komeda visited Scandinavia for the first time in spring 1960, and he went back there every year thereafter. All of his performances at the 'Gyllene Cirkeln' (Golden Circle) in Stockholm and at the [[Jazzhus Montmartre|Montmartre Jazz Club]] in Copenhagen were a success. The Danish director Hennig Carlsen ordered music for his movies ''Hvad Med Os'', and ''[[Hunger (1966 film)|Sult]]'' (the movie based on [[Knut Hamsun]]'s novel ''Hunger''). Komeda also wrote the music for [[Henning Carlsen]]'s film ''[[The Cats (1965 film)|The Cats]]'' (''Kattorna'', 1965). Overall Komeda wrote more than 70 soundtracks. After successes in Scandinavia, came further successes: jazz festivals in Prague, Blend, Koenigsberg; toure of Bulgaria and both West and East Germany. Komeda stayed in Los Angeles in 1968 where he composed film music for Roman Polanski's ''[[Rosemary's Baby (film)|Rosemary’s Baby]]'' (with one of his most recognizable compositions, "[[Rosemary's Lullaby]]" sung by [[Mia Farrow]]) and [[Buzz Kulik]]'s ''[[Riot (1969 film)|Riot]]''. In December 1968, in [[Los Angeles]], Komeda had a tragic accident which led to a [[haematoma]] of the brain. He was pushed off an escarpment by writer [[Marek Hłasko]] during a drinking party. Roman Polański mentioned in his memoirs that as a result of friendly rough-and-tumble with Marek Hłasko, Komeda fell down and suffered head injuries. Medical treatment in the US hospital did not save his life. After being transported home to Poland in a coma and in a terminal state, he died in April 1969, aged 37. Hlasko himself died just two months later, aged 35. As a jazz musician, he exerted a crucial influence on creating an original style, often described as the Polish school of jazz, which subsequently influenced the Polish jazz scene's development after his death. Since 1995, the [[Komeda Jazz Festival]] has been held on a regular basis, including an International Composers' Competition. The goal of the competition is to promote young artists. ==Discography== [[File:Krzysztof Komeda vol.14.jpg|thumb|Cover of vol. 14]] ===Albums=== * ''I Sopot Jazz Festival 1956'' (Muza) * ''Crazy Girl'' (1962, Muza) * ''Etiudy Baletowe "Ballet Etudes"'' (1963, Metronome) * ''Jazz Jamboree'64 vol. 2'' (1964, Muza) * ''[[Astigmatic (album)|Astigmatic]]'' (1966, Muza) * ''Le Depart'' (1967, Philips) * ''Meine süsse europaische Heimat'' (c. 1967–1968, Columbia [EMI Germany]) * ''Cul-De-Sac'' (1966, Polydor) * ''[[Rosemary%27s_Baby_(film)#Music|Rosemary's Baby]]'' (1968, Dot Records) * ''The Riot'' (1968) ===Compilations=== * ''Muzyka Krzysztofa Komedy vol. 1-4'' (1974 - Muza) * ''Krzysztof Komeda'' (1989, Muza) * ''The Complete Recordings of Krzysztof Komeda vol. 1-23'' (1994-98 Polonia Records) * ''Genius of Krzysztof Komeda vol. 1-14'' (1996-2005 Power Bros) * ''Zofia Komeda Presents vol. 1-14'' (1998–2005, Power Bros) ===Appeared on=== * ''I Sopot Jazz Festival'' 1956 (Muza) *'' Jazz Believers'' (1958, RCA Victor) * ''Jazz Jamboree'60 nr. 4'' (1960, Muza) * ''Jazz Jamboree'60 nr. 1'' (1961, Muza) *'' Jazz Jamboree'60 nr. 2'' (1961, Muza) *'' Jazz Jamboree'60 nr. 4'' (1961, Muza) reedition * ''Jazz Greetings From The East'' (1964, Fontana) ===Film scores=== * ''[[Dwaj ludzie z szafa|Dwaj ludzie z szafą]]'' (1958) a.k.a. ''[[Two Men and a Wardrobe]]'' * ''[[Gdy spadaja anioly|Gdy spadają anioły]]'' (1959) a.k.a. ''When Angels Fall'' * ''Szklana gora|Szklana góra'' (1960) a.k.a. The ''Glass Mountain'' * ''Do widzenia, do jutra'' (1960) a.k.a. ''Good Bye, Till Tomorrow'' * ''[[Niewinni czarodzieje]]'' (1960) a.k.a. ''Innocent Sorcerers'' * ''[[Le Gros et le Maigre]]'' (1961) a.k.a. ''The Fat and the Lean'' * ''Cmentarz Remu'' (1961) * ''Ambulans'' (1961) (credited as Krzysztof Komeda-Trzciński) * ''Wyrok'' (1962) a.k.a. ''The Verdict'' * ''[[Ssaki]]'' (1962) a.k.a. ''Mammals'' (USA) * ''[[Knife in the Water (film)|Nóż w wodzie]]'' (1962) a.k.a. ''Knife in the Water'' * ''Jutro premiera'' (1962) a.k.a. ''Opening Tomorrow'' * ''Zbrodniarz i panna'' (1963) a.k.a. ''The Criminal and the Lady'' * ''Smarkula'' (1963) a.k.a. ''Teenager'' * ''Hvad med os?'' (1963) a.k.a. ''Epilogue'' * ''[[Les Plus belles escroqueries du monde]]'' (1964) (segment "La Rivière de diamants") a.k.a. ''World's Greatest Swindles'' * ''[[Kattorna]]'' (1965) a.k.a. ''The Cats'' (USA) * ''Pingwin'' (1965) a.k.a. ''Penguin'' * ''[[Prawo i piesc|Prawo i pięść]]'' (1966) a.k.a. ''The Law and the Fist'' * ''[[Cul-de-sac (1966 film)|Cul-de-sac]]'' (1966) * ''Markiza de Pompadour'' (1966) * ''Przedświąteczny wieczór'' (1966) a.k.a. ''Evening Before Christmas'' * ''Perły i dukaty'' (1966) * ''Ping-pong'' (1966) * ''Niekochana'' (1966) a.k.a. ''Unloved'' * ''[[Hunger (1966 film)|Sult]]'' (1966) a.k.a. ''[[Hunger (1966 film)|Hunger]]'' * ''[[Bariera]]'' (1966) a.k.a. ''Barrier'' * ''[[The Fearless Vampire Killers]]'' (1967) * ''[[The Departure (1967 film)|Le Départ]]'' (1967) * ''[[Människor möts och ljuv musik uppstår i hjärtat]]'' (1967) a.k.a. ''People Meet'' * ''[[Mia and Roman]]'' (1968) * ''[[Rosemary's Baby (film)|Rosemary's Baby]]'' (1968) * ''[[Riot (1969 film)|Riot]]'' (1969) * ''Hør, var der ikke en som lo?'' (1978) a.k.a. ''Did Somebody Laugh?'' * ''[[Rece do góry|Ręce do góry]]'' (1981) a.k.a. ''Hands Up!'' * ''[[The Kid Stays in the Picture]]'' (2002) (from "Rosemary's Baby" and "Lullaby") * ''Łódź płynie dalej'' (2004) ==Notes== {{notelist}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons category}} *{{official website|http://www.komeda.pl|Krzysztof Komeda}} – official site *{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p419570|label=Krzysztof Komeda}} *{{Discogs artist}} *{{IMDb name|id=0006156|name=Krzysztof Komeda}} {{Polish Academy Award for Best Film Score}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Komeda, Krzysztof}} [[Category:1931 births]] [[Category:1969 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century jazz composers]] [[Category:20th-century male musicians]] [[Category:20th-century pianists]] [[Category:Burials at Powązki Cemetery]] [[Category:Male film score composers]] [[Category:Male jazz composers]] [[Category:Male pianists]] [[Category:Melomani members]] [[Category:Musicians from Poznań]] [[Category:Polish film score composers]] [[Category:Polish jazz composers]] [[Category:Polish jazz pianists]]'