Felix Borowski 1872-1956

[giles.enders]

John Henry Felix Borowski  Born 10 March 1872 Burton, Westmoreland (now Cumbria), England - Died 6 September 1956 Chicago, USA.
He was the youngest of three children.¹ The son of Bruno Borowski, a Polish schoolmaster and an English mother who is described as a 'professor of music'.
Emigrated to Chicago, USA in 1897 and became a naturalised citizen in 1919. He married his first wife Edith in 1897 and later married Elsa who was thirty years his junior. With Edith they had two children ². He became professor of music at North Western University. 


Orchestral

Symphony No.1  1931
Symphony No.2  1933
Symphony No.3  1938
Elegie Symphonique  1917
'Le Printemps Passionne'  Tone poem  1920
Three pictures for orchestra: Portrait of a Young Girl, The Garden of Night, The Festival.  1918
'Youth', fantasie overture. 1922
'Ecce Homo'  1923
'Semiramis'  1924
'The Mirror'  1953
Piano Concerto in D Minor  1913   ( two piano arrangement  1921) pub. by The Composer's Music Corporation NY
Allegro de Concert for organ and orchestra 1915
Two pieces for string orchestra: Capuscula, Serenade.   pub. by Joseph Williams

Chamber

String quartet No.1  1897
String quartet No.2  1928
String quartet No.3  1944
Schoumka - cosak dance for violin and piano 1895   pub. by Laudy & Co
Duxieme Mazur for violin and piano 1897   pub. by Laudy & Co.
Caprice Pompadour for violin and piano 1898
'Adoration'  in D major for violin and piano  1898  pub. by F W Chariot
Chanson du berceau for violin and piano  1899   pub. by H B Stevens
Danse rustique for violin and piano  1899   pub. by H B Stevens
Aria for violin and piano  1902   pub. by Laudy & Co.
Sonnet d'Amour for violin or cello and piano  1902  pub. by Metzler & Co.
Serenade Espanole for violin and piano  1903   pub. by Gould & Co.
Villanelle for violin and piano  1904  pub. by Laudy & Co.
Humouresque for violin and piano 1904   pub. by Laudy & Co.
Cantilene for violin and piano  1906  pub. by T Presser
Five morceaux for violin and piano - Invocation, Menuet l'Antique, Passepied, Elegie, Valsette.   pub. by Laudy & Co.
Canzonetta for violin and piano  1921   pub. by Composer's Music Corporation  NY
Air gai for violin and piano  1937   pub. by Carl. Fischer, New York
Air romantique for violin and piano   pub. by Carl. Fischer,  New York

Piano

Melodie  1896   pub. by Laudy & Co.
Minuetto-caprice   pub. by T Presser & Co.
Air a Danser   pub. by Laudy & Co.
Grand sonata 'Russe'  1898   pub. by Augener & Co.also by Laudy & Co.
Three novellettes  No.2  Minuet  pub. by Laudy & Co.
Morceaux de Genre - Gavotte, Danse Hongoraise, Valse-Barcarolle, Duo d'Amore, Orientale, Au Son de la Musette.  pub. by Laudy & Co.
Lyric Album  1897 pub. by Laudy & Co.
L'Amazone  1895  pub. by Laudy & Co.
Deaux morceaux - Episode de bal, Babillage  1898   pub. by H B Stevens
Caprice - Pompadour   pub. by Laudy & Co.
Trois morceaux - La Capricieuse, Pas de danse, Valse mignonne  1902   pub. by O Ditson & Co.
Three pieces for piano - Nuit de Printemps, Chanson Triste, Intermezzo Caprice   pub. by T Presser & Co.
Danse Mignonne also for piano duet  1897   pub. by Edwin Ashdown & Co.
Deaux Esquises  Op.5/1 L'Enfant dort, Op.5/2 L'Enfant S'amuse   pub. by Joseph Williams & Co.
Gavotte  1906
Two mazurkas  pub. by Augener & Co.
Mazurka Russe  1898  pub. by C Woolhouse. 
Melodie lyrique  1897  pub. by Edwin Ashdown
Troi morceaux - Nocturne, Valse-Scherzo, Menuetto-caprice
Nocturne lyrique  1921   pub. by Composer's Music Corporation
Caprietto  1924   pub. by Composer's Music Corporation
Pas des Perrots
Three pieces improvises - Bagatelle, Valse des Fleurs, Burlesque
Pieces pittoresques - Ballet feerique, Marquis et Marquise, Valse Romantique, Passepied, Madrigal, Scene de Ballet
Sept preludes  1901


Song

An Awakening  words by A R Aldrich  1912  pub. by T. Presser & Co. Philadelphia.
Baby Mine  words by F Locker  1898   pub. by H B Stevens  Boston
Longing    1898  pub. by H B Stevens  Boston
Love in Spring  words by T Wratislaw  1911  pub. by T Presser & Co.  Philadelphia
Love's Message  words by S Cassilis  1898   pub. by H B Stevens
A Memory   pub. by H B Stevens.
My true love hath my heart  words by Sir Philip Sidney   pub. by H B Stevens & Co.
A New Year's Burden  words by D G Rossetti   pub. by J Fischer & Bro.
A Proposal  words by B Taylor
Shadowtown  pub. by H B Stevens 1898
The Song of Tristram  words by T Todhunter   pub. by T Presser & Co.
When I am dead, my dearest  words by C Rossetti  pub. by T Presser & Co.
Winter and Spring  4 part song  words by Felix Borowski  pub. by J Fischer & Bro.
Sighs  4 part song   pub. by J Fischer & Bro.

Ballet - Pantomime

Boudour  1919

Satiric Opera

Fernando del Nonsensico  1935


Other

Three organ sonatas  1904  pub. by Laudy & Co.

Elegy for cello and choral vocalaise  pub. by J Fischer & Bro.
'Little Match Girl' for Narrator and orchestra  1943
Requiem for a Child  1944


¹
Rupert Albert Borowski1880 - 3.5.1918
Helena L  Borowski 1870-
John Henry Felix Borowski  10.2.1872 - 6.9.1956

²
Olga Borowski 1899 -
Leopold Borowski 1900 -

[thalbergmad]

It is beyond reason how the Piano Concerto has thus far escaped our beloved record labels.

I personally rate it almost as high as the Rozycki.

Thal

[eschiss1]

I was thinking of this composer recently because of his three Shoumkas (šumkas?) for piano (one for violin and piano) composed around the turn of the 20th century (Shoumka Ukrainienne nos.1 & 2 and Shoumka.) The composer himself was a British/American of Polish ancestry, which makes me curious about Borowski's interest and its source (perhaps it stems from one of the dedicatees - Mr. Sapelnikoff, Mme Neruda or Paderewski- who may have taken an interest themselves? Unknown territory to me...)

[Gareth Vaughan]

I may have noted this on another thread in the dim distant past but the orchestral material for Borowski's Piano Concerto, which is a superb piece IMHO, can be hired from Carl Fischer Music, N.Y. It is scored for: Solo Pno.; 2 2 2 2 - 4 2 3 1; Timp. Str.
The 3 symphonies and a number of other orchestral works (3 Pictures for orchestra, Semiramis, Rococco Suite for strings, Ecce Homo, The Mirror, 2 pieces for string orchestra, Fantaisie Overture - Youth, and Le Printemps passione) are in Fleisher. Only the Allegro de Concert for organ and orchestra and the Elegie Symphonique are missing.
The full orchestral score of the 3 Pictures is available at IMSLP as also the 2-piano score of the PC.
I do not know where the score and parts of the Allegro de Concert can be found. However, they certainly exist as a performance of that work which can be heard here attests: https://www.pipedreams.org/episode/2017/08/28/concert-pieces It begins at 42.02 with an informative spoken introduction.
I have not been able to locate the Elegie Symphonique, alas!

[cypressdome]

Gareth,

Borwoski's holograph scores and manuscript parts to the works you seek are in the collection of the Rosenthal Archives of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  The scores and parts to about a dozen of his other works are also there.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Brilliant! Thank you so much for letting me know - that has saved me a lot of work. I am very grateful.

[CelesteCadenza]

Borowski's Suite Rococo, Crépuscle, and Sérénade have been recorded by Reuben Blundell and the Gowanus Arts Ens on a CD titled "American Romantics II" for the New Focus Recordings label.
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8390788--american-romantics-ii

Two other volumes in that series, with the same conductor, are:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8436651--american-romantics-vol-3
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8120730--american-romantics

Borowski's Overture for a Pantomine is available at archive.org in a 1943 broadcast recording by Fabian Sevitzky and the Indianapolis SO; the announced introduction has some background information on the composer:
https://archive.org/details/cd_wellejus-godron-broadstock-guarnieri-borow_henning-wellejus-hugo-godron-benton-broads
The same archive has a copy of Borowski's 1916 book with the somewhat immodest title "Everything Known in Music" from google books:
https://archive.org/details/everythingknown00healgoog/page/n42/mode/2up

[Recorddude]

To my knowledge the Borowski piano concerto has not been performed in 110 years so I'm curious about the knowledge of how it sounds. Perhaps from reading the score or hearing the two piano version.

But I wanted to let those interested know that it will be performed in October by the Saratoga Sym Orchestra with pianist Dan Glover.

A private recording will be made available in some form.

[Alan Howe]

Thank you very much for your post - and I'm sure we'd be extremely interested in knowing about any recording that is made - if it is made available.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Absolutely. I echo Alan's thanks and request for any news about a recording. My opinion about the merits of this concerto, incidentally, is based on a knowledge of the two-piano score.

[Maury]

A first symphony at 60. What is the record for starting one's symphonic career?

[Recorddude]

Borowski's piano concerto was performed yesterday for the first time in 110 years. The performance was by the Saratoga Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Jason Klein with the pianist Dan Glover.
The audience, conductor, pianist and orchestra players all enjoyed the music greatly. A professional recording will be available in the not too distance future. A preliminary iphone recording can be had now via email.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks for keeping us up to date with this project. If you were able at some point to indicate how to get hold of the recording I'm sure we'd all be very grateful.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Yes, please. Thank you in anticipation.

[Martin Eastick]

Can I echo Alan's sentiments! Both the Borowski concerto and those of Eduard Schütt should have been done by Hyperion, but there was always an excuse as to why these works were overlooked....!

As it would seem that the scores (and parts) of Borowski's symphonies, as well as at least some of his other orchestral works survive, this surely could be an exciting recording project. I wonder if Martin Anderson would be interested, possibly with Ian Hobson and the Sinfonia varsovia, once the Moszkowski project has been completed!