Organist, composer and teacher. He was born on April 12, 1906 in Szczaworyż near Busko-Zdrój, and died on September 16, 1989 in Warsaw. His first organ teacher was Stanisław Pachlewski. In 1922-26 he studied at the Salesian Organist School in Przemyśl. In 1933-36 he studied organ with Bogusław Rutkowski and composition with Kazimierz Sikorski at the State Conservatory of Music in Warsaw. In the 1930s he was an organist at the Holy Family Church in Warsaw. During the 2nd World War he stayed in Warsaw, working as a violinist, accordionist and drummer at the “Mirage” café at Nowy Świat street and in the restaurant „Huragan” at Marszałkowska street and regularly performing the organ at the Savior’s Church and piano at the secret concerts held in private homes (including at Mirosław Dąbrowski and Piotr Perkowski). In 1945-70 he was an organist at the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw, in 1953-70 he also led the Świętokrzyski Choir, with which in 1959 he won the 1st prize at the Competition of Church Choirs of the Archdiocese of Warsaw. In 1946 to 1984 Feliks Rączkowski performed over 800 times in churches, concert halls, schools, Polish Radio and Polish Television. He has played all over Poland, in most European countries (including the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris) and in the United States. His repertoire included organ pieces from world literature, particularly Polish compositions by Jan Podbielski, Andrzej Rohaczewski, Piotr Żelechowski, Wincenty Wacław Rychling, Feliks Nowowiejski, Kazimierz Jurdziński, Gustaw Roguski, Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz and Marian Sawa. He has made many radio and TV recordings as well as recordings for record companies also on the historic organs in Leżajsk, Kamień Pomorski and Oliwa. He was also a teacher–  at the Organist School in Przemyśl (1929-33, 1936-37), the Warsaw Conservatory (from 1937), and after the war at the State Higher School of Music in Warsaw, also holding the position of vice-dean of the Instrumental Department (1958-68) and head of the Department of Organ (1973-76). In 1973 he was awarded the title of professor. He educated a group of outstanding organists, incl. Andrzej Chorosiński, Mirosław Perz, Augustyn Bloch, Stanisław Moryta, Marian Sawa, Marietta Kruzel-Sosnowska, Urszula Ptaszyńska-Grahm, Maria Terlecka, Jerzy Erdman, Tadeusz Olszewski. He also worked at the Music School of Karol Kurpiński in Warsaw, and during the last years of his life at the Institute of Musicology of the Academy of Catholic Theology. He was a juror of organ competitions in Warsaw, Łowicz, Kraków, Graz and Linz. He organized and ran organ festivals in Kamień Pomorski, Koszalin and Oliwa. He also initiated summer concerts in the parish church in Kazimierz Dolny. He was a member of the Association of Polish Art Musicians SPAM and the Club of Catholic Intelligentsia. Feliks Rączkowski was honored, among others, by Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1973), Award of the Minister of Culture and Art, 1st degree (1976), papal decoration „Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” (1979), Award of the Blessed Brother Albert (1980), Władysław Pietrzak (1984). His compositional output includes pieces for organ, a cappella choir, songs for voice with organ and many arrangements of Polish church songs.

więcej na www.culture.pl