Marian Sawa
Composer, organist and teacher; was born on January 12, 1937 in Krasnystaw; died April 27, 2005, Warsaw. He studied organ with Feliks Rączkowski (graduated in 1963) and composition with Kazimierz Sikorski (graduated in 1968) at the State Higher School of Music in Warsaw. Already during his studies, he was an organist in the Garrison Church in Warsaw (1956-66). From 1966 he worked at the State Secondary Music School Józef Elsner in Warsaw, from 1973 at the Academy of Music in Warsaw, from 1992 to 2003 at the Department of Church Musicology at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, from 2002 at the Complex of State Music Schools No. 4 in Warsaw. As an organist he has collaborated with many bands and artists, incl. Jerzy Artysz, Jadwiga Gadulanka, Pola Lipińska, Bernard Ładysz, Anna Malewicz-Madey, Leonard Andrzej Mróz, Wiesław Ochman, Jerzy Połomski, Sława Przybylska, Kazimierz Pustelak, Ryszarda Racewicz, Jadwiga Rappé, Paulosna Raptisowa; over the years he formed an organ duo with Marietta Kruzel-Sosnowska, with whom he performed his own pieces written for the organ for two performers. He has recorded organ works for record companies – Polskie Nagrania, DUX, Veriton, Polonia Records, MTJ, Acte Préalable, as well as for Polish Radio and Polish Television. He has given concerts in Poland and abroad, incl. in Belgium, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and the former Soviet Union. The unusually rich compositional output of Marian Sawa includes primarily organ and choral pieces. His compositions have been presented at many recitals and festivals, incl. International Festival of Sacred Music „Gaude Mater” in Częstochowa, Laboratory of Contemporary Music in Białystok, Festival „Wratislavia Cantans”, Organ Conversatorium in Legnica, International Festival Musica Sacra in Łódź, International Festival of Religious Music. Fr. Stanisław Ormiński in Rumia, Warsaw Music Meetings, at organ music festivals in Frombork, Gniezno, Kamień Pomorski, Kazimierz nad Wisłą, Koszalin, Koronowo, Kraków, Legnica, Leżajsk, Lublin, Łódź, Morąg, Oliwa, Olsztyn, Pelplin, Radom, Rumia , Poznań, Sejny, Szczecin, Warsaw, Władysławowo, and also abroad (including Belgium, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Russia, Italy and the United States). A special organ festival was organized in Sejny entirely devoted to his music. He was a member of the ZAiKS Authors’ Association and the Musica Sacra Association. He has sat on the juries of organ, choir and composition competitions many times. Marian Sawa has received many awards and distinctions for his work as a composer, incl. in 1969, 1st prize at the Young Polish Composers 'Competition for the piece Assemblage for orchestra (1969), in 1987 3rd prize at the Composers’ Competition announced by the Main Board of the Polish Association of Choirs and Orchestras for the rural diptych for mixed choir a cappella. He was also a laureate of record prizes: in 2000, the 1st prize at the 15th International Festival of Films and Multimedia in Niepokalanów for the album Marian Sawa – Organ Music I, in 2001 the nomination of the album Marian Sawa – Organ Music II for the „Fryderyk 2001” award. In addition, he was honored with the Award of the Minister of Education and Upbringing for outstanding achievements in didactic and educational work (1975), the Award of the Minister of Culture and Arts of the 2nd degree (1979), and the Golden Cross of Merit (1985). In 2006 in Warsaw, on the first anniversary of the composer’s death, the Society of Marian Sawa.
