Alexandre Tansman's Biography

Alexandre Tansman was born in 1897 in Łódź, Poland. During that time the country did not exist as a nation, being part of Tsarist Russia. He was born in a wealthy family and he began his first musical studies at the Łódź Conservatory, but his doctoral study was in law at the University of Warsaw. Shortly after completing his studies, he moved to Paris where his musical ideas were accepted and encouraged by people like Igor Stravinsky and Maurice Ravel who had a strong influence on his style, a place opposed to the more conservative musical climate in his native Poland. While in Paris, Tansman associated with a crowd of foreign-born musicians known as the École de Paris; though Honegger and Milhaud tried to persuade him to join Les Six, he declined, stating a need for creative independence.(he later wrote a biography of Stravinsky that was well-received)
Though he spoke French and even married a French pianist – Colette Cras, Tansman always described himself as a Polish composer. In 1941, fleeing Europe as his Jewish background put him in danger with Hitler's rise to power, he moved to Los Angeles (thanks to the efforts of his friend Charlie Chaplin in getting him a visa), where he made the acquaintance of Arnold Schoenberg. He composed the score for at least two Hollywood movies - Flesh and Fantasy, starring Barbara Stanwyck; and a biopic of the Australian medical researcher Sister Elizabeth Kenny, starring Rosalind Russell. He scored six films in all. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1946 for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, for Paris Underground (there was a huge field of 21 nominations, and the winner was Miklós Rózsa for Spellbound).

After the war, he returned to Paris though, his disappearance from the European musical scene left him behind the musical currents of the time, and no longer fresh in the minds of the public, which slowed his previously fast-rising career.

The avant-garde style has invaded the French musical world, as Tansman decided to return to his musical roots, drawing on his Jewish and Polish background to create some of his greatest works. During this time he began reestablishing connections to Poland, though his career and family kept him in France.

According to the Paris-based Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs, Tansman used the name "Stan Alson" when he composed jazz music. He was not only an internationally recognized composer but a virtuoso pianist. From 1932-33 Tansman performed worldwide for audiences including Emperor Shōwa of Japan and Mahatma Gandhi; he was regarded as one of the greatest Polish musicians. Later he embarked on five concert tours in the United States, including as a soloist under Serge Koussevitsky with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as having a thriving career in France as a concert performer.

Tansman's music is written in the French neoclassical style of his adopted home, and the Polish styles of his birthplace, drawing on his Jewish heritage. Already on the edge of musical thought when he left Poland (critics questioned his chromatic and sometimes polytonal writing), he adopted the extended harmonies of Ravel in his work and later was compared to Alexander Scriabin in his departure from conventional tonality. After Chopin, Tansman may be the leading proponent of traditional Polish forms such as the polonaise and the mazurka; they were inspired by and often written in homage to Chopin. For these pieces, which ranged from lighthearted miniatures to virtuoso showpieces, Tansman drew on traditional Polish folk themes and adapted them to his distinctive neoclassical style. However, he did not write straight settings of the folk songs themselves.

Tansman is probably most popular for his guitar pieces, mostly written for guitarist Andrés Segovia—in particular the Suite in modo polonico (1962), a collection of Polish dances. Segovia frequently performed this work in recordings and while on tour and today it is part of the standard guitar repertoire. Tansman’ss music has been performed by musicians such as Andres Segovia, Walter Gieseking, José Iturbi, Jane Bathori, József Szigeti, Pablo Casals, and Gregor Piatigorsky.
Alexandre Tansman died in Paris in 1986. Anually, the Alexandre Tansman competition for promising musicians is held in his honor in Łódź, in order to promote his music and the local culture.