Légende

The Légende for violin and piano was written in the autumn of 1945. The work’s title refers to one of the most popular Polish miniatures for violin – Henryk Wieniawski’s Légende, op. 17. There are many similarities between the two works, including in their form, the rhythmic subdivisions in the piano part, and the intense climax, with a similar glissando as in the Wieniawski and a rapidly descending scale progression, in the violin part.

Yet Grażyna Bacewicz’s musical language is more innovative, distinguished by an interesting harmonic layer, characteristic of this composer, and an airy, somewhat mysterious, melody in the violin. As with Wieniawski, the Légende is in three sections, where the contrasting middle section, with its slower tempo and gentler sonorities, is of a more delicate character and offers respite between the outer sections, filled with hidden unrest.

The proposed fingering is based largely on the ideas and propositions given by the composer in the autograph manuscript of the work. Bacewicz herself was an excellent violinist and knew perfectly well how to prepare a work to meet the requirements of comfortable and effective instrumental performance. I am convinced that Grażyna Bacewicz’s Légende will come to be readily played both by pupils at secondary-level schools of music and by many world-renowned artists.