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The1
stCompetition.TheDifficultBeginnings
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Kaden-Bandrowski’sopinionwassharedbytheentirePolishmusicenvi-
ronment,andsohebecameaspokespersonfortheGPolish-ness’ofboth
Chopin’smusicandforthecomingCompetition.Inanextensiveprogram-
maticarticlepublishedon13thNovember1926,thedaybeforetheChopin
monumentwasunveiledattheRoyalŁazienkiPark,thewriterarguedthat:
Byestablishingthistournament,weareattractingtoPolandanentirehostofyoung
performers,whowillnotonlycompeteforlaurelsaspianists,butalsomostlikely
gettoknowtheMaestro’shomeland,atleastinsomepart–hisbirthplace,thecity
wherehegrewup,thelandscape,andPolishculture.Weareconvincedthatthose
fewdaysoftheirstaywillmaketheyoungartistsaware–betterthananygenealogi-
calstudies–thatChopin’sgenuinePolish-nessisundoubtableandindisputable.[ś]
Thequestionremains,however,ofwhetherrepresentativesofforeignpianismand
musicshouldserveonthejury.TheimportanceoftheCompetitionverdicts,aswell
astherulesofcourtesyandhospitality,demandthatforeignmusiciansbegivenacer-
tainrepresentationinthejury[ś]ifnotforanyotherreason,thenatleastsothat
theydonotsay,incaseaPolishpianistwins,thatweawardedtheprizetoourselves17.
Inlatertextsonthissubject,KadeninsistedonhisvisionoftheChopinCom-
petitionasacelebrationofthebesthithertomusicaltraditionsofthePolish
nation:“Itisofparamountimportancethatthemosteminentandfamous
representativesoftheChopinstyleshouldsitonthejury.ThepersonsIhave
inmindare,firstandforemost,ŚliwińskiandMichałowski.”18Nevertheless,
asthedateoftheinaugurationwasdrawingnear,Kadenalsobegantocom-
plainaboutthemoreandmoreevidentlogisticdeficiencies:
Fundsforthispurpose[i.e.ensuringthattheChCwouldbecomeacyclicevent]
mustbefound,notonlyforthesakeofthepropagandaeffect,butalsofordeeper
reasons.WhatisatstakeistheestablishmentofthegreattraditionofthePolish
pianostyle,andthecompleteidentificationofChopin’sartwiththecitywherehe
wasraisedandwithPoland.[ś]TalkingoftheGwidemasses’,itisalsoevidentthat
theCompetition’spressofficehasnotdemonstratedsufficientflexibility.Neither
theforeigncountriesnorPolandhave,untiltheverylastmoment,receivedsuffi-
17jkb.[J.Kaden-Bandrowski],MiędzynarodowykonkursChopin)awWarszawie
wstyczniu1927r.[TheInternationalChopinCompetitioninWarsawinJanuary1927,
“Świat”1926,No.46,pp.3–4.Inthelastparagraphtheauthortookcaretocriticisethe
ParisianPleyelcompanyforsendingtotheCompetitionasagiftawrong(chamber-music)
modelofapianoandaskedthe(hopefullyonlyrhetorical)question:“Couldthisinstrument
beexchangedinthesamemanufactureforamorepowerfulone?”
18jkb.[J.Kaden-Bandrowski],Międzynarodowykonkursim.Chopin)awWarszawie[The
InternationalChopinCompetitioninWarsaw],“Świat”1927,No.2,p.14.Inhisaccount
oftheopeningceremony(PierwszywielkiTurniejartystycznywodrodzonejOjczyźnie[The
FirstGreatArtisticTournamentinOurRebornFatherland],“Świat”1927,No.5,p.13)Kaden
revealedthatJózefŚliwińskididnotjointhejurybecausehetookoffenceattheorganisers
forsendinghimtheinvitationattoolateadate.
