Lucia Dlugoszewski was a Polish-American composer, poet, choreographer, performer, and inventor.
12 Facts About Lucia Dlugoszewski
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Lucia Dlugoszewski developed a unique approach to the grand piano called the "timbre piano," which involved using objects on the strings and playing the piano's interior with percussion mallets, hands, or other methods.
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Lucia Dlugoszewski invented many percussion instruments, including Unsheltered Rattles, Tangent Rattles, Square Drums, and Ladder Harps.
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Lucia Dlugoszewski is known for her long association with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company, for which she first composed in 1951.
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Lucia Dlugoszewski served as the company's music director until Hawkins's death in 1994, after which she became its artistic director.
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The daughter of Polish immigrants, Dlugoszewski was born and raised in Detroit.
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In 1950, Lucia Dlugoszewski moved to New York City, where she became based for the rest of her life.
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In New York, Lucia Dlugoszewski became involved with the New York School of experimental composers, collaborating with artists and exploring new approaches to composition.
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Lucia Dlugoszewski began working with dancer and choreographer Erick Hawkins in 1951; they married in 1962 but kept their wedding a secret until after Hawkins' death in 1994.
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Lucia Dlugoszewski's compositions have been recorded for Nonesuch Records, Folkways, CRI, and other important contemporary music labels.
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Lucia Dlugoszewski contributed music for chamber ensemble to the soundtrack of the 1962 avant-garde film Guns of the Trees, directed by Jonas Mekas.
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Lucia Dlugoszewski was inspired by her teacher Edgard Varese, who used electronic tools to create disorienting and exciting new sonorities.