Composer, distinguished educator and conductor. Rybicki studied composition under the direction of Roman Statkowski and Emil Młynarski, and conducting under Henryk Melcer at the Warsaw Conservatory. He then honed his compositional skills under Witold Maliszewski and Ludomir Różycki.
As a conductor, he led amateur and professional choirs (the Oratory Choir at the Warsaw Philharmonic). He also taught choral singing in Warsaw secondary schools, and was a teacher at the Mieczysław Karłowicz School of Music and at the College of Music. During the Second World War, he performed in Warsaw cafés and taught the piano. His experience in teaching gave rise to many educational piano compositions for children and adolescents. These pieces are characterised by a tonal language with elements of retro music and stylised folk, interesting harmonies and distinct structures, and often make use of classical genres and formal arrangements. These were collected in series including Gram wszystko [I Can Play Everything] op. 22, Mały Modernista [Young Modernist] op. 23, Już gram [I Am Already Playing] op. 24, Pierwsze kroki [First Steps] op. 19, Zaczynam grać [I Begin to Play] op. 20 and Album for the piano. Rybicki also composed orchestral works, including Oryl [Lighterman] op. 42, the Krakowiaks suite op. 29 and Koncert dla małych rąk [Concerto for Little Hands] for piano and orchestra op. 53; film music (Michał Waszyński’s Professor Wilczur), theatre music; and music for radio plays. Rybicki won many awards. He received, among others, the Prime Minister’s Award for creative output for children, a Polish Radio / ZAiKS* award for songs for youth, and a Ministry of Culture and Art award for his educational work.
* Związek Autorów i Kompozytorów Scenicznych - Polish Society of Authors and Composers
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