Paul Krzywicki, a Wyndmoor resident for 43 years, was an acclaimed principal player (tuba) with the Philadelphia Orchestra for 33 years.

by Len Lear

One thing I have learned during my 20 years at the Local is that the Chestnut Hill area is absolutely overflowing with supremely talented authors, musicians, artists, dancers and others in the creative arts. But right at the top of any list has to be Paul Krzywicki, 72, a Wyndmoor resident for 43 years. A now-retired principal player (tuba) with the Philadelphia Orchestra for 33 years, Paul was the recipient (in the mid-1980s) of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s C. Hartman Kuhn Award, given annually to an orchestra member who has “enhanced the musical standards and reputation of the Philadelphia Orchestra.”

Also a beloved member of the faculty of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, Krzywicki has labored for 10 years to complete his just-published book, “From Paderewski to Penderecki: The Polish Musician in Philadelphia,” a virtual encyclopedia with an astonishing 170 brief biographies intermingled with relevant historical information about this collection of meritorious performers.

“It became important to me that these amazing artists of Polish descent be remembered, commemorated and recognized for the ethnic sensitivities which formed their unique characters and made them extraordinary,” Krzywicki writes in the preface to the book, self-published through Lulu Publishing Company. “These men and women have given the world much to admire. To students, they have given an artistic standard to which to aspire.”

The Philadelphia Orchestra legend told us last week that he began research on the book after retiring 10 years ago.

“Learning the formats for writing and publishing were all new to me,” he said, “and now the sales and marketing are another learning experience. It is printed on-demand. My costs will never be recovered, but that was never a consideration. I just wanted to tell my story of the contribution of the Polish musicians that few know or have cared to pursue.”

Krzywicki did a good deal of his research on the internet through a number of historical collections. He also used the Curtis Institute of Music Library, Pennsylvania Historical Society Library, Philadelphia Public Library and Arcadia University. He obtained many photos through Polish Archives. “How can I single out some more than others?” he said when asked about his favorites. “In Philadelphia, for the past 100 years there has been no greater contributor to this city’s musical fame than Leopold Stokowski. The genius of Stokowski and Josef Hofmann, called by Rachmaninoff the ‘greatest pianist alive,’ are always in my mind when I think of this book.

“How I would have liked to have known and heard Marcella Sembrich Kochanska, who did more first performances in the Metropolitan Opera’s history than any other singer. Jean deReszke was called ‘the greatest operatic tenor of the last century.’ There has never been a pianist/statesman to compare to Paderewski, the greatest drawing card in American music history. Where do I stop? Yes, these artists, aside from Stokowski and Paderewski, are little known today, and I think in general that the Poles themselves have not sought nor received the publicity that has been deserved.”

Krzywicki, who is deserving of a biography himself, grew up in the city’s Mayfair section. His father was a general physician and a good pianist who played throughout his life and through most of his practice “continued to study the piano, primarily with Bernard Cortese, who had been a student of Josef Hofmann, the first major Director of the Curtis Institute of Music. My mother had been a nurse with my father at Hahnemann, but like most families in those days when they had kids, was a stay-at-home mom. All of their four children studied piano.”

The entire Krzywicki clan is so talented musically, they could have put together their own family ensemble. Paul’s brother, Jan, is Professor of Musical Studies at Temple University and also lives in Wyndmoor. His wife, Susan, is on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music. Paul’s brother, Philip, plays French horn in the U.S. Air Force Band in Washington, D.C. Paul’s sister, Terry (Teofila), is a retired music teacher in Massachusetts, “but sadly, none of us ever had our father’s amazing ability to improvise and sound like George Shearing.” Paul’s wife, Joan, is President-Elect of the Suzuki Association of the Americas.

Paul did not become a musician himself until he was a 15-year-old junior at St. Joseph’s Prep. That story is amusing: “My German teacher, Fr. Pichla, who was also the moderator of the Prep band, was always trying to recruit students for the band and especially me since he knew I was a pianist. (Conspicuously, I got out of school early on several Fridays a year to attend the Philadelphia Orchestra 2 p.m. concerts.) One day, Fr. Pichla had a German test and proclaimed that anyone who got below a certain grade had to come to the band room and polish instruments. As you may have guessed, I had to polish instruments, and the one chosen for me was a sousaphone.

“While there, he told me the band really needed me, especially on a trombone or tuba. I just couldn’t argue with a priest and said I would try the trombone; why would anyone want to try a sousaphone! The trombone teacher was truly awful and provided no motivation whatsoever to continue. Taking the instrument back to Fr. Pichla, I thought this was over.

“Not so. Once again I couldn’t say no to him and agreed to come and meet the tuba teacher. The tuba teacher was absolutely thrilled to have someone who was a musician already and could not have been more encouraging. When I put that ‘thing’ over my shoulder and blew a couple of notes, I loved the sound and gave it a try. Within three months I was making a few dollars at the Mummers Parade playing in the Comic Division and playing in Italian bands twice a week with my teacher.”

Paul first studied advanced tuba at the Aspen Music Festival for the summer before attending Indiana University, where he received a degree and was a teaching assistant. He then played a variety of ensembles before joining the Philadelphia Orchestra, one of the best in the world.

“My high school friends tell me that I talked about getting into the Philadelphia Orchestra, but frankly I don’t recall that ... I would have settled for any decent orchestra. Little did I know how fortunate I would be … The historic trip to China in 1973 will always have a great importance in my memories of orchestra tours. We were the first large group from the U.S. sent by Nixon to ignite relations with the Chinese government after a long period of isolation … The European tour which first included Warsaw was also very moving and inspiring for me. I had never been to the land of my ancestors.”

The Krzywickis’ children, Jill, 40, and John, 37, both studied Suzuki violin but abandoned that pursuit by the time they graduated from high school. Jill teaches 5th grade at Colonial Elementary School and lives in Erdenheim. John is an emergency medical technician in Phoenix, Arizona. Both have two children of their own.

“Paderewski to Penderecki” is available from www.lulu.com (ISBN 9781483442679).