Jerzy Boczkowski

Jerzy Boczkowski (born April 24, 1882 in Włocławek [1], died April 5, 1953 in Warsaw) - Polish composer, theater director, journalist, president of the Union of Stage Authors and Composers in 1936-1947. Education He was the son of Józef and Maria née Chałupczyńska[1]. In 1900 he graduated from the real gymnasium in Warsaw, and then studied at the polytechnics in Warsaw, Prague and Berlin[1]. However, he did not earn an engineering degree. In 1925 he married Helena Ziółkowska[1]. Career 1908-1917 editor of Nowa Gazeta[1], in 1915 music director of the Żywa Mucha theater in Warsaw, 1917 literary and artistic director of the Miraż cabaret, then of the Argus cabaret. In 1919 he was a co-founder of the Qui Pro Quo cabaret, then its literary and artistic director and co-director until 1930 and co-owner (since 1921) together with Seweryn Majde. In 1921 he was the manager of the Wodewil theater. In 1931, co-director of Melodram, which he founded together with Leon Schiller. The theater only ran one season. In 1932, he briefly resumed the activities of Qui Pro Quo, and after its liquidation, he was the director of the Morskie Oko theater for one season. Boczkowski's last undertaking before World War II was the Małe Qui Pro Quo cabaret founded in 1937, located on the first floor of the Ziemiańska cafe. During the war, from 1941, he was the director of the official Złoty Ul Theater located at Nowy Świat Street. Theaters of this type were condemned, and participation in their activities was forbidden by the Secret Theater Council. Despite this, revues such as W ululanym hive - the bees got drunk with honey or Let's wet our feet were staged there. In March 1944, the theater was renamed Vaudeville. The inaugural performance was the French farce Mr. Naczelnik i am ja, in which Antoni Fertner played the main role. The play was later remade by Boczkowski as a musical comedy. After the war, in 1945, he created the Różowy Balonik theater operating in Warsaw's Praga district, referring to traditional pre-war cabarets. After its dissolution, he was the first post-war president of the Union of Stage Authors and Composers. He held this position until 1947. He was the composer of many songs, including The Echoes of the Café with his own text, I have a little boy for Copernicus with words by Julian Tuwim performed in the Qui Pro Quo cabaret by Hanka Ordonówna, Na Czerniakowska with words by Konrad Tom or Ty will you forget about the summer adventure. Author of the operettas Another One (1916) and Toy Box (1917). For Qui Pro Quo he wrote the one-act operettas On the Bright Shore and Pomponette. He also composed music for cabaret sketches. He rests at the Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw (section 39, row 3, grave 1/2)[2].