Rajchman Aleksander – (18 February 1855, Warsaw – 18 December 1915, Warsaw) – Journalist, music and theatre critic, organizer of musical life.
He completed his schooling in Warsaw and his higher education in Lwów and Munich. He was a contributor to the editorial boards of "Ognisko Domowe," "Tygodnik Ilustrowany," "Kurier Warszawski," and "Gazeta Handlowa." Between 1883 and 1907 he was the publisher of "Echo Muzyczne, Teatralne i Artystyczne,” its co-editor from 1885, and editor-in-chief from 1895 after the death of Jan Kleczyński.
Co-initiator (1898, together with Emil Młynarski) of the founding of the Warsaw Philharmonic. From its origins in 1901, he held the position of its director until 1908. In the 1907/1908 season, he also directed the opera of the Warsaw Theatre Directorate. He stepped down as director of the Warsaw Philharmonic following a sharp conflict with the music community of Warsaw. He ran a concert agency in Paris for several years. From 1914, he was again the manager of the opera at the Teatr Wielki (Polish National Opera) in Warsaw.
He ran a well-known art salon in Warsaw. His son, Ludwik, was an eminent bacteriologist.
References
- Echo Muzyczne, Teatralne i Artystyczne 1883–1907, comp. W. Poźniak, Vol. 1, Kraków 1973 [introduction].
- M. Gołębiowski, Filharmonia Warszawska 1901–1976, Kraków 1976.
- Kultura muzyczna Warszawy drugiej poł. XIX wieku, Warsaw 1980.
- W. Okręt, Rocznik naukowo-literacko-artystyczny na rok 1905, Warsaw 1905.
- Polski słownik biograficzny, ed. E. Rostworowski, Wrocław 1987.
- Słownik biograficzny teatru polskiego, Vol. 1, ed. Z. Raszewski, Warsaw 1973.
- S. Szenic, Cmentarz Powązkowski 1891–1918, Warsaw 1983.
- „Tygodnik Ilustrowany” 1915, no. 52.
Text based on: Błaszczyk L.T., "Żydzi w kulturze muzycznej ziem polskich w XIX i XX wieku. Słownik biograficzny", Warsaw 2014 (book published with the support of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage and the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland).
