Henryk Górecki
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Henryk Górecki at work in his studio |
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (born
December 6,
1933 in
Czernica,
Silesia) is a
Polish composer of
classical music. Though his earlier work in the late 1950's and 1960's were characterised by a dissonant modernism influenced by
Nono,
Stockhausen and contemporaries
Penderecki and
Serocki, he moved in the mid 1970's towards a 'pure' sacred minimalist sound encapsulated by the 1976
Symphony No. 3. Gorecki has since progressed through several distinct styles, from the reverence of
Beatus Vir (1979), to the meditative
Miserere (1981), to the spiritualism of
Good Night (1990).
He is married to pianist
Jadwiga Ruranska and has two children - Anna, also a pianist, and Mikolaj, a composer.
Attending the
Katowice State Higher School of Music from 1952, Gorecki studied under the composer
Bolesłav Szabelski, a former student of
Karol Szymanowski. His first public performances were held in Katowice in February 1958, and showed clear influence from both Szymanowski and
Bartók. By 1961 he had progressed to the
modernism of
Webern,
Xenakis and
Boulez and was at the forefront of the Polish
avant-garde, with his Symphony No. 1 gaining international acclaim at the Paris Biennial Festival of Youth.
While continuing his studies in
Paris, Górecki was influenced by contemporary composers such as
Anton Webern,
Olivier Messiaen and
Karlheinz Stockhausen, composers which were at the time suppressed by the Polish government.
In 1975 Górecki was appointed Professor of
Composition at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice, but resigned his post in 1979, in protest against the government's refusal to allow
Pope John Paul II to visit the city.
Górecki's music covers a variety of styles, but tends towards relative
harmonic and
rhythmical simplicity. Considered the founder of the
New Polish School, his first works were in the
avant-garde style of
Pierre Boulez and other
serialists, but his later music is more often compared to
minimalism, often being labeled "holy minimalism". Like
Arvo Pärt and
John Tavener, his works often reflect his religious beliefs (Górecki is a
Catholic).
Górecki's most popular piece is his
Third Symphony, subtitled
Symphony of Sorrowful Songs (
Symfonia pieśni żałosnych). Slow and contemplative, the three movements are composed for
orchestra and solo
soprano. The words of the first movement are from a
15th century lament; the words of the second from a teenage girl, Helena Błażusiak, written on the wall of a
Gestapo prison cell in
Zakopane to invoke the protections of the
Virgin Mary; the third movement is a
folk song.
* Four Preludes, Op. 1, (Piano), 1955
* Three Songs, Op. 3, 1956
* Sonata for Piano, Op. 6, (Violins), 1956
* Songs for Joy and Rhythm, Op.7, 1956
* Sonata, Op. 10, 1957
* Epitafium, Op. 12, (Choir and Instrumental), 1958
* Symphony No. 1, Op. 14, (Strings and Percussion), 1959
* Monologhi, Op. 16, (Soprano and three instrumental groups), 1960
* Three Pieces in an Old Style, (String Orchestra), 1963
* Genesis III, Op. 19, 1963
* Choros I, Op. 20, (String Orchestra), 1963
* Cantata for organ, Op. 26, 1968
* Ad Matrem, Op. 29, 1971
* Two Sacred Songs, Op. 30, 1971
*
Symphony No. 2 'Copernican', Op. 31, 1972
* Amen, Op 34, 1975
*
Symphony No. 3 'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs', Op. 36, 1976
* Beatus Vir, Op. 38, (Baritone, Choir and Orchestra), 1979
*
Miserere, Op. 44, (Choir a Cappella), 1981
* O Domina Nostra, 1985
* Totus Tuus, Op. 60, 1987
* Good Night, Op. 63, 1990
* Male Requiem Dla Pewnej Polki, Op 66, (Piano and Instruments), 1993
* Niech Nam Zyja I Spiewaja, (Choir), 2000
*
*
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki interview with Bruce Duffie*
USC Polish Music Center biography
