Henryk Górecki
Henryk Górecki |
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Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (pronounced 'HENrik MeeKOwai gooRETSki') (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 was 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.
Biography
Attending the Katowice State Higher School of Music from 1952, Górecki 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.
Style
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.
Selected Works
- 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