Henryk Górecki Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
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Henryk Mikolaj Górecki’s Third Symphony, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, hit #6 on the UK pop charts and spent 38 weeks at #1 on the Billboard classical chart. Born in 1933 in Czernica, Poland, he studied at the Academy of Music in Katowice and later became a professor and rector there. His music was featured in films such as Suicide Squad 2016 and Mr. Nobody 2009. He died in 2010 from a lung infection.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Henryk Mikolaj Górecki — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Henryk Mikolaj Górecki by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Henryk Mikolaj Górecki — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Henryk Mikolaj Górecki was born on 6 December 1933 in Czernica, Slaskie, Poland, and grew up surrounded by music. He attended the Szafrankowie Brothers State School of Music before enrolling at the Academy of Music in Katowice in 1955, where he studied composition under Boleslaw Szebelski.
Górecki’s career breakthrough came with his Third Symphony, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, composed in 1976. A 1992 recording featuring soprano Dawn Upshaw and the London Sinfonietta conducted by David Zinman reached #6 on the British pop charts. It also spent 38 weeks at #1 on the Billboard classical chart, making Górecki the first living composer to top that chart. His music appeared in films such as Suicide Squad 2016, Mr. Nobody 2009, and Beautiful Boy 2018. He served as a professor and later rector at the Academy of Music in Katowice from 1968 to 1979, resigning to protest the government’s refusal to allow Pope John Paul II to visit.
Górecki married Jadwiga Górecki in 1959, and they remained together until his death in 2010. The couple had two children: a son, Mikolaj Górecki, who also became a composer, and a daughter, Anna Górecka. A devout Catholic, his faith influenced his life and work.
The Third Symphony brought Górecki commercial and critical success, reaching a mainstream audience rarely achieved by classical music. In October 2010, President Bronislaw Komorowski awarded him the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest honor. His music continues to be performed worldwide and has been used in film and television.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Henryk Mikolaj Górecki — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Henryk Mikolaj Górecki — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
On Political Music: My Dear, It Would Be Terrible Poverty of Life If Music Were Political. I Cannot Imagine It, Because What Does This Mean – ‘Political Music?’ That Is Why I Ignore Questions About Political Music, Because Music Is Music. Painting Is Painting. I Can Be Involved in Some Political Ideals That Would Be My Personal Life.
On Audience: I Think About My Audience but I Am Not Writing for Them. If I Were Thinking of My Audience and One Likes This, One Likes That, One Likes Another Thing. I Would Never Know What to Write. Let Every Listener Choose That Which Interests Them. I Have Nothing Against One Person Like Mozart or Shostakovich or Leonard Bernstein, but Doesn’t Like Gorecki. That’s Fine with Me. I Too Like Certain Things.
Little-known facts about Henryk Mikolaj Górecki — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
A recording of his Third Symphony, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, with soprano Dawn Upshaw and David Zinman conducting the London Sinfonietta, reached #6 on the British pop music charts in the early 1990s.
The same recording of Symphony of Sorrowful Songs spent nearly three years on the Billboard classical chart, holding the #1 spot for 38 weeks, making Górecki the first living composer to have a recording reach #1 on that chart.
He is survived by his wife Jadwiga Górecki, his son Mikolaj Górecki, and his daughter Anna Górecka-Stańczyk.
From 1955 to 1960, Górecki studied at the Music Academy of Katowice under Boleslaw Szebelski. He joined the faculty in 1968, became a professor in 1972, and served as rector from 1975 to 1979, resigning in protest over the government’s denial of Pope John Paul II’s visit.
Górecki received honorary doctorates from the University of Warsaw, the Music Academy in Krakow, Concordia University in Quebec, and an honorary fellowship from Cardiff University.
In October 2010, Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski awarded Górecki the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest honor.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Henryk Mikolaj Górecki.
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