Great Polish composers of the 20th century

Mieczysław Karłowicz (1876-1909) - born in the area of Vilnius, he received training in the violin, the grand piano, and the concertina in Warsaw, and studied composing in Berlin. His style was characterised by nostalgia, and even sadness, contradicting his rich instrumentation, typical of the last decade of the 19th century Polish arts. At first he used to compose songs, which he later abandoned completely for the sake of orchestral works. He took part in the works of the Warsaw Music Society board in an attempt to promote Polish contemporary music in the repertoire of the philharmonic. In 1907 he settled in the city of Zakopane. A solitary person that he was, mountains were his passion, and he photographed them during his many journeys. Sadly, he never returned from one of them, buried by an avalanche. 

Witold Lutosławski (1913-1994) - an alumnus of the Warsaw Conservatoire. Apart from training in the grand piano and the violin as well as in the art of composing, he also studied mathematics. During the war he earned a living playing for the entertainment of cafe guests together with A. Panufnik. A versatile artist, he ventured beyond classical music and composed works for the radio, the theatre, and even songs, including those for children (e.g.  for the writings of J. Tuwim). His innovative style is characterised by creativity, but at the same time by precision. He experimented with numerous different methods such as aleatorism, and conducted the performance of his own works on many occasions. He was presented with numerous national and international awards. 

Wojciech Kilar (born in 1932 in Lviv) - having finished his studies in Katowice, he had an opportunity to go on a scholarship to Paris, where he was trained under the guidance of Nadia Boulanger. In the 1950s and the 1960s, he wrote avant-garde music, but since the 1970s he has begun seeking inspiration in religious and folk traditions. His expressive works are still known to a wide audience today, mostly owing to more than 100 compositions for films such as "Ziemia obiecana" (1974), "Drakula" (1992), "Pan Tadeusz" (1999), "Pianista" (2001).

Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (born in 1933) - a student, and subsequently tutor, at the Katowice Music Academy (PWSM Katowice). At first he used to employ novel composition techniques, mostly sonorism. His works appear simplified due to the use of repetitions, series, and symmetrical structures. Gradually, the composer begun to make use of tradition, and introduce citations and stylisation. An album published in 1992, containing his 3rd Symphony which had been composed 16 years before, was an international success and went to the very top of the charts.