Henryk Górecki's Spiritual Awakening and Its Socio
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DARKNESS AND LIGHT: HENRYK GÓRECKI’S SPIRITUAL AWAKENING AND ITS SOCIO-POLITICAL CONTEXT By CHRISTOPHER W. CARY A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF MUSIC UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2005 Copyright 2005 by Christopher W. Cary ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Christopher Caes, who provided me with a greater understanding of Polish people and their experiences. He made the topic of Poland’s social, political, and cultural history come alive. I would like to acknowledge Dr. Paul Richards and Dr. Arthur Jennings for their scholarly ideas, critical assessments, and kindness. I would like to thank my family for their enduring support. Most importantly, this paper would not have been possible without Dr. David Kushner, my mentor, friend, and committee chair. I thank him for his confidence, guidance, insights, and patience. He was an inspiration for me every step of the way. Finally, I would like to thank Dilek, my light in all moments of darkness. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1 Purpose of the Study.....................................................................................................1 Need for the Study and Methodology...........................................................................2 2 POLAND’S SOCIO-POLITICAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY: WORLD WAR II THROUGH 1968............................................................................................4 Socialist Realism: 1949-54...........................................................................................8 Years of Transition and “The Thaw”: 1955-1960 ......................................................11 The October Revolution of 1956 ................................................................................13 The “Warsaw Autumn” Festival: 1956.......................................................................15 “Our Little Stabilization”: 1960-1968 ........................................................................16 3 BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: GÓRECKI, THE MAN..................................17 Life and Works ...........................................................................................................17 War, Health, and Nationalism ....................................................................................21 Catholicism and Folk Culture.....................................................................................23 4 POLAND’S SOCIO-POLITICAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY: 1968 (THEWATERSHED YEAR) AND BEYOND..........................................................27 Negative Spirituality...................................................................................................29 Positive Spirituality: a Cultural Renaissance..............................................................30 1970 and 1976.............................................................................................................35 5 BASIC STYLE FEATURES: GÓRECKI, THE COMPOSER..................................37 Early Period ................................................................................................................37 Transition to Middle Period........................................................................................40 Introduction to Middle Period: The Lyrical and Spiritual Turn .................................41 iv Consistent Style Features and New Approaches ........................................................43 6 A NEW SIMPLICITY: WORKS FOR VOICE AND ORCHESTRA.......................46 Do Matki (Ad Matrem) Op. 29 (1971) for Soprano Solo, Mixed Choir, and Orchestra................................................................................................................46 Symphony No. 2 “Copernican” Op. 31 (1972) for Baritone Solo, Mixed Choir, and Orchestra................................................................................................................51 Symphony No. 3 “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs” Op. 36 (1976) for Soprano Solo and Orchestra.................................................................................................54 Beatus Vir Op 38 (1979) for Baritone Solo, Choir, and Orchestra.............................59 7 CONCLUSIONS AND OBSERVATIONS ...............................................................64 Solidarity: 1980 and Beyond ......................................................................................64 “Vintage 33” and Artistic Counterparts......................................................................67 Górecki’s Current Style and Musical Legacy.............................................................70 LIST OF REFERENCES...................................................................................................74 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .............................................................................................77 v Abstract of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Music DARKNESS AND LIGHT: HENRYK GÓRECKI’S SPIRITUAL AWAKENING AND ITS SOCIO-POLITICAL CONTEXT By Christopher W. Cary December 2005 Chair: David Z. Kushner Major Department: Music The music of Henryk Górecki (b. 1933) holds a unique place in the pantheon of Western music. This reclusive Polish composer achieved sudden and unforeseen acclaim during the last decade of the twentieth century, and his compositions have become an important addition to the art music repertoire. “Darkness and Light” examines the religious, social, political, and personal currents of Górecki’s life, and seeks to illuminate how these forces shaped his unique artistic aesthetic. This investigation recounts the composer’s stylistic evolution as he emerged from the avant-garde decade of the 1960s following the post-Stalin cultural “thaw” into a period of spiritual and religious awakening during the 1970s. Górecki’s middle period was characterized by large-scale orchestral compositions artfully combined with vocal resources. During these years, he composed many of his most ambitious works, including Ad Matrem Op. 29 (1971), two vi of his three symphonies [Symphony No. 2 “Copernican,” Op. 31 (1972), and Symphony No. 3 “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs,” Op. 36 (1976)], and Beatus Vir Op. 38 (1979). Górecki’s religiosity emerges with great forcefulness in his middle compositional period. With the vestiges of Stalinist formalism and the ravages of communism a painful memory, Górecki finally enjoyed the freedom to write a personal and spiritual music. These emotional works are replete with references to the composer’s firsthand experiences and Poland’s embattled heritage. This body of music stands in direct contrast to his avant-garde explorations of the previous decade, and it brought the composer recognition and admiration by many audiences throughout Europe and the United States. What accounts for the composer’s stylistic shift? This study demonstrates that Górecki’s transition to a simplified and spiritual music was prompted by strong personal convictions awaiting an appropriate time for expression. It also establishes that his music was influenced by a sweeping cultural current that defined the decade for many Polish artists, including fellow composers Krzystof Penderecki (b. 1933) and Wojciech Kilar (b. 1932). Members of a younger generation, such as the renowned poet and essayist Adam Zagajewski (b. 1945), were likewise inspired by this cultural shift. The origin of this current is isolated and discussed in the context of Poland’s socio-political environment. This atmosphere reveals Poland’s struggle against the imposed influence of neighboring powers. Finally, this presentation addresses the complex dilemma that faced many Polish artists who experienced the challenges of developing a uniquely Polish aesthetic in a war- ravaged nation with continually shifting physical boundaries. vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Purpose of the Study One of the intriguing trends currently underway in musicological study involves the role of historical, political, and sociological context. In the past, many musicologists have reached no further than musical scores as a reservoir of meaning. Others have chosen a more humanistic approach and have sought to place musical works decisively in their historical context before drawing conclusions about the nature of the compositions. This study serves two purposes: first, I demonstrate the need for historical context by presenting an extreme example of a composer whose works simply cannot be fully understood without knowledge of the events that frame them. Secondly, I establish important links in the socio-political context of twentieth-century Poland that account for the Polish composer Henryk Górecki’s compositional turn to a more lyrical and spiritual language in the 1970s. For many listeners, there seem to be two conflicting sides of Górecki’s personality: the avant-garde composer of the 1960s and the composer of tonal and accessible works written in the 1970s. An investigation of several important works establishes a connection between Górecki’s