Wojciech Kilar (; 17 July 1932 – 29 December 2013) was a Polish classical and

film music A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

composer. One of his greatest successes came with his score to Francis Ford Coppola's '' Bram Stoker's Dracula'' in 1992, which received the

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

Award and the nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Music. In 2003, he won the César Award for Best Film Music written for '' The Pianist'', for which he also received a BAFTA nomination.

Biography

Kilar was born on 17 July 1932 in Lwów (then

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

; since 1945 Lviv in

UkrSSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

, now

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

). His father was a

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined ...

and his mother was a theater actress. Kilar spent most of his life from 1948 in the city of Katowice in Southern Poland, married (from April 1966 to November 2007) to Barbara Pomianowska, a pianist. Kilar was 22 years old when he met 18-year-old Barbara, his future wife.

Education

After studying piano under Maria Bilińska-Riegerowa and harmony under

Artur Malawski Artur is a cognate to the common male given name Arthur, meaning " bear-like," which is believed to possibly be descended from the Roman surname Artorius or the Celtic bear-goddess Artio or more probably from the Celtic word ''artos'' ("bear"). ...

, he moved from

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

to Katowice in 1948, where he finished his music middle school in the class of

Władysława Markiewiczówna Władysława Markiewiczówna (5 February 1900 in Bochnia – 17 May 1982 in Katowice) was a Polish pianist and renowned educator. She studied in the Conservatory of the Musical Society in Kraków (nowadays Academy of Music in Kraków) in the p ...

, after which he went to the State College of Music (now the Music Academy) in Katowice where he studied piano and composition under

Bolesław Woytowicz Bolesław Woytowicz (5 December 189911 June 1980) was a Polish pianist and composer. Woytowicz was born in Dunaivtsi. In 1924 he was appointed a piano and music theory teacher in the Warsaw Conservatory, where he had been trained under Aleksander ...

, graduating with top honours and the award of a diploma in 1955 He continued his post-graduate studies at the State College of Music (now the Music Academy) in

from 1955 to 1958. In 1957 he took part in the International New Music Summer Course in Darmstadt. In 1959–60 a French government scholarship enabled him to study composition under

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Music career

Kilar belonged (together with

Bolesław Szabelski Bolesław Szabelski (3 December 1896 in Radoryż – 27 August 1979 in Katowice) was a Polish composer of modern classical music. While his style shifted and varied over the course of his life, he is best known for his atonal work composed duri ...

, his student

Henryk Górecki Henryk Mikołaj Górecki ( , ; 6 December 1933 – 12 November 2010) was a Polish composer of contemporary classical music. According to critic Alex Ross, no recent classical composer has had as much commercial success as Górecki. He became a l ...

and

Krzysztof Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best known works include ''Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', '' Polish Requiem'', ' ...

) to the Polish Avant-garde music movement of the Sixties, sometimes referred to as the New Polish School. In 1977 Kilar was one of the founding members of the Karol Szymanowski Society, based in the mountain town of

Zakopane Zakopane ( Podhale Goral: ''Zokopane'') is a town in the extreme south of Poland, in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of Nowy Sącz Voivodeship; since 1999, it has been ...

. Kilar chaired the Katowice chapter of the Association of Polish Composers for many years and from 1979–81 was vice chair of this association's national board. He was also a member of the Repertoire Committee for the "Warsaw Autumn" International Festival of Contemporary Music. In 1991 Polish filmmaker

Krzysztof Zanussi Krzysztof Pius Zanussi (born 17 June 1939) is a Polish film and theatre director, producer and screenwriter. He is a professor of European film at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland where he conducts a summer workshop. He is ...

made a biographical film about the composer titled ''Wojciech Kilar''. Having received critical success as a classical composer, Kilar scored his first domestic film in 1959, and went on to write music for some of Poland's most acclaimed directors, including

Krzysztof Kieślowski Krzysztof Kieślowski (; 27 June 1941 – 13 March 1996) was a Polish film director and screenwriter. He is known internationally for '' Dekalog'' (1989), ''The Double Life of Veronique'' (1991), and the ''Three Colours'' trilogy (1993 –1994 ...

Kazimierz Kutz Kazimierz Julian Kutz (16 February 1929 – 18 December 2018) was a Polish film director, author, journalist and politician, one of the representatives of the Polish Film School and a deputy speaker of the Senate of Poland. Biography Kazimierz ...

and

Andrzej Wajda Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the ...

. He worked on over 100 titles in his home country, including internationally recognised titles such as ''Bilans Kwartalny'' (1975), '' Spirala'' (1978), ''

Constans Flavius Julius Constans ( 323 – 350), sometimes called Constans I, was Roman emperor from 337 to 350. He held the imperial rank of '' caesar'' from 333, and was the youngest son of Constantine the Great. After his father's death, he was mad ...

'' (1980), ''Imperativ'' (1982), ''Rok Spokojnego Słońca'' (1984), and ''Życie za Życie'' (1991), plus several others in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and across other parts of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. He made his English-language debut with Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of '' Dracula''. His other English language features —

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a ( né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, tw ...

's trio '' Death and the Maiden'' (1994), ''

The Ninth Gate ''The Ninth Gate'' is a 1999 neo-noir horror thriller film directed, produced, and co-written by Roman Polanski. An international co-production between the United States, Portugal, France, and Spain, the film is loosely based upon Arturo Pérez ...

'' (1999) and '' The Pianist'' (2002), and

Jane Campion Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films ''The Piano'' (1993) and '' The Power of the Dog'' (2021), for which she has received a tot ...

's '' The Portrait of a Lady'' (1996) — were typified by his trademark grinding basses and

cellos The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

, deeply romantic themes and

minimalist In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post– World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Do ...

chord progressions. In addition to his film work, Kilar continued to write and publish purely classical works, which have included a horn sonata, a piece for a wind quintet, several pieces for chamber orchestra and choir, the acclaimed Baltic Canticles, the epic ''

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

'' (famous as the trailer music from ''

Schindler's List ''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the 1982 novel ''Schindler's Ark'' by Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. The film f ...

'' and the main theme of

Terrence Malick Terrence Frederick Malick (born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker. His films include '' Days of Heaven'' (1978), '' The Thin Red Line'' (1998), for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenp ...

's '' Knight of Cups''), a Concerto for Piano and Orchestra dedicated to Peter Jablonski, and his major work, the ''September Symphony'' (2003). Having abandoned Avant-garde music technical means almost entirely, he continued to employ a simplified musical language, in which sizable masses of sound serve as a backdrop for highlighted melodies. This occurs in those compositions that reference folk music (especially Polish Highlander

Gorals The Gorals ( pl, Górale; Goral dialect: ''Górole''; sk, Gorali; Cieszyn Silesia dialect, Cieszyn Silesian: ''Gorole''), also known as the Highlanders (in Poland as the Polish Highlanders) are an indigenous ethnographic or ethnic group primar ...

folk melodies) and in

patriotic Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...

and religious pieces.

Illness and death

During the summer of 2013, Kilar manifested signs of poor health, such as

fainting Syncope, commonly known as fainting, or passing out, is a loss of consciousness and muscle strength characterized by a fast onset, short duration, and spontaneous recovery. It is caused by a decrease in blood flow to the brain, typically from ...

and elevated blood pressure, but attributed those symptoms to his heart problems. However, in September he fell while on the street. He was admitted to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a

brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...

, though news of his illness was only publicly released after his death. He underwent a successful surgery to remove the tumor, which caused no serious side–effects; Kilar was very optimistic and continued to work after the operation. In addition, he underwent radiotherapy for six weeks, a process which left 81-year-old Kilar physically exhausted. In early December 2013, Kilar left the hospital to return to his residence in Katowice. As he did not have any children, he was taken care of by his niece. He was also regularly visited by a

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

and received the Holy Communion twice during the Christmas season. His condition deteriorated on 28 December and on the morning of Sunday, 29 December 2013, Kilar died. Following the cremation of his body, Kilar's funeral was held on 4 January 2014 at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Katowice. After the service, his ashes were laid to rest alongside those of his wife.

Works

Later in life, Kilar composed symphonic music,

chamber works Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

and works for solo instruments. January 2001 saw the world premiere of his ''Missa pro pace'' (composed for a full symphony orchestra, mixed choir and a quartet of soloists) at the National Philharmonic in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. The work was written to commemorate the Warsaw Philharmonic's centennial. In December 2001, it was performed again in the

Paul VI Audience Hall The Paul VI Audience Hall ( it, Aula Paolo VI) also known as the Hall of the Pontifical Audiences is a building in Rome named for Pope with a seating capacity of 6,300, designed in reinforced concrete by the Italian architect Pier Luigi N ...

in the presence of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. His 1984 composition ''Angelus'' was used in the motion picture '' City of Angels''; ''Orawa'', from 1988, found its use in the Santa Clara Vanguard's 2003 production, "Pathways". For most of his life, Kilar's output was dominated by music for film with a small but steady stream of concert works. Post 2000, he turned to "music of a singular authorship". Since his 2003 '' September Symphony, (Symphony No.3)'', a four-movement full scale symphony written for the composer's friend

Antoni Wit Antoni Wit (born February 7, 1944) is a Polish conductor, composer, lawyer and professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. Between 2002 and 2013, he served as the artistic director of the National Philharmonic in Warsaw. Life and caree ...

, Kilar returned to absolute music. ''September Symphony'' was the first symphony by the composer since 1955's ''Symphony for Strings'' (along with another student symphony) and Kilar considered it his first mature symphony (composed at age 71). From 2003, Kilar had been steadily producing large scale concert works. His ''Lament'' (2003) for unaccompanied mixed choir, his Symphony No.4 ''Sinfonia de Motu'' (Symphony of Motion) from 2005 written for large orchestra, choir and soloists, his ''Magnificat''

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

from 2006, Symphony No.5 ''Advent Symphony'' from 2007 and another large mass, ''Te Deum'' premiered in November 2008. Kilar was quoted as saying that he believed he had discovered the

philosopher's stone The philosopher's stone or more properly philosophers' stone (Arabic: حجر الفلاسفة, , la, lapis philosophorum), is a mythic alchemical substance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold (, from the Greek , "gold", ...

, and that "there was nothing more beautiful than the solitary sound or concord that lasted eternally, that this was the deepest wisdom, nothing like our tricks with sonata allegros, fugues, and harmonics." Kilar's works have been performed by several major international orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the

Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Se ...

, and the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

Awards

Wojciech Kilar odbiera medal Per Artem Ad Deum (2009)

Wojciech Kilar received numerous awards for his artistic activity and achievements, including prizes from the

Lili Boulanger Marie Juliette "Lili" Boulanger (; 21 August 189315 March 1918) was a French composer and the first female winner of the Prix de Rome composition prize. Her older sister was the noted composer and composition teacher Nadia Boulanger. Biography ...

Foundation in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

(1960), the Minister of Culture and Art (1967, 1975), the Association of Polish Composers (1975), the Katowice province (1971, 1976, 1980), and the city of Katowice (1975, 1992). He was also awarded the First Class Award of Merit of the Polish Republic (1980), the Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation Prize in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

(1984), the Solidarity Independent Trade Union Cultural Committee Arts Award (1989), the

Wojciech Korfanty Wojciech Korfanty (; born Adalbert Korfanty; 20 April 1873 – 17 August 1939) was a Polish activist, journalist and politician, who served as a member of the German parliaments, the Reichstag and the Prussian Landtag, and later, in the Polish ' ...

Prize (1995), the "Lux ex Silesia" Prize bestowed by the Archbishop and Metropolitan of Katowice (1995), and the Sonderpreis des Kulturpreis Schlesien des Landes Niedersachsen (1996). Kilar's film scores have also won him many honors. He received the best score award for the music to '' Ziemia obiecana'' (''The Promised Land'') (dir.

) at the Festival of Polish Films in Gdańsk in 1975. This was followed by the

Prix Louis Delluc The Louis Delluc Prize (french: Prix Louis-Delluc ) is a French film award presented annually since 1937. The award is bestowed to the Best Film and Best First Film of the year on the second week of each December. The jury is composed of 20 members, ...

, which Kilar was awarded in 1980 for the music to an animated film titled ''

Le Roi et l'Oiseau ''The King and the Mockingbird'' (french: Le Roi et l'Oiseau, ) is a 1980 traditionally-animated fantasy film directed by Paul Grimault. Prior to 2013, it was released in English as '' The King and Mister Bird''. Begun in 1948 as ''La Bergère ...

/ The King and the Mockingbird'', (dir.

Paul Grimault Paul Grimault (; 23 March 1905 – 29 March 1994) was one of the most important French animators. He made many traditionally animated films that were delicate in style, satirical, and lyrical in nature. His most important work is '' Le Roi et l ...

). One year later he collected an award at the

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

International Film Festival for the music to ''Papież Jan Pawel II /

/ Da un paese lontano: Papa Giovanni Paulo II'' (dir.

). Perhaps his greatest success came with his score to Francis Ford Coppola's '' Dracula'', for which Kilar shared the 1993

Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Producers in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

(along with 7 other people and 5 other movies), and was also nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Music in a science fiction, fantasy, or horror film in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

in 1993. In 2003, he won the César Award for Best Music written for a film, for '' The Pianist'', at France's 28th César Awards Ceremony in 2003, for which he also received a BAFTA nomination. On this movie's published soundtrack he composed "Moving to the Ghetto Oct. 31, 1940" (duration: 1 minute 52 seconds), with the other 10 tracks being works by Frédéric Chopin; the music in the actual movie also includes pieces by

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

and

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

. The Polish State Cinema Committee honored Kilar with a lifetime achievement award in 1991, while in 1976 he was decorated with the Cavaliers' Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...

. In November 2008 Kilar was awarded the Grand Cross of the

List of major awards

*The French

Prize for composition (1960) *The Polish Ministry of Culture and Arts Award (1967 and 1976) *The Polish Composers Union Award (1975) *The French Prix

Louis Delluc Louis Delluc (; 14 October 1890 – 22 March 1924) was an Impressionist French film director, screenwriter and film critic. Biography Delluc was born in Cadouin in 1890. His family moved to Paris in 1903. After graduating from the university, ...

(1980) *The Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation Award (1984, USA) *The Polish Cultural Foundation Award (2000) *Co-Winner (with 7 other people and 5 other movies) of the 1993

Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Producers in

for his score for the Francis Ford Coppola horror film '' Bram Stoker's Dracula. *Nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Music in a science fiction, fantasy, or horror film, for '' Bram Stoker's Dracula'' (

, 1993) *Winner of the César Award for Best Music written for a film, for '' The Pianist'', at France's 28th César Awards Ceremony in 2003 *Nominated for the

Anthony Asquith Award This is a list of winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Original Music, formerly known as the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music, which is presented to film composers, given out by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts si ...

for Film Music, for '' The Pianist'', at Britain's 2003 BAFTA Awards

Film music

* ''Nikt nie woła'' (''Nobody's calling'', 1960) * ''

Milczące ślady ''Milczące ślady'' is a 1960 Polish drama film directed by Zbigniew Kuźmiński. Cast * Lech Wojciechowski as Kolacz * Witold Skaruch as Professor * Ryszard Kotys as Stusina * Włodzimierz Skoczylas as Driver Szelongiewicz * Irena Laskows ...

'' (1961) * ''

Spotkanie w "Bajce" ''Spotkanie w "Bajce"'' (Café From The Past) is a 1962 Polish psychological drama film directed by Jan Rybkowski. Also known as ''Meeting in the Fable'', it was produced by Film Polski, and starred Aleksandra Śląska, Gustaw Holoubek, Andrzej Ł ...

'' (''Café From The Past'', 1962) * ''Tarpany'' (''Wild Horses'', 1962) * ''Głos z tamtego świata'' (''Voice from beyond'', 1962) * ''Milczenie'' (''Silence'', 1963) * ''

Pięciu ''Pięciu'' ("Five") is a 1964 Polish drama film directed by Paweł Komorowski. Cast * Marian Kociniak as Kazio * Andrzej Zaorski as Staszek * Bogusław Sochnacki as Rysiek * Ryszard Pietruski as Bernard Kalus * Tadeusz Kalinowski as Wala * ...

'' (1964) * ''

Three Steps on Earth ''Three Steps on Earth'' ( pl, Trzy kroki po ziemi) is a 1965 Polish drama film directed by Jerzy Hoffman and Edward Skórzewski. It was entered into the 4th Moscow International Film Festival where it won a Silver Prize. Cast * Irena Orska a ...

'' (''Trzy kroki po ziemi'', 1965) * '' Salto'' (''Somersault'', 1965) * ''

Marysia i Napoleon ''Marysia i Napoleon'' (Mary and Napoleon) is a Polish historical film. It was released in 1966. The film is set in two time periods: modern and historical. Plot A young French historian, Napoleon Beranger, comes to Warsaw on a foreign scholarshi ...

'' (1966) * ''Piekło i niebo'' (''Hell and heaven'', 1966) * ''Bicz Boży'' (''God's Whip'', 1967) * '' Sami swoi'' (1967) * ''

Westerplatte Westerplatte is a peninsula in Gdańsk, Poland, located on the Baltic Sea coast mouth of the Dead Vistula (one of the Vistula delta estuaries), in the Gdańsk harbour channel. From 1926 to 1939, it was the location of a Polish Military Transi ...

'' (1967) * '' The Doll'' (''Lalka'', 1968) * ''

Salt of the Black Earth ''Salt of the Black Earth'' ( pl, Sól ziemi czarnej) is a Polish historical film that takes place during the Second Silesian Uprising. It was directed by Kazimierz Kutz and released in 1970. The film was selected as the Polish entry for the Best ...

'' (''Sól ziemi czarnej'', 1969) * '' The Structure of Crystal'' (''Struktura kryształu'', 1969) * ''

Family Life Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

'' (''Życie rodzinne'', 1970) * '' The Cruise'' (''Rejs'', 1970) * '' Lokis. A Manuscript of Professor Wittembach'' (''Lokis. Rękopis profesora Wittembacha'', 1970) * '' Pearl in the Crown'' (''Perla w Koronie'', 1971) * '' Bolesław Śmiały'' (''King Boleslaus the Bold'', 1972) * '' The Illumination'' (''Iluminacja'', 1973) * ''Opętanie'' (''Possession'', 1973) * ''Zazdrość i Medycyna'' (1973) * ''

Hubal In Arabian mythology, Hubal ( ar, هُبَل) was a god worshipped in pre-Islamic Arabia, notably by the Quraysh at the Kaaba in Mecca. The god's idol was a human figure believed to control acts of divination, which was performed by tossing ar ...

'' (1973) * ''

A Woman's Decision ''A Woman's Decision'' ( pl, Bilans kwartalny, also known as ''The Quarterly Balance'') is a 1975 Polish drama film written and directed by Krzysztof Zanussi. It was entered into the 25th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the OCIC ...

'' (''Bilans Kwartalny'', 1974) * '' The Promised Land'' (''Ziemia obiecana'', 1974) * ''Smuga cienia'' (''The Shadow Line'', 1976) * ''Trędowata'' (1976) * ''

Jarosław Dąbrowski Jarosław Żądło-Dąbrowski (; 13 November 1836 – 23 May 1871), also known as Jaroslav Dombrowski, was a Polish nobleman and military officer in the Imperial Russian Army, a left-wing independence activist and radical republican for Poland ...

'' (1976) * ''Ptaki ptakom'' (''Bords to Birds'', 1977) * ''

Camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

'' (''Barwy ochronne'', 1977) * '' Spiral'' (''Spirala'', 1978) * ''Rodzina Połanieckich'' (1978, TV series) * ''

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

'' (1979) * ''

The King and the Mockingbird ''The King and the Mockingbird'' (french: Le Roi et l'Oiseau, ) is a 1980 traditionally-animated fantasy film directed by Paul Grimault. Prior to 2013, it was released in English as '' The King and Mister Bird''. Begun in 1948 as ''La Bergère e ...

'' (''Le Roi et l'Oiseau'', 1980) * ''

The Constant Factor ''The Constant Factor'' ( pl, Constans) is a 1980 Polish film directed by Krzysztof Zanussi. It tells the story of a young man struggling to face the death of his mother and harbouring a desire to climb the Himalayas as his father had done. The f ...

'' (''Constans'', 1980) * ' (1981) * ''

Blind Chance ''Blind Chance'' ( pl, Przypadek) is a Polish film written and directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski and starring Bogusław Linda. The film presents three separate storylines, told in succession, about a man running after a train and how such an ordi ...

'' (''Przypadek'', 1982) * '' Imperative'' (''Imperatyw'', 1982) * ''

A Year of the Quiet Sun ''A Year of the Quiet Sun'' ( pl, Rok spokojnego słońca) is a 1984 Polish film written and directed by Krzysztof Zanussi and starring Maja Komorowska and Scott Wilson. It tells the story of a romance between a Polish woman and an American so ...

'' (''Rok spokojnego słońca'', 1984) * ''

Power of Evil ''Power of Evil'' (french: Le pouvoir du mal, it, Paradigma, also known as ''Paradigm'') is a 1985 French-German-Italian Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Krzysztof Zanussi. Cast * Vittorio Gassman: Gottfried * ...

'' (''Paradigma'', 1985) * '' A Chronicle of Amorous Accidents'' (''Kronika wypadków miłosnych'', 1986) * ''Salsa'' (1988) * ' (1988) * '' Inventory'' (''Stan posiadania'', 1989) * '' Korczak'' (1990) * ' (1991, TV miniseries) * ' (''Życie za życie. Maksymilian Kolbe'', 1991) * '' Bram Stoker's Dracula'' (1992) * ' (1992) * '' Śmierć jak kromka chleba'' (1994) * '' Death and the Maiden'' (1994) * '' Faustina'' (1995) * '' Legenda Tatr'' (1995) * ''

At Full Gallop ''At Full Gallop'' ( pl, Cwał, and also known as ''In Full Gallop'') is a 1996 Polish biographical tragicomedy film written and directed by Krzysztof Zanussi, starring Maja Komorowska, Bartosz Obuchowicz, Karolina Wajda, Piotr Adamczyk, Piotr ...

'' (''Cwał'', 1996) * '' The Portrait of a Lady'' (1996) * ''Deceptive Charm'' (1996) * ' (1997) * ''

The Truman Show ''The Truman Show'' is a 1998 American psychological satirical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Weir, produced by Scott Rudin, Andrew Niccol, Edward S. Feldman, and Adam Schroeder, and written by Niccol. The film stars Jim Carrey as Tr ...

'' (1998) (parts from ''Requiem Father Kolbe'') * ''

'' (1999) * '' Pan Tadeusz'' (1999) * ''

Life as a Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease ''Life as a Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease'' ( pl, Życie jako śmiertelna choroba przenoszona drogą płciową) is a 2000 Polish drama film directed by Krzysztof Zanussi. It was Poland's submission to the 73rd Academy Awards for the Academy ...

'' (2000) * ''

The Supplement ''The Supplement'' ( pl, Suplement) is a 2002 Polish drama film directed by Krzysztof Zanussi. It was entered into the 24th Moscow International Film Festival where it won the FIPRESCI Special Mention. Cast * Pawel Okraska as Filip * Monika K ...

'' (2002) * '' The Pianist'' (2002) * '' The Revenge'' (''Zemsta'', 2002) * '' Persona Non Grata'' (2005) * '' We Own the Night'' (2007) * '' Black Sun'' (2007) * '' Two Lovers'' (2008) * ''

Welcome A welcome is a kind of greeting designed to introduce a person to a new place or situation, and to make them feel at ease. The term can similarly be used to describe the feeling of being accepted on the part of the new person. In some context ...

'' (2009)

Concert music

Orchestral

* ''Small Overture'' (1955), for the Youth Festival, 1955 * ''Symphony for Strings'' (Symphony No. 1, 1955) * ''Ode Béla Bartók in memoriam'', for violin, brass, and percussion (1956) * ''Riff 62'' (1962) * ''Generique'' (1963) * ''Springfield Sonnet'' (1965) * '' Krzesany'', for orchestra (1974) * '' Kościelec 1909'', for orchestra (1976) * '' Orawa'', for string orchestra (1986) * ''Choralvorspiel (Choral Prelude)'', for string orchestra, (1988) * ''Requiem Father Kolbe'', for symphony orchestra (1994) * '' Symphony No. 3 "September Symphony"'' for orchestra (2003) * ''Ricordanza" (2005) * ''Uwertura uroczysta olemn Overture' for orchestra (2010)

Orchestral, with instrumental and vocal soloists or accompaniment

* ''Symphony Concertante'', for piano and orchestra (Symphony No. 2, 1956) * ''Prelude and Christmas Carol'', for four oboes and string orchestra (1972) * ''Bogurodzica'', for mixed choir and orchestra (1975) * '' Hoary Fog'' (Siwa mgła), for baritone and orchestra (1979) * ''Exodus'', for mixed choir and orchestra (1981) * ''Victoria'', for mixed choir and orchestra (1983) * ''Angelus'', for symphony orchestra, soprano, and mixed choir (1984) * ''Piano Concerto No.1'' (1996) * ''Missa Pro Pace'', for orchestra, chorus, and soloists (2000) * ''Symphony No. 4 "Sinfonia de Motu"'' (Symphony of Motion), for orchestra, chorus, and soloists (2005) * ''Magnificat'', for orchestra, chorus, and soloists (2007) * '' Symphony No. 5 "Advent Symphony"'', for orchestra, chorus, and soloists (2007) * ''Te Deum'', for orchestra, chorus, and soloists (2008) * ''Veni Creator'', for mixed chorus and strings (2008) * ''Piano Concerto No.2'' (2011)

Choral

* ''Lament'', for mixed unaccompanied choir (2003) * ''Paschalis Hymn'' for chorus (2008)

Chamber

* Flute Sonatina (1951) * Woodwind Quintet (1952) * Horn Sonata (1954) * ''Training 68'', for clarinet, trombone, cello and piano (1968) * ''Orawa'', arr. for 8 Cellos * ''Orawa'', arr. for 12 Saxophones (2009)

Piano

Numerous solo piano pieces

Symphonic poems

Krzesany

is a symphonic poem completed in 1974. The premiere of the poem took place in Warsaw during the "Warsaw Autumn" International Festival of Contemporary Music on September 24, 1974. The composer has dedicated a piece to the National Philharmonic. The piece is a reference to the

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

Podhale Podhale (literally "below the mountain pastures") is Poland's southernmost region, sometimes referred to as the "Polish Highlands". The Podhale is located in the foothills of the Tatra range of the Carpathian mountains. It is the most famous ...

. Originally ''Krzesany'' is a folk dance from the Podhale region. The work was completed on July 14, 1974. It was performed for the first time on September 24, 1974. The poem is a one-movement piece. Along with ', ''Hoary Fog'' and ', ''Krzesany'' is a kind of "Kilarian Tatra polyptych".

Kościelec

Kościelec 1909 is a symphonic poem completed in 1976. The premiere took place in Warsaw on November 5, 1976. Wojciech Kilar composed a piece on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the

National Philharmonic in Warsaw The National Philharmonic in Warsaw ( Polish: ''Filharmonia Narodowa w Warszawie'') is a Polish cultural institution, located at 5 Jasna Street in Warsaw. The building was built between 1900 and 1901, under the direction of Karol Kozłowski, ...

and the 100th anniversary of the birth of

Mieczysław Karłowicz Mieczysław Karłowicz (, 11 December 18768 February 1909) was a Polish composer and conductor. Life Mieczysław Karłowicz was born in Vishneva, in the Vilna Governorate of the Russian Empire (now in Belarus) into a noble family belonging to ...

. The composition was dedicated to the conductor

Witold Rowicki Witold Rowicki (born ''Witold Kałka'', 26 February 1914 in Taganrog, Russian Empire – 1 October 1989 in Warsaw) was a Polish conductor. He held principal conducting positions with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bamberg Symphony O ...

. Along with ''Krzesany'', ''Hoary Fog'' and ''Orawa'', ''Kościelec 1909'' is a kind of "Kilarian Tatra polyptych". The pieces refer to the tradition of

music. The composer distinguished three sections-themes: ''tema della montagna'' (mountain theme), ''tema dell’abisso chiamante'' (abyss theme) and ''tema del destino'' (fate theme). The piece was inspired by the tragic death of the Polish romantic composer Mieczysław Karłowicz. Karłowicz died on February 8, 1909 in a snow

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and eart ...

at the foot of Mały Kościelec in the

Tatra Mountains The Tatra Mountains (), Tatras, or Tatra (''Tatry'' either in Slovak () or in Polish () - '' plurale tantum''), are a series of mountains within the Western Carpathians that form a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. They are the hi ...

Hoary Fog

Hoary Fog (Polish title: ') is a vocal-symphonic poem completed in 1979. It was based on the song of the Podhale highlanders. The author dedicated the piece to the opera singer Andrzej Bachleda-Curuś. Along with ''Krzesany'', ''Kościelec 1909'' and ''Orawa'', ''Hoary Fog'' is a kind of "Kilarian Tatra polyptych". The pieces refer to the tradition of Podhale music. The music is accompanied by the singing of a

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

. The text is a traditional Polish highlander song. It is a one-movement piece. The

world premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its firs ...

took place in

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

on October 14, 1979. The baritone part was then performed by Andrzej Bachleda-Curuś, the Symphony Orchestra of the

Kraków Philharmonic The Kraków Philharmonic ( pl, Filharmonia Krakowska) is the primary concert hall in Kraków, Poland. It is one of the largest auditoriums in the city. It consists of the main hall for orchestral performances with 693 seats, and two smaller venu ...

was conducted by Jerzy Katlewicz.

Orawa

Orawa is a symphonic poem for chamber string orchestra completed in 1986. The premiere of the poem took place in

on March 10, 1986. The Polish Chamber Orchestra was conducted by

Wojciech Michniewski Wojciech Michniewski (born April 4, 1947) is a Polish composer and conductor. Michniewski studied with Stanisław Wisłocki as well as Andrzej Dobrowolski at the State Music Academy in Warsaw. From 1973 to 1978 he was the conductor of the Warsaw ...

. This is the fourth piece by Kilar referring to the tradition of Podhale music. Along with ''Kościelec 1909'', ''Hoary Fog'' and ''Krzesany'', ''Orawa'' is a kind of "Kilarian Tatra polyptych". There are arrangements for a string quartet, twelve saxophones, an accordion trio, eight cellos and others.

Political views

During the 2007 election campaign for the

National Assembly of the Republic of Poland The parliament of Poland is the bicameral legislature of Poland. It is composed of an upper house (the Senate) and a lower house (the Sejm). Both houses are accommodated in the ''Sejm'' complex in Warsaw. The Constitution of Poland does not ref ...

, Wojciech Kilar made a number of statements of his support of the Law and Justice party.

References

External links

Official website (English)
in

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

Marcus Williamson Marcus Williamson is a British writer, journalist and campaigner. As an obituarist for ''The Independent'' he has written obituaries of more than 300 subjects, including artists, poets, actors and inventors. Campaigns Phorm In 2009 the AIM-l ...

*
Composer's websiteWojciech Kilar
at Culture.pl
Kilar ''Orawa''
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

, performed by The Karol Szymanowski Youth Symphony Orchestra
Kilar ''Orawa''
on

, performed by The Baltic Sea Youth Philharmonic
Kilar ''Krzesany''
on

, performed by The Karol Szymanowski Youth Symphony Orchestra
Kilar ''Krzesany''
on

, performed by The

Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR), is one of Poland's radio orchestra and premier musical institutions. It was founded in 1935 in Warsaw. In 1945 the orchestra was re-established in Katowice and since 2006 it has become a "Nati ...

, Katowice
''Kościelec 1909''
on

, performed by

Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra The Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra ( pl, Orkiestra Filharmonii Narodowej w Warszawie) is a Polish orchestra based in Warsaw. Founded in 1901, it is one of Poland's oldest musical institutions. History The orchestra was conceived on ...

''Hoary Fog''
on