Wojciech Młynarski (26 March 1941 – 15 March 2017) was a Polish poet, singer, songwriter, translator and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. A well-known figure on the Polish musical scene, he was most famous for his

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

and what is known as

sung poetry Sung poetry is a broad and imprecise music genre widespread in European countries, such as Poland and the Baltic States, especially Poland and Lithuania, to describe songs consisting of a poem (most often a ballad) and music written especially ...

, as well as for his collaboration with numerous vocalists and cabarets. He wrote lyrics to more than 2,000 songs, a small fraction of which he sang himself. His songs received a total of 25 "Karolinkas", which are the main awards of the Polish Song Festival in

Opole Opole (; ; ; ) is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River and the historical capital of Upper Silesia. With a population of approximately 127,387 as of the 2021 census, it is the capital of Opole Voivodeship (province) and the seat of ...

, the most important Polish song festival, occurring annually since 1963. He also composed music to some of his songs. He is considered an icon of

Polish culture The culture of Poland () is the product of its Geography of Poland, geography and distinct historical evolution, which is closely connected to History of Poland, an intricate thousand-year history. Poland has a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic ma ...

Biography

Born on 26 March 1941 in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, he graduated from the Tomasz Zan High School in

Pruszków Pruszków is a city in east-central Poland, capital of Pruszków County in the Masovian Voivodeship. Pruszków is located along the western edge of the Warsaw metropolitan area. Pruszków is the largest city in the Warsaw metropolitan area outs ...

and then, in 1963, from the Faculty of Polish Language Studies at

Warsaw University The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well as 100 specializat ...

(summa cum laude). It was during his university years that he started collaborating with the Hybrydy student theatre and cabaret. By the mid-1960s he became an established author of texts for numerous cabarets, the most famous of which were the Dudek, Dreszczowiec and Owca groups. By the late 1960s, several of his songs became hits on

Polish Television Television in Poland was Timeline of the introduction of television in countries, introduced on an experimental basis in 1937. It was state owned, and was interrupted by the Second World War in 1939. Television returned to Poland in 1952 and for ...

; Młynarski also gained popularity as a translator of texts of French and Russian poets and songwriters, including

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed theatrical songs. He generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, but later throughout the world ...

Georges Brassens Georges Charles Brassens (; ; 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981) was a French singer-songwriter and poet. As an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his elegant songs with their harmonically complex music for voice and guitar and ...

Gilbert Bécaud François Gilbert Léopold Silly (24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001), known professionally as Gilbert Bécaud (), was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-know ...

and

Vladimir Vysotsky Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky (25 January 193825 July 1980) was a Soviet singer-songwriter, poet, and actor who had an immense and enduring effect on Soviet culture. He became widely known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which ...

. For his translations of the French language lyrics and poetry, particularly that of Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour and Georges Brassens, Młynarski was awarded the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(''Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur'')''.'' He is the recipient of several Polish State orders, including the Order of the White Eagle. In the 1970s, Wojciech Młynarski authored numerous operas and musicals, including "Henryk VI na łowach", "Cień" and "Awantura w Recco". He also translated the librettos of the musicals ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

'', ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

'' and ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...

'' into Polish. In 2013, the first Festival of Wojciech Młynarski's Songs was organized in the city of Sopot. He died on 15 March 2017 after a long illness.

Personal life

He was married to the actress Adrianna Godlewska (later divorced). The couple had 3 children: Agata Młynarska (born 1965), a Polish TV celebrity journalist, director and producer; Paulina Młynarska (born 1970) a journalist and an actress; and Jan Młynarski (born 1979), a musician. Wojciech Młynarski was related to

Emil Młynarski Emil Szymon Młynarski (; 18 July 18705 April 1935) was a Polish conducting, conductor, violinist, composer, and pedagogue. Life Młynarski was born in Kibarty (Kybartai), Russian Empire, now in Lithuania. He studied violin with Leopold Auer and ...

, Polish composer and the founder of the

Warsaw Philharmonic The Warsaw Philharmonic (full Polish name: ''Orkiestra Filharmonii Narodowej w Warszawie'', "National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw"), as it is legally set up, is a Polish orchestra based in Warsaw. Founded in 1901, its home is the Warsaw ...

; composer and painter Roman Orłow; and related by marriage to pianist

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein Order of the British Empire, KBE OMRI (; 28 January 1887 – 20 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

Discography

* 1967 – ''Wojciech Młynarski śpiewa swoje piosenki'' * 1968 – ''Dziewczyny bądźcie dla nas dobre na wiosnę'' * 1970 – ''Obiad rodzinny'' * 1971 – ''Recital '71'' * 1980 – ''Szajba'' * 1987 – ''Młynarski w Ateneum – Recital '86'' * 1989 – ''Jeszcze w zielone gramy'' * 1989 – ''Młynarski w Paryżu'' * 1995 – ''Piosenki... ballady...'' * 1995 – ''Róbmy swoje 95'' * 2000 – ''Złota Kolekcja Absolutnie'' * 2001 – ''Prawie całość'' (5 CDs) * 2002 – ''Niedziela na Głównym Gala 2001'' * 2004 – ''Zamknięty rozdział'' * 2004 – ''Młynarski i Sent. Jesteśmy na wczasach ... na żywo 2001'' * 2005 – ''Czterdziecha'' * 2006 – ''Od piosenki do piosenki. Gwiazdozbiór muzyki rozrywkowej'' * 2008 – "Pogadaj ze mna" * 2014 – "Tutaj Mieszkam"

References

* Wojciech Młynarski on filmpolski.pl * Wojciech Młynarski on filmweb.pl

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mlynarski, Wojciech 1941 births 2017 deaths Musicians from Warsaw Polish male singer-songwriters Polish singer-songwriters Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis 20th-century Polish male singers 21st-century Polish male singers 21st-century Polish singers