Rafal Augustyn
Encyclopedia
Rafał Augustyn is a composer of classical music, and a pianist, music critic, writer and scholar of Polish philology
. As a composer he has written symphonies, chamber orchestra works, vocal and electronic music, as well as music for theatre. Since the mid 1990s, Augustyn has collaborated with visual artists, architects and photographers on numerous multimedia art works.
, where he studied under Henryk Górecki
. In 1979, Augustyn began to teach at the Institute of Polish Philology at Wrocław University and has remained there since. His works have had numerous performances at the Warsaw Autumn Festival, as well as at other Polish festivals, and across Europe, North America and the Far East. As a music writer and critic he has written for such journals and periodicals as Ruch Muzyczny and Odra.
and Eugeniusz Knapik
, Augustyn is sometimes included as a member of the so called "Silesian School"; that is, a group of composers who studied under Górecki in Katowice, Silesia
, and are noted for their break with the current dominant postmodernist approach to classical music in Poland.
One of his major pieces, his "Symphony of Hymns", took 20 years to complete, typically lasts for 100 minutes and requires an orchestra of over 170 players. It was described in 2004 by the music critic Tim Rutherford-Johnson as,
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
. As a composer he has written symphonies, chamber orchestra works, vocal and electronic music, as well as music for theatre. Since the mid 1990s, Augustyn has collaborated with visual artists, architects and photographers on numerous multimedia art works.
Education and career
Augustyn studied composition under Ryszard Bukowski at the State Higher School of Music in Wrocław between 1971–74, and between 1975-77 at the State Higher School of Music in KatowiceKatowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, where he studied under Henryk Górecki
Henryk Górecki
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki was a composer of contemporary classical music. He studied at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice between 1955 and 1960. In 1968, he joined the faculty and rose to provost before resigning in 1979. Górecki became a leading figure of the Polish avant-garde during...
. In 1979, Augustyn began to teach at the Institute of Polish Philology at Wrocław University and has remained there since. His works have had numerous performances at the Warsaw Autumn Festival, as well as at other Polish festivals, and across Europe, North America and the Far East. As a music writer and critic he has written for such journals and periodicals as Ruch Muzyczny and Odra.
Style
Along with Andrzej KrzanowskiAndrzej Krzanowski
Andrzej Krzanowski was a Polish composer of classical music and accordionist...
and Eugeniusz Knapik
Eugeniusz Knapik
Eugeniusz Knapik is a Polish pianist and composer of classical music best known for his 1980 chamber piece String Quartet No. 1. Knapik studied composition and piano with Henryk Górecki and Czesław Stańczyk at the University of Music in Katowice...
, Augustyn is sometimes included as a member of the so called "Silesian School"; that is, a group of composers who studied under Górecki in Katowice, Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, and are noted for their break with the current dominant postmodernist approach to classical music in Poland.
One of his major pieces, his "Symphony of Hymns", took 20 years to complete, typically lasts for 100 minutes and requires an orchestra of over 170 players. It was described in 2004 by the music critic Tim Rutherford-Johnson as,
- "a monster of a work....[but] has that broad sweeping feel of neo-Romanticism that one might expect from a contemporary Polish symphonist, although it features none of Górecki’s direct simplicity, or PendereckiKrzysztof PendereckiKrzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...
’s gloomy ponderousness. It does however...continually blur the line between orchestration and form. Melody and harmony are present, but not discernible as such; more important is a lilting shifting of colours that tumbles the music forward."
Selected works
- "Four Silesian Songs for mixed choir" (1970–71)
- "Monosonata for piano" (1976)
- "En blanc et noir [1st version] for harpsichord" (1979)
- "String Quartet no. 2 with flute ad libitum" (1981)
- "Sub Iove, nocturne for mixed choir" (1986)
- "Cyclic Piece no. 1 for solo violin or violin ensemble" (1986)
- "Three Roman Nocturnes for mixed choir" (1986–91)
- "Varesiana for solo flute" (1987)
- "Five calligrammes by Apollinaire for soprano and piano" (1990)
- "Cinque pezzi diversi per violino e pianoforte" (1996)
- "Au pair for violin and piano" (2001)
- "Itinerarium concertino for orchestra and piano" (2001)