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Górecki’s Solo Piano Music
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Description
Henryk Mikolaj Górecki (1933-2010) is mainly associated with substantial symphonic and choral works. In this archival study, Jarred Dunn illuminates Górecki anew, as a piano composer of miniatures, experimental works, and character pieces. In these chapters is the first reprinting of primary sources: Górecki's autograph manuscripts and comments on their performance from his composition notebook Spis moich utworów (List of my Works).
Jarred Dunn discusses Górecki's piano music historically, analytically, and didactically. He describes the unmistakable pianistic landscapes of Górecki's Early and Late works, from Preludes Op. 1 and Sonata Op. 6 (1955-1956) to the last three miniatures (1990-2008). Mr. Dunn inserts observations of the posthumously-published works from both periods, introduced here for the first time. A detailed chapter on pedagogical approaches and related repertoire is rooted in Dunn's close collaboration with concert pianist Anna Górecka, the composer's daughter.
Górecki's piano music - indeed the piano itself - underpins cardinal moments of his life: early loss, first love, and mature reflection. In his piano music, we find Górecki ever-deepening his understanding of the piano and its role in his evolving sound world.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Foreword by Anna Górecka
Chapter 1: Origins
Chapter 2: Departure Points
Chapter 3: Górecki's Piano Music and Style
Chapter 4: Four Preludes Op. 1
Chapter 5: Piano Sonata Op. 6
Chapter 6: Kolysanka and Z Ptasiego Gniazda
Chapter 7: Rózne Utwory, Mazurki, Moment Musical, Intermezzo, Dla Anny
Chapter 8: Górecki's Style: for Performers and Teachers
Chapter 9: Spis moich utworów: Górecki's Autographs and Notebooks
Works Cited
Index
Product details
| Published | Oct 15 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Hardback |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 272 |
| ISBN | 9781666947786 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 60 bw illus |
| Dimensions | 9 x 6 inches |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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Jarred Dunn, a devoted performer of Henryk Górecki's piano works, has written a book in which he discusses these compositions in great detail. He has created a comprehensive compendium on Górecki's piano solo music, based on previously unknown sources, including composer's manuscripts. It is a fascinating study seen through the eyes of an experienced pianist and an enthusiast of Górecki and his music.
Beata Boleslawska, Institute of Art, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
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In Górecki's Solo Piano Music, Jarred Dunn tackles a previously understudied yet important topic. The author skillfully combines aspects of Górecki's biography with an analytical presentation of his solo piano works. He discusses aspects of the composer's style, focusing on essential elements of each musical work. With access to the composer's archival materials, Dunn describes manuscripts of Górecki's music. The book is founded on a rich literature on the subject. Two facts are crucial to the book's creation: the author's studies at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice and his collaboration with the composer's daughter, pianist Anna Górecka. I fully support the publication of this book.
Teresa Malecka, Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music, Kraków, Poland
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Jarred Dunn's Górecki's Solo Piano Music is a masterful guide to Henryk Mikolaj Górecki's works for solo piano. Combining archival research, translations from Polish sources, and expert advice on performance practice, this book provides insights into the history and style of this little known corner of the piano repertory. Dunn demonstrates Górecki's abiding debts to Polish folk music, as well as his affiliations with Chopin, Bartók, and Szymanowski. With examples drawn from primary sources, this book offers indispensable information for both musicians and musicologists who want to know more about twentieth-century Polish music and Górecki's piano works in particular.
Allan Hepburn, Distinguished James McGill Professor of Twentieth-Century Literature, McGill University, Canada
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Jarred Dunn has given us a rewarding and necessary addition to Górecki studies with this work on the composer's piano music. From the early Piano Sonata through to the posthumously published piano works, Dunn's insights drew from me a deep desire to learn and study this music. Beautifully conceived with the addition of the composer's sketches, this book is a must-read for any pianist or scholar of Polish music.
Michael Klein, Professor of Music Studies, Temple University, USA
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Jarred Dunn's book on Gorecki's piano music not only fills a unique space in the literature on this composer but reveals repertoire which will be entirely new for most musicians. This will be a particularly exciting discovery for pianists, but of interest to scholars and teachers more generally, as Dunn makes a convincing case for the importance of the piano within the composer's output. This thoughtfully researched work is enriched by Dunn's work with Gorecki's daughter and with musicians who knew and worked with the composer, plus the author's own experience performing and recording these pieces. Content ranges from engaging historical context and detailed source materials to focused score explication and a practical guide for teachers and performers, who will surely be eager to engage with this previously too-little-known music!
Sharon Gail Levy, Professor of Piano Literature, Juilliard School, USA

























