Harald Jerzy, born Jan Marcin Karol Liersz, *12 November 1916 Poznań, †18 August 1965 Katowice, Polish pianist, violinist, composer, arranger, and conductor of dance and popular music. From 1934, he worked with amateur entertainment ensembles. After completing the piano class at the Silesian Conservatory of Music in Katowice in 1938, he began work as an accompanist and pianist in the orchestra of Polish Radio. During the war, he went into hiding in Krakow and Miechów, performing occasionally as an accordionist and organist in Krynica. From 1945 to 1947, he served as head of the entertainment music section of Polish Radio in Katowice. From 1947 to 1965, he was conductor of the Small Entertainment Orchestra of the Silesian Polish Radio Station (as Jerzy Liersz) and of the Instrumental Ensemble of the Silesian Polish Radio Station in Katowice, later reorganized as the jazz ensemble Melodie Świata (as Jerzy Harald). Harald’s output includes arrangements of Russian composers’ songs and folk melodies, music for radio dramas (1945–51) and stage plays, and songs for voice and orchestra. He achieved particular popularity with songs such as Twoja piosenka, Mały domek, Brzydula i rudzielec, Bo mój chłopiec piłkę kopie, Zachodzi słoneczko, Zielony samochód, Wrocławska piosenka, Żaby i sport, Srebrna mucha i ja, Piosenka dla nieznajomej, Jak ten czas leci, Serenada, serenada, Marsylio, and Wstydź się, wstydź, which entered the repertoire of O. Buczek, M. Koterbska, J. Połomski, I. Santor, the trio Nastroje, M. Rodowicz, and A. Rosiewicz. Most of his hits were created in collaboration with his wife, the lyricist E. Wnukowska. Harald also composed music for 13 feature films, including Skarb (1949, with the songs Jest taki jeden skarb and Warszawa, ja i ty), Trzy starty (1951), Sprawa pilota Maresza, Nikodem Dyzma (1956), Skarb kapitana Martensa, Kapelusz pana Anatola (1957), Deszczowy lipiec (1958), as well as several short films.
