Korzyński Andrzej, *2 March 1940 Warsaw, †18 April 2022 Warsaw, Polish composer of entertainment and film music. In 1964, he graduated in composition under Kazimierz Sikorski at the State Higher School of Music in Warsaw. That same year, he became the director, pianist and organist of the Ricercar 64 stage ensemble. He made his debut as a composer with the song ‘Żółte kalendarze’, which soon became a huge hit for Piotr Szczepanik. In 1965, he co-founded the “Rytm” Youth Studio at Polish Radio. From that time onwards, Korzyński became one of the most prolific composers of popular music. He composed for, amongst others, Maryla Rodowicz, Halina Frąckowiak, Zdzisława Sośnicka, Irena Jarocka and Piotr Fronczewski. From the mid-1960s, he worked in film and subsequently in television. He composed music for films by Andrzej Wajda (Everything for Sale, Brzezina, Hunting Flies, Man of Marble, Man of Iron), Andrzej Żuławski’s films (The Third Part of the Night, Diabeł, Possession, On the Silver Globe), as well as those by Witold Orzechowski, Sylwester Chęciński (Take It Easy, Wielki Szu), and Władysław Ślesicki (In Desert and Wilderness). Korzyński gained great popularity with the songs he wrote for the Przygody Pana Kleksa film trilogy based on J. Brzechwa (directed by Krzysztof Gradowski). In the 1970s, he composed for the DEFA film studio (GDR), and from the mid-1980s he collaborated with Bavaria Film (FRG). In the 1990s, he lived in Germany, where he composed music for television series.
He recorded most of his compositions with his own ensembles (including Arp Life and Studio M2), often expanding their line-up to include a string section. In film music and songs, he employed a traditional harmonic language (the major-minor system, with occasional modal scales) and a clear formal structure dominated by cantilenas. He combined elements of classical music, jazz, blues, rock, funk, disco, dance music (including the waltz and tango) and ethnic stylisations, emphasising the rhythmic layer and timbre. He attached great importance to arrangement, sound and the quality of studio recordings. He was one of the first Polish artists to make extensive use of electronic instruments (including Moog, ARP and Roland synthesizers). Korzyński’s film soundtracks have been released by GAD Records since 2015.
