Oblicza sonoryzmu we wczesnej twórczości Zbigniewa Bujarskiego
Facets of Sonorism in the Early Work of Zbigniew Bujarski

Summary/Abstract: Both the reception of Zbigniew Bujarski’s works and the composer himself have emphasized the aspect of sound and sensitivity to tone colour as one of the crucial factors of his oeuvre. It is therefore significant that, similarly to Penderecki and Górecki, Bujarski took part in the creation of the phenomenon called sonorism in the 1960s and the 1970s. According to Krzysztof Droba, the 1960s were a “decade of sonorist euphoria” in Poland. If fact, sonorism is our unique contribution to the history of music, and this is a belief shared by composers and musicologists. However, it has been emphasized that the concept itself has not been present or popularized enough in the world at large.Searching for and discovering new effects and qualities of sound by means of traditional instruments but with the use of non-traditional techniques was, in the case of all composers belonging to the Generation of ‘33, directly preceded by an absolute fascination with novelty at the end of 1950s. In the years 1958-60, Bujarski developed an innovative system that divided the range of string instruments into “zones”. This provided the possibility to fill a particular space limited by a narrow semi- and microtonal ambitus. After experiments with techniques of dodecaphony and serialism, Bujarski turned to sonorism, which “was in the wind” at the time. Bujarski said: “sonorism was bound to happen in my case, as well as in the case of other composers in Poland and those among the composers abroad who shared our Polish way of thinking.”What is the nature of Bujarski’s sonorism and what is its position in the context of the generation, of Polish sonorism in general? The various terms that were used to describe sonorism include “classic sonorism,” “sonorism proper,” “high sonorism,” used in the case of the most representative examples of sonorism in the years 1960-65, and such modifiers as: dramatized, catalogue, reductive, ludic, expressive, serial, aleatoric, neoclassic, constructivist; this is also true of “sonorist vitalism” or “sonorist expressionism.” A. Thomas writes: “[...] the really potent story of Polish sonorism lies in the creative variations imagined by each composer”. Practically none of the types of sonorism enumerated above seems to be relevant in the context of Bujarski. Alternatively, we might apply the term “catalogue” (in the case of works such as Zones and Contraria) as an aspect that emphasizes the changeability of form achieved by means of gradual introduction of new sounds. However, such a ”catalogue of effects” has never been evident in Bujarski’s works. The sonorism of Bujarski seems to be the opposite of dramatized sonorism. Tomaszewski claims it is epic, descriptive rather than narrative: the changeability of musical images does not construct a clearly defined plot or a teleological trajectory, if there is a trajectory it is one of a path. Juxtaposing various sounds and textures, Bujarski does not use clear divisions but ”soft connections,” subtle shaping of musical matter, and the listener’s impression is that of fluency, of an organic course. What helps is the dynamics of nuances, of muted sounds, Bujarski is never piercing or aggressive in climaxes. Gradual growth and intensification of particular sounds leads to local culminations, but, from the perspective of macro-form, they seem to be a fluctuation of tensions rather than expressive cumulation. Bujarski more often employs polygenous sounds, and thanks to that strategy homogeneous sounds that appear in significant moments immediately draw our attention – particularly when the combination of instruments has similar timbre and long resonance.The sonorism of Bujarski is not concentrated; it does not draw attention to itself. T. Malecka writes: “The sonorism of Bujarski possesses a significant and characteristic feature. Sound and timbre, which as we know are so important in sonorist works, in his music are always beautiful”. Sensitivity to tone colour, which manifests itself in Contraria by means of sparkling, brisk and changeable mass of sounds, can be an encouragement to describe sonorism of Bujarski as neo-impressionistic sonorism. Regardless of taxonomical proposals and attempts at its classification, it has to be stated that the sonorism of Bujarski is different in each work, as it serves different purposes in various genres and types of instrumentation. This article goes on to describe the various facets of Bujarski’s sonorism.

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