ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to bring a brief history of the symphony and symphonic writing in Poland till 1956, so before the crucial date of 1956, marking the beginning of avant-garde era in Polish music. This outline starts with the late eighteenth century and the influences of Classical symphonic writing for the composers active on Polish lands. The symphonic tradition started at that time, both in the court and church circles, continued throughout the nineteenth century, reflecting changes occurring in the European countries, though often with a great delay (as in case of symphonic poem or concert overture, for example). The author underlines the problem of the lack of professional orchestras in Poland, which influenced badly the possibility of symphonic writing. Only the establishment of Warsaw Philharmonic in 1901 changed the situation significantly. The first half of the twentieth century witnessed the rise of symphonic works written by Polish composers and marked the appearance of such masters like Karłowicz and Szymanowski. Later generation, debuted in the 1930s, joined the streams present in Europe, among which the Neoclassicism appeared to be the most fruitful for the symphonic writing. The last paragraph of the chapter is devoted to the dark period of socialist realism and its impact on symphonic writing in Poland after the WW2.
