1

When I look back

I see the landscape that I have walked through

But it is different

All the great trees have gone

It seems there are remnants of them

But it is the afterglow inside of you

Of those things you did

That meant something in this life

Olaf Rex: August 1977

Since the inception of society, music has played a central role in the communicative process of peoples throughout the world. From the soulful chanting of the Aboriginal tribes of Australia, to the folk songs of Irish troubadours, music has articulated the hopes and concerns of ordinary human beings. The more recent emergence of classical music carried such traditions into the realm of high art. Composers such as Edvard Grieg, Giacoma Puccini and Johann Sebastian Bach created work that documented the trials and tribulations of the times they lived in, gaining political importance in the process.

Yet it was with the advent of the 20th century, and the accompanying development of new technologies that music came to true prominence. The invention of the phonograph player, radio and later television brought music into the homes of countless millions of people, in effect providing an always present soundtrack to everyday life. When viewed in this context, it is not surprising to discover that "music and song have been important in the formation, and remembrance of a wide range of social movements" (Eyerman and Jamison: 1998: 7). For instance, the songs of Bob Marley and Marvin Gaye are synonymous with the African-American civil rights movement, and Bob Dylan and John Lennon are indelibly associated with the movement against the Vietnam War. A cursory glance at the available literature suggests that this pattern was mirrored in nations outside of North America, with one Swedish musician declaring that,

"When people ask me if I really think that songs can affect political developments in society I usually answer that I see culture as the substance of politics. I mean that culture (songs, for example) gives expression to what we think and feel, what we dream and long for, and what we are ready to fight for (Eyerman and Jamison: 1998: 140).

In theory therefore, there should be no shortage of suitable candidates for consideration in this essay. Yet, I found myself wondering exactly what many of the aforementioned artists had truly achieved for society as a whole. Had they merely echoed sentiments that were already in evidence, rendering them as providers of an ephemeral reflection of minor significance, or had they operated at a deeper level, attaining responsibility for tangible change? The diminished significance of music in the past 2 decades does not augur well for the former option. Indeed, it is possible to argue that in much of contemporary Western society:

"music is not seen as central to social processes, as being of any 'real' importance. It is, in the case of both 'serious' and 'popular' music, seen as a marginal phenomenon: leisure and entertainment, a peripheral division from more weighty matters" (Shepherd: 1991: 215-6).

In some respects, music is most often discussed as the originator of fads: Britney Spears or Eminem might effect the manner in which young people speak or dress, but their influence does not extend beyond this. Those musicians that do display the capability to change things- Bono and Bob Geldof- for instance, rely on their celebrity rather than their art in order to impress their point of view on the public consciousness. Ironically, music, an art form designed to engender improved communication between people has become increasingly divisive. To this end, the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu has coined the term 'cultural capital' "to describe the way in which different social groups use culture as a kind of capital, confirming their social position, and excluding other social groups" (Leppert and McClary: 1987: 7). The practical manifestation of this theory can be found in the policies of radio programmers in the United States: separate stations exist for rock, country and urban styles of music, with little room left for cross-pollination.

I was determined to find someone who transcended the current malaise, that managed to engage his or her art with society in a fashion that produced concrete change. I eventually found one with a legitimate claim to have contributed to a work of art that saved lives, as well as serving as a vital staging post in the campaign to save a nation, namely Zbigniew Preisner, the internationally renowned Polish composer.

The details of Preisner's background are illuminated in a biography on his official website, which I have used as a template for my discussion of his life to date. Preisner was born in Northern Poland in 1955, when his country lived under the yoke of communist oppression. He never studied music formally. As a young man he earned a degree in history and philosophy at the University of Krakow. At the same time he taught himself music, buying classical records and analyzing the nature of the compositions, eventually rewriting parts that he felt could be improved. By the end of the 1970's he had begun writing his own scores, and started collaborating with the students at the Krakow School of Music, who would proceed to perform his work at underground political meetings. In 1981, the filmmaker Antoni Krauze employed him to write music for his film Weather Report. Whilst not a great success, it introduced Preisner to the indigenous film community, and gained him a meeting that would change his life, and Polish society forever.

The early 1980's were a particularly turbulent time in Poland. On December 12th, 1981, the head of the Communist Party, General Jaruzelski, imposed a state of martial law. Musicians such as Preisner were forbidden to hold public concerts, as they were thought to be closely connected to the Solidarity movement that was attempting to bring democracy to the country. It was difficult to make a living. Artists had a lot of time to plan their next projects. It was at this time that Krzysztof Kieslowski, a leading documentary director asked Preisner to work on a feature film called No End:

"It all started in 1982, when I met Kieslowski. We ended up going to a restaurant together - a very bad restaurant which served nothing but vodka and herrings. So, we ate herrings, drank vodka, and he said to me, 'It's my first big film and I'd be grateful if you'd write good music.' He went rambling on like this for an hour, and I went away and did completely my own thing. He never had to ask me to write good music again" (Broxton: 1999:).

It quickly became apparent that Preisner was involved in a re-imagining of the idea of authorship in cinema. Rather than partaking in a process where the director had absolute control, Preisner, along with scriptwriter Krzysztof Piesiewicz and cinematographer Slawomir Idziak became immersed in the different stages of production, from the initial conception of the idea, through to it's realization on the screen. If it has traditionally been true that there have been "analyses of films which ignore the rich dimensions of the musical soundtrack", (Shepherd: 1991: 221) then it is equally true that "it would be nonsensical to discuss the work of Kieslowski without considering the work of Preisner" (1996). Kieslowski remarked that,

"Preisner is an exceptional composer in that he's interested in working on a film right from the beginning and not just seeing the finished version and then thinking about how to illustrate it with music. That's the rule, right? You show the composer your film and then he fills the gaps with music. But he can have a different approach. He can think about music right from the start, about it's dramatic function, about the way it should say something that's not there in the picture. He can describe something which perhaps isn't there on the actual screen but which, together with the music, starts to exist. A certain meaning, a certain value, something which also determines a certain atmosphere, suddenly begins to exist" (Kieslowski: 1994: 179).

Preisner's relationship with Kieslowski reached its apex in 1988 with The Decalogue, a made for television series that dramatized each of the Ten Commandments in a different way. The series was shown to great acclaim both at home and abroad, but it was part 5, namely A Short Film About Killing, that had the greatest influence. The plot of the film is relatively straightforward. Jacek, a young Warsaw street hooligan brutally murders a taxi driver. Piotr, a newly qualified barrister, is asked to make his case. There is no evidence for the defense, and no motive. Jacek is convicted of the crime, and executed by hanging. Piotr, greatly affected by his first trial is left to wonder whether the legal system has the right to kill individuals in retribution for their transgressions.

The film was in essence a devastating argument against Article 148, Paragraph 1 of the Polish penal code. Preisner contributed a magnificently understated and elegiac score, influenced by his fellow countryman Frederic Chopin. A mournful piano melody was combined with shivering strings and a single trumpet to grant emotional articulation to the cold horror of what transpired on the screen. The film had a seismic effect, winning the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as receiving the inaugural Felix award for European Film of the Year. More importantly, it was viewed by more than 20 million Poles on television. A national debate was provoked, and Preisner appeared on current affairs programs to express his opinion. In an almost unprecedented instance of life imitating art, one of the first actions of the post-Communist government was to place a moratorium on the death penalty. President Alexsander Kwasinewski formally removed the provision from the statute books in 1999.

The significance of this achievement could scarcely be overestimated. A Short Film About Killing had been instrumental in the preservation of human life, and provided fresh impetus to the campaigning efforts of the Solidarity movement, thus influencing the composition of social reality. On a more personal plane, Preisner had provided music with a direct representational context, granting precise ideological meaning to the text. He had succeeded in linking music to another art form, focusing on connections rather than divisions, rejecting the notion of cultural capital.

Preisner continued to work with Kieslowski and other Polish directors gaining international acclaim and numerous awards (inventoried in the Appendix) in the process. Interviewers in the West began to "appreciate the counterpoint between his delicate melodies and rowdy personality" (Insdorf: 1999: 5). Wary of the pressures of fame, he adopted the pseudonym Van den Budenmayer for his work on the acclaimed Three Colors Trilogy. This led to an unusual situation when the Oxford University Press was compiling a classical music encyclopaedia. They wrote to Kieslowski, requesting information on this previously unknown composer whose work he had featured in his films. Kieslowski replied, stating that Van den Budenmayer was a fiction, created by Preisner and he. The OUP persisted, acknowledging that Kieslowski had a right to guard his sources, but that any information would be appreciated. At this point,

"Kieslowski wrote a second letter, reiterating that the score had been written by Preisner, a 19 stone self-taught musician from Krakow. Still they did not believe him. After about half a year of this fruitless correspondence back and forth Kieslowski stopped replying" (Abrahamson: 1995).

Since his friend's death in 1996, Preisner has continued to work regularly on European films. He has also created his first full scale, orchestral work, Requiem, which received its European premiere at the Royal Festival Hall in London, on March 19th, 1999. He was joined on stage by many of the musicians and vocalists that he has worked with since his days at the University of Krakow. The music on display was somehow different from his past work, often massive in scale, reaching to fill the acoustics of the giant hall. Preisner, who still lives in Poland, stood stage right, watching silently. The audience responded with waves of applause. At the end of the 3rd standing ovation, an elderly Polish woman shouted out, "We're all proud of you Zbigniew!"

Preisner was once quoted as saying, "I do not like glare. I am interested in creating something different - a new reality" (Broxton: 1999: 17). As he stepped into the shadows at the back of the stage, he could be certain that the afterglow of the things he has done in this life will burn quietly in the hearts of many for generations to come.

Appendix: Source:

Principal awards and citations_

1991_

THE LOS ANGELES CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARD: the year's most outstanding composer of film music, first citation: The Double Life Of Veronique, Europa Europa, At Play In The Fields Of The Lord

1992_

THE LOS ANGELES CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARD: the year's most outstanding composer of film music, second citation: Damage

GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD: nomination for At Play In The Fields Of The Lord

CESAR AWARD OF THE FRENCH FILM ACADEMY: nomination for Dekalog and The Double Life Of Veronique

AWARD OF THE POLISH MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: for outstanding achievements in the presentation of Polish culture abroad

1993_

THE LOS ANGELES CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARD: the year's most outstanding composer of film music, third citation: Three Colors Blue, Olivier Olivier and The Secret Garden

GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD: nomination for Three Colors Blue

1995_

CESAR AWARD OF THE FRENCH FILM ACADEMY: for Three Colors Red

1996_

CESAR AWARD OF THE FRENCH FILM ACADEMY: citation for Elisa

THE ROYAL TELEVISION SOCIETY CRAFT & DESIGN AWARD: for Original music for the title music of People's Century

1997_

THE SILVER BEAR, BERLIN: for The Island On Bird Street

_

Zbigniew Preisner is a member of the French Film Academy

BIBLIOGRAPHY

______(1996) 'The Rebirth of the Authors in Kieslowski's Three Colors'

[

Abrahamson, P. (1995) 'Kieslowski's many colors', Oxford University Student Newspaper: 02-06-'95.

[ ~ zbigniew/Kieslowski/Koxford.html

Broxton, J. (1999) 'Zbigniew Preisner In Concert: Requiem for my Friend', Movie Music U.K.

[

Eyerman, R. and Jamison, A. (1998) Music and Social Movements: Mobilizing Traditions in the Twentieth Century, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Insdorf, A. (1999) Double Lives, Second Chances: The Cinema of Krzysztof Kieslowski, New York: Miramax Books.

Kieslowski, K. (1993) Kieslowski on Kieslowski, London: Faber and Faber.

Leppert, R. and McClary, S. (1987) Music and Society, the politics of politics, performance and reception, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Malcolm, D. (2003) 'Moral Maze', The Guardian: 03-10-'03

[

Shepherd, J. (1991) Music as Social Text, Cambridge: Polity Press.