In my composing career one can notice a great variety of musical species. There are many instrumental, solo, chamber and orchestral pieces, next to vocal (songs and a cappella choruses) and mixed, vocal- instrumental ones.

Chronologically speaking four distinct periods are clearly discernible:

1. up to year 1962, marked by neostyles and folkloristic inspirations,
2. 1962-1971 period of experimenting with a novel organization of musical time (the so-called isochronic division) which influenced the structuring of tonal resources, original search for new sonoric, textural and formal qualities as well as deepening of the emotional charge,
3. 1972-1981 continuing search for new stylistic features by means of enriching it with aleatoric, freely sonoric, multiple constructivistic structures, new type of musical notation. At the same time took place a reduction of the number of performers without losing full sound qualities and careful selection of expressive means,
4. after 1982 – a definite shift towards sacral connotations in musical orientation accompanied by increased symbolism, condensation and homogenization of musical matter paralleled by intense musical expression and dramatic tension.

In my own eyes, that period results in an esthetically and stylistically distinct musical language. Among its chief characteristics are: emotion, dynamic tension, dramatic presentation, symbolic and aphoristic narration. Moreover, all these means are subservient to the governing artistic idea. My aim is to select very carefully all the means of artistic expression and to apply them judiciously in each individual work.

It is the matter of architectonic precision closely connected with the expressive strata, exploiting the sonoric and expressive capacities of both vocal and instrumental resource, and, finally, a close relationship between musical notation and time, as well as, the desired sound. The latter, in turn, is determined by the scale of dynamic articulation sound quality and its volume. Worth mentioning is also polarization of sonoric contrasts which results in obtaining monumental effects in spite of chamber-like means.

To sum up – my music may be best described as being par excellence dynamic and expressive while in terms of art philosophy I profess sincerely ethical approach in terms of high humanist ideals combined with romantic spirit in life and artistic endeavors. My guideline in artistic endeavors is introspection, i.e., to be true to oneself, ones gifts and abilities.

Marian Borkowski
(transl. by Jerzy Gołos)
„Musica Sacra Nova” 2007 No. 1