Poland 10 Zlotych2010 Y# 808

A silver 10-zloty collector coin from the History of the Polish Popular Music series with an image of Krzysztof Komeda. Krzysztof Komeda (born Krzysztof Trzciński) was born on April 27, 1931 in Poznań, in an educated and well-off bourgeois family. He received a thorough education, both general and musical. Since childhood, he studied music and played the piano. In Ostrów Wielkopolski, where he settled after the end of the war, his fascination with jazz began. He actively participated in the developing Polish jazz movement. In 1955, he graduated from medical studies in Poznań and undertook specialized studies in otolaryngology. Krzysztof Komeda was a jazz musician and composer, author of film soundtracks as well as the leading modern jazz author both in Poland and in Europe. He was an exceptional figure. Since childhood he loved music – from the age of 7, he studied piano music in the Poznań conservatoire. He said that playing music was the only activity that he was truly passionate about. His colleague artists remember him as a workaholic, tyrant and "butcher" on the one hand, and a close, loyal and always helpful friend, a caring husband and father on the other. Krzysztof Komeda thought of himself as a European with Hellenic roots. He was a connoisseur of music, a composer working in the untypical musical genre, impossible to compare with any other. He was the first person to have introduced, in a logical and consistent way, modern jazz to the film industry as illustrative music. In doing so he created a new style of film musical compositions, which was emulated for many decades. Music became inseparably united with word, image and silence, which in Komeda's film compositions played an equally important role in building the atmosphere as the music itself. The "Komeda phenomenon" is today the most widely used synonym denoting creative grandeur and an exceptional artistic personality. Komeda's career was tragically interrupted by a seemingly trivial incident. As a result of a playful argument with a friend, a famous writer banished by the Communist regime, Marek Hłasko, Komeda fell on rocks, suffering a head injury which led to a cerebral hemorrhage. After 3 months in coma, on April 20, 1969, still unconscious, he was taken back to Poland by his wife. Despite the efforts of the most distinguished neurologists, the artist died 3 days later, never regaining consciousness. Krzysztof Komeda is still with us through his music. He left many outstanding, timeless jazz compositions and pieces of film music. Today, over 40 years after his death, his music remains a model for young artists and a delight for music connoisseurs. Komeda is part of the prestigious group of the greatest, epoch-making composers, not only in Europe. With his compositions and the history of his life he became a model of a real artist and a good, righteous man. With Frédéric Chopin he remains the greatest and best-recognized ambassador of the Polish culture and art around the world.