K. Bartnik - Suita na gitarę

‘Suite for Guitar’ is a four-part composition that I wrote in 1992. At the time, I was still a student at the Wanda Kossakowa State Primary Music School in Sanok. The composition was originally entitled 'Suite In modo dodecafonico' and as such received an honourable mention in the National Composition Competition in Katowice 'For a piece dedicated to Pope John Paul II' in 1992. The fact that Witold Lutosławski himself chaired the jury was a great honour. Winning an award in this competition motivated me to continue my creative work, which resulted in a number of compositions in my portfolio in later years.

The first movement Largo introduces a serious mood. The second movement Allegro contains rapid harp arpeggios and legato. The third movement Andante has a variable metre of 6/8 - 3/4. The final fourth movement Vivo giocoso is a grotesque, playful waltz. I wrote the entire Suite in the atonal musical language characteristic of this compositional period. My inspiration came from compositions by Alban Berg, Arnold Schönberg and Anton Webern, among others.

The suite was rewritten, complete with dynamics, articulation and appliqué by me in 2024.

Kamil Bartnik