Symphony No. 3, Op. 36, "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"
Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki
Work background
Researched classical background
Gorecki's Third Symphony sets three Polish texts associated with loss and the bond between mother and child. All three movements move slowly, using repetition and gradual growth to focus attention on the soprano's line. The first movement expands through layered instrumental entries before the voice appears. The work's later recording success belongs to its reception history and does not change its 1976 composition date.
Inspiration and creative background
The selected texts include a Marian lament, a wartime prison inscription, and a folk lament, linking the movements through experiences of loss.
Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki - Symphony No.3 'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs'
Publisher work catalogue: identity, date, soprano and orchestral forces; used with the separate publisher text-source note. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Boosey & Hawkes Composers and their Music
Publisher score metadata: Gorecki work identity, Op. 36 and composition date 1976. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Symphony No. 3 'Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs' | Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki - Wise Music Classical
Publisher work catalogue: date, soprano and orchestral forces, three slow movement titles and origins of the three Polish texts. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
A listening guide
Listen to how repeated material gradually changes in weight as more instrumental lines enter.
Listening suggestions are editorial guides to the music.
Forces: Solo soprano and orchestra
Composition: 1976
The publisher identifies 1976 as the composition date; later popular recordings have their own release dates.
This entry describes the musical work or cycle. Composition, premiere and publication dates describe different events. Performers and recordings can be explored through the external listening search.
Also known as: Symphony of Sorrowful Songs
Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki - Symphony No.3 'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs'
Publisher work catalogue: identity, date, soprano and orchestral forces; used with the separate publisher text-source note. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Boosey & Hawkes Composers and their Music
Publisher score metadata: Gorecki work identity, Op. 36 and composition date 1976. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Symphony No. 3 'Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs' | Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki - Wise Music Classical
Publisher work catalogue: date, soprano and orchestral forces, three slow movement titles and origins of the three Polish texts. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Sources for this work
Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki - Symphony No.3 'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs'
Publisher work catalogue: identity, date, soprano and orchestral forces; used with the separate publisher text-source note. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Boosey & Hawkes Composers and their Music
Publisher score metadata: Gorecki work identity, Op. 36 and composition date 1976. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Symphony No. 3 'Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs' | Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki - Wise Music Classical
Publisher work catalogue: date, soprano and orchestral forces, three slow movement titles and origins of the three Polish texts. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
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