70 years ago, on 21 December 1951, Przemysław Gintrowski, the bard of Solidarity, composer and musician, was born in Stargard Szczeciński. In 1979, together with Jacek Kaczmarski and Zbigniew Łapiński, he prepared the poetic programme “Mury” (“Walls”), whose title song became the informal anthem of the Solidarity movement and a symbol of the fight against communism.
Przemysław Gintrowski was born in Stargard Szczeciński, but he has devoted himself to Warsaw: he finished high school and university here, and also composed and worked.
Already in high school, he was a co-organizer of the Scout Music Broadcasting. In 1968 he founded the music band Między Niebem a Ziemią. The group initially performed compositions by The Doors, Rolling Stones, Animals, Procol Harum and later their compositions with lyrics by Polish poets.
Gintrowski first performed in front of a larger audience in 1976 at a student song review in the Warsaw Riviera; he presented the piece “Epitafium for Sergei Yesenin” and won the first prize.
In 1979, together with Jacek Kaczmarski and Zbigniew Łapiński, he set up a trio that prepared the poetic programme “Mury”. The title song became the informal anthem of Solidarity and a symbol of the fight against communism. For Gintrowski and Kaczmarski, freedom was the supreme value.
In 1980, another joint program of the trio was created – “Paradise”. A year later, Gintrowski and Kaczmarski won second prize in a cabaret competition for “Epitafium dla Włodzimierza Wysockiego” in Opole, as well as an award at the Review of Actor Songs in Wrocław.
Then the artists went to France for a tour. Gintrowski and Łapiński returned to Poland. Due to the introduction of martial law, they could not continue their tour with Kaczmarski; they were denied passports. Kaczmarski remained in exile until 1990.
Przemysław Gintrowski created film music for, among others, Andrzej Wajda’s “Man of Iron”, Janusz Zaorski’s “Mother of Kings”, Stanisław Bareja’s comedy series “Zmiennicy” or Maciej Ślesicki’s “Tato” as well as other films and theatre plays.
In 2006, President Lech Kaczyński decorated the artist with the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Przemyslaw Gintrowski died on the 20th of October 2012. He was buried in the cemetery in Wilanów.