This study deals with the four-composer Polish musical association, Young Polish Composers' Publishing Company, which became commonly known as the group Poland in Music. Young Poland in Music is considered by Polish and non-Polish music historians to be the signal inaugurator of modernism in Polish music. However, despite this most important attribution, the past eighty-odd years have witnessed considerable confusion over the perceptions of: 1) exactly who constituted the publishing company, 2) why it was founded, 3) what the intentions of its members were, and 4) the general reception its members' music received. This paper addresses and resolves this multiple confusion. Chapter I presents an introductory survey of the political, socio/cultural, and musical developments of Poland between 1772 and c1900, the period of the Polish Partitions through the beginnings of the "Young Poland" era. Chapter II presents a discussion of the facts surrounding the founding of the publishing company, as well as a discussion of the eighty-odd years of historical misinterpretations that have developed about the composers' company and its relationship to "Young Poland in Music." Chapter III discusses the interpersonal relationships of the composers and other persons directly involved with them and their company, and the impact that these relationships had on the publishing company. Additionally, the chapter brings into focus the specific relationships between the musicologist, Adolf Chybiński, the company, and its individual members. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the actual publishing activities of the company. Chapter IV examines the three concerts sponsored by the company and their critical receptions in Warsaw and Berlin through the surviving reviews and comments of leading contemporary music critics, the concert participants, the composers' close colleagues, and the composers themselves. Finally, Chapter V contains a brief discussion of the music presented on the three concerts, characterizing the works within the context of their initial critical reception.

In my diploma thesis I am focused on biography of polish composer Karol Szymanowski. In his biography I briefly analyze his major works of three different creative periods and I present what was he inspired of at those periods (eg. Wagner's harmony, oriental music, folk music of Podhale etc.). Afterwards, I detaily focus on analysis of the ballet "Harnasie", which is most inspired by the folklore music from Zakopané, where he lived for a part of his life. I analyze the ballet from music aspect, I also write about libretto, kostumes, scenography atc. I have added the ballet notes samples as a part of the musical analysis to facilitate orientation. I have included images of people, places, folk costumes, architecture and dance I am writing about. Annexes include notes samples and another images from composer's life and also a list of compositions, which are included on CD.