”Greya“, is a composition in five movements by Barbara Zawadzka about the colour ”grey“ – a game of sounds, shapes and colours.

The work ”Greya“, the title of which is determined by the colour ”grey“, might be considered subdivided in five movements. Each of these movements represents – almost in an obsessed way – the ever repeated research inspired by the colour ”grey“. An incessable game of sounds, shapes and colours, a game with the internal representation of a material, allowing us to develop our own imagination, a trip into our own inside. This piece was realized in 1987 at the experimental studios of Polish Broadcasting Corporation in Warsaw and is based upon various sound sources, such as the DX7 synthesizer, processed by a CX5M calculator and a Macintosh, as well as various concrete and instrumental sounds and the human voice, the latter playing a very prominent part in this composition. (Premiered on April 1988 at the Festival of Contemporary Music in Poznan)

Why I work in this field? Well, musical informatics can give you a great profit in composing a musical work, in the shape of the composition as well as in the sound synthesis and in tonality research; one gets to know the electro-acoustical music and the audi-visual arts in their integration, being able to transform music into images and graphic signs into sounds, store them and use them later on in musical education; finally musical ideas and areas of research may be developed that give you enhanced possibilities: All kinds of transformation and treatments via computer are open to you. (B. Zawadzka)

Barbara Zawadzka , born 1951 in Warsaw, studied Music at the Krakov Music Academy, composition with K. Penderecki. Training in Electroacoustic Music at INA-GRM, Paris, with P. Mion and J. Lejeune; Trainee of Jean Schwarz (electroacoustic composition and computer music at Gennevilliert conservatory) and of Guy Reibel (theory and analysis of electroacoustic music, at CNSM, Paris, 1983–85. Since 1980 teaching at Krakov Music Academy. Numerous awards and distinctions for her works in Poland, Germany, and Switzerland. Participated at the most important festivals of contemporary music in Poland. Numerous works, many of them connected to the theatre, the representing arts, or the cinema, e.g. 1975: quintetto ”4 + 1“; 1977: ”Motif of Space“ for 9 violins; 1980: ”Stabat Mater“ for a-capellachoir; 1981: Quartetto d'archi, and ”Divertimento“ for chamber orchestra; 1984: ”Esperanza“ for tape; 1986: ”Sources“, an event for tape, 80 projectors and 6 percussionists; 1987: ”Greya“ for tape.