A medieval lament to the Virgin Mary and the words written by a teenage girl on the walls of her Gestapo prison cell formed the lyrical centerpiece of Gorecki's famous Third Symphony, the "symphony of sorrowful songs." Heartrendingly beautiful and poignant, it incredibly became a worldwide hit. Not that Gorecki, a down-to-earth Pole who has just died aged 76, was smitten by his unexpected success. He was a working composer, and kept on composing and teaching music in his home town of Katowice. "If you can live without music for two or three days," he said, "then don't write – it might be better to spend the time with a girl or with a beer."