Andrzej Panufnik was born on 24 September 1914 in Warsaw, in a family with musical traditions. His father, Tomasz, was a highly regarded violin maker, while his mother, Matylda Thonnes, was a fine violinist. From 1932 to 1936 Panufnik studied at the Warsaw Conservatory, in composition with Kazimierz Sikorski and in conducting with Walerian Bierdiajew. In the late 1940s, Panufnik led the way among modern Polish composers and works he wrote then, like Lullaby for 29 string instruments and 2 harps and Nocturne for orchestra, remain a testimony to the most advanced sonic experiments carried out in Poland at that time. In addition, Panufnik was very active as a conducto. Thus in July 1954, taking advantage of a brief visit to Zurich to make some recordings, he flew from there to London, where he asked for political asylum.