The piece was written to celebrate the 75th anniversary jubilee of the National Philharmonic. For Wojciech Kilar this was a time of avid fascination with the Tatra folklore, already reflected in ''Krzesany'', written two years earlier. The piece is clearly associated with the figure of Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, who died tragically on the slopes of the Maly Koscielec. Written on the 100th anniversary of his birth, it uses the form of the symphonic poem, of which Karlowicz was the most prominent Polish representative. The piece combines three symbolic themes: the first is the ''Koscielec theme'', the second is the ''call of the abyss'' and the third (most developed) - ''fate theme''.