He began learning violin and music theory in the late 1940s in Opole. In 1949-53 he studied composition with Artur Malawski at the State Higher School of Music in Krakow. In 1949, he also took up musicological studies under Zdzisław Jachimecki at the Jagiellonian University. In 1953, he wrote an extensive diploma dissertation on Witold Lutosławski. He supplemented his musical education in 1959 with Luigi Nono. In 1965 he started working with the Experimental Studio of the Polish Radio.

He won prizes at many competitions for composers: in 1959 and 1964 at the Grzegorz Fitelberg Competition, and in 1962 in Artur Malawski Competition. In 1987, he received an award at the Polish Contemporary Art Festival in Wrocław for his dramatic work. In addition, he was honoured with numerous other distinctions, including: The Award of the Minister of Culture and Art (1971, 1972, 1980, 2001), the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1972), the Polish Composers' Union Award (1977), the City of Krakow Award (1977) and the Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation Prize (1999).

As a lecturer, he is associated with the Institute of Musicology of the Jagiellonian University, the Academy of Music in Krakow and the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst "Mozarteum" in Salzburg.

Since 1980, he has written more than 40 plays, which have been translated into 17 languages.

He is the author of the first piece for a typewriter in the history of music.