Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki

CORO CORO Bartłomiej Pękiel “This craftsman’s masterful music is presented here with an assured charisma by the mighty Grzegorz Sixteen. Eamonn Dougan draws typically golden performances.” GRAMOPHONE Gerwazy (Choice disc for September 2013). cor16110 Gorczycki The Blossoming Vine Italian Maestri in Poland Conductus funebris “The Sixteen luxuriate in its textures and Litaniae de Providentia Divina sonorities, offsetting serene, arching lines with more urgent, declamatory passages.” Missa Rorate caeli BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE Choice, August 2014 Performance ***** Recording ***** cor16123 The Sixteen To find out more about The Sixteen, concert tours, and to buy CDs visit EAMONN DOUGAN www.thesixteen.com cor16130 Having explored the music of Bartłomiej Pękiel and his Italian forebears in Zgłębiwszy w pierwszych dwóch nagraniach tej serii muzykę Bartłomieja Pękiela oraz jego włoskich the first two recordings of this series, we now move to a composer described poprzedników, przechodzimy teraz do kompozytora, którego określono mianem „ostatniego as “the last great talent of the Polish Baroque era” - Grzegorz Gerwazy wielkiego talentu Polskiego baroku” – Grzegorza Gerwazego Gorczyckiego (ok. 1665–1734). Gorczycki (c.1665 - 1734). Gorczycki korzystał z wielostronnego wykształcenia, studiując sztuki wyzwolone i filozofię w Pradze Gorczycki enjoyed a well-rounded education, studying liberal arts and oraz teologię w Wiedniu, po czym przeniósł się do Krakowa, gdzie przyjął święcenia kapłańskie. Poza philosophy in Prague and theology in Vienna, after which he came to Kraków, dwuletnim pobytem w Chełmnie, resztę swojego życia spędził w Krakowie, gdzie pełnił obowiązki where he took holy orders. With the exception of two years in Chełmno, he Magister capellae musices w katedrze wawelskiej od 1698 r. aż do śmierci. Obecnie znany głównie jako spent the rest of his life in Kraków, fulfilling the role of Magister capellae Benjamin Harte Photograph: kompozytor, Gorczycki słynął również ze swoich dobrych uczynków i troski o biednych w Krakowie. musices at Wawel Cathedral from 1698 until his death. Remembered now Jego tablica pamiątkowa na murze w katedrze wawelskiej opisuje go jako Gemma sacerdotum, czyli principally as a composer, Gorczycki was also renowned for his good works and his care of the klejnot duchowieństwa. poor in Kraków. His memorial tablet on the wall of Wawel Cathedral describes him as “Gemma Wzorem swojego poprzednika, Pękiela, Gorczycki tworzył biegle zarówno w starym, jak i w nowym sacerdotum” - a jewel of a priest. stylu. Jego dzieła a cappella zdradzają widoczne wpływy muzyki Palestriny oraz szkoły rzymskiej. Like his predecessor Pękiel, Gorczycki wrote in both the old and the new style with equal Podstawą dla Missa Rorate stanowią melodie starych hymnów polskich, a na nagraniu słychać fluency. The influence of Palestrina and the Roman school is plain to see in his a cappella works. kontrastującą fakturę uzyskaną przez Gorczyckiego przy użyciu chóru, składającego się z głosów The Missa Rorate is based on melodies of old Polish hymns and on this recording we are able to sopran, alt, tenor, bas, śpiewający ordinarium missae, podczas gdy propria śpiewa zespół złożony z hear Gorczycki’s contrasting texture of soprano, alto, tenor, bass choir singing the Ordinary of the głosów alt, tenor, tenor, bas. W swoich utworach wokalno-instrumentalnych, Gorczycki korzysta w pełni mass while the Propers are sung by alto, tenor, tenor, bass ensemble. In his vocal-instrumental z możliwości wykonawczych, które miał do dyspozycji, co słyszymy w dwóch z jego najobszerniejszych works, Gorczycki makes full use of the forces available to him, as can be heard in two of his dzieł: Conductus Funebris, utworze czteroczęściowym poddającym umuzycznieniu tekst z oficjum most substantial works: Conductus Funebris, a four-movement work setting text from the Burial pogrzebowego, w którym przeciwstawia pięknie płynący przebieg części kontrapunktujących Service in which he sets beautifully flowing contrapuntal passages alongside a more emphatic, bardziej emfatycznemu, deklamacyjnemu stylowi, oraz w Litania de Providentia Divinae, gdzie w pełni declamatory style, and the Litania de Providentia Divinae in which he unleashes the full power of puszcza wodze swojej inwencji, malując dobroć „bożej opatrzności” jarzącą się paletą barw. his invention as he paints the virtues of “divine providence” with a glowing palate of colours. Hejnał mariacki, grany co godzinę o pełnej godzinie z wieży bazyliki Świętej Marii Panny w Krakowie, The Hejnał mariacki, played every hour on the hour from the tower of St Mary’s Basilica in Kraków zapewne stale towarzyszył Gorczyckiemu w jego codziennych obowiązkach. Dlatego wydawał się would have been a regular background accompaniment for Gorczycki during his daily duties and całkowicie stosownym rozpoczęciem nagrania, upamiętniającego ostatni wielki talent tego cudownie as such seemed to be an entirely appropriate opening to a recording celebrating the last great bogatego okresu w polskich dziejach. musical talent of this wonderfully rich period in Polish history. Moje podziękowania kieruję do prof. dr hab. Barbary Przybyszewskiej-Jarmińskiej za jej stałą My thanks to Barbara Przbyszewska-Jarminska for her continuing advice on this series and to współpracę w przygotowaniu tej serii i do mgr Alicji Wardęckiej-Gościńskiej oraz śp. ks. prof. Karola Alicja Wardęcka-Gościńska and the late Karol Mrowiec who prepared the editions we used. Also to Mrowca, którzy przygotowali wykorzystane przez nas wydania nutowe. Podziękowania składam John Bickley who has been instrumental in bringing these recordings to fruition and to the trusts także p. Johnowi Bickley’owi, który przyczynił się do zrealizowania tych nagrań, jak również zarządom and individuals who have provided generous support. i osobom, które tak hojnie udzielały swojego wsparcia. Eamonn Dougan, Associate Conductor Eamonn Dougan, Współdyrygent 2 3 1 Hejnał mariacki (Anon.) 0.32 The St Mary’s bugle call that opens our disc years later, the Commonwealth of Poland- has a symbolic dimension, and it is part of Lithuania was drawn into the Great Northern 2 In virtute tua Domine 4.50 the 700-year tradition of Kraków. The playing War, as a result of which the nation was ruined, 3 O Rex gloriae, Domine 0.58 of the anonymous bugle call from the tower towns and cities burned down (including 4 Illuxit sol 5.18 of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Wawel Cathedral), and cultural goods looted Grzegorz permanent feature of the city’s landscape and taken away. Things were no better for MISSA RorATE and a key tourist attraction. Legend has it that Kraków over subsequent years, with civil 5 Introit (II) 3.04 during the 13th century, when the bugler was war, starvation and plague considerably 6 Kyrie 2.00 Gerwazy warning the inhabitants about a Tartar attack, depleting the population of the city and its 7 Gloria 5.16 an arrow pierced his throat; that is why the surrounding area. Kraków, the capital city 8 Gradual 1.48 tune is suddenly broken off. The bugle call of the Jagiellons, where successive kings of Gorczycki has been performed for centuries, and it can Poland had been crowned, was gradually 9 Alleluia 0.54 still be heard every hour on the hour today. It losing its status. Power lay mainly in the hands bl Offertory 2.00 (1665 –1734) is played to the four sides of the city: for the of the bishops (Kazimierz Łubieński, Felicjan bm Sanctus 2.02 king, towards Wawel Hill (to the south); for the Szaniawski), who drew legions of clerics to the bn Benedictus 2.16 mayor, towards the Town Hall (to the west); for city: in Gorczycki’s time, around 200 priests bo Agnus Dei 3.17 guests, in the direction of the Barbican (to the were associated with the cathedral alone. The bp Communio 2.15 north); for the merchants, nowadays for the main centres of intellectual life were Kraków Chief of the Fire Brigade, from whose ranks the Academy, the churches (around 70 in total) CONDUCTUS FUNEBriS buglers are drawn, towards the Small Market and especially the cloisters. bq Subvenite Sancti Dei 5.11 Place (to the east). br Libera me, Domine 7.22 That was the Kraków – scarred by war, poverty bs In paradisum 2.05 Even after King Sigismund III Vasa moved and need, and administered by the episcopate bt Salve Regina 4.14 the capital to Warsaw (1595/96), the most – in which it befell our composer to live. important state solemnities continued to bu Sepulto Domino 2.24 be held on Wawel Hill in Kraków. On his Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki is considered to cl Litania de 9.47 coronation in Kraków, in 1697, Augustus be – on the basis of his versatile compositional Providentia Divina II the Strong declared: ‘A golden age is accomplishments and the quantity of his extant returning to the Kingdom of Poland’. Alas, works – the most outstanding representative Total running time 68.02 that prospect was dashed by events. Three of the late Baroque in Poland. Born in Rozbark, 5 near Bytom, c.1665, the son of Adam and Anna him with leading the cathedral’s own vocal- polyphonic song). Gorczycki led the cathedral The functional nature of all Gorczycki’s Gorczyc, he probably attended the local parish instrumental chapel, which undoubtedly ensemble for 36 years, until his death, on compositions was determined by the forces school. He gained his humanistic-philosophical meant that music became his principal focus. 30th April 1734. As a distinguished Krakovian, (the performance capacities of chapels in a and theological training at the universities of When Gorczycki took over, the cathedral he was honoured with an epitaph in Wawel given centre) and the choice of Latin texts. Prague and then Vienna, which is probably chapel was heavily depleted. Of the 30-strong Cathedral, on which he was described as […] They are dominated by a cappella motets also where he acquired his musical knowledge ensemble established by Bishop Marcin Gemma sacerdotum… (a jewel of a priest). He composed to a variety of texts: the Proper and skills.

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