History of Music in Poland

Musicians from Poland include popular composers such as Chopin or Lutoslawski and folk, regionalized traditional artists make a lively and different music scene which even recognizes its own music genres like poezja spiewana (sung poetry).

source of picture: www.everyculture.com

The root of Polish music is dated back from 13^th century, from which documents have been originate in Stary Sacz, comprising polyphonic compositions linked to the Parisian Notre Dame School. Other early compositions such as the melody of Bogurodzica, may also traced back to this time. The first known renowned composer however, is known as Mikolaj z Radomia, lived during the 15^th century.

During the 16^th century mainly two orchestras which both of the group were based in Krakow and belonging to the King and Archbishop of Wawel that led the speedy invention of Polish music. Composers writing during this time comprise Mikolaj Zielenski, Waclaw z Szamotul and Mikolaj Gomolka. Diomedes Cato, who is a native-born Italian that lived in Krakow for five years and later became one of the most popular lutenists at the court of Sigismund III, and not only brought some of the musical patterns from the southern Europe, but combined them with indigenous traditional music.

In the last phrase of the 16^th century and the early phrase of the 17^th century, a number of Italian artists were visitors at the royal courts of Sigismund III Vasa and Wladyslaw IV. This included Giovanni Francesco Anerio, Luca Marenzio and Marco Scacchi. Polish composers from this time concentrated on baroque religious music, concertos for voices, instruments and bass continuo, a custom that continued into the 18^th century.

The best-renowned composer of this time is known as Adam Jarzebsko, known for his instrumental compositions such as Chromatica, Nova Casa, Bentrovata, Sentinella and Tamburetta. Other composers comprise Bartlomiej Pekjel, Marcin Mielczewski, Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki, Franciszek Lilius and Sylwester Szarzynski.

In addition, a custom of operatic creation started in Warsaw in 1628, with a performance of Galatea (composer uncertain), the initial Italian opera produced outside Italy. Shortly after the performance, the court made Francesca Caccini’s opera La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina, which she had written for Prince Wladyslaw and three years earlier when he was in Italy. Another initial, is the earliest surviving opera written by a woman. When Wladyslaw was a king (as Wladyslaw IV) he surprised the production of at least ten operas during the late 1630s and 1640s, which makes Warsaw a point of the art. The composers of these operas were unknown: they have made a Poles work under Marco Scacchi in the royal chapel.

The late 17^th and 18^th century saw a weak of Poland, which also stopped the development of music. Some composers tried to make a Polish opera such as Jan Stefani and Maciej Kamjenski, other copied foreign composers like Haydn and Mozart.

The greatest important improvement in this time, however, was the polonaise, possibly the initial characteristically Polish art music. Polonaises for piano were remaining renowned such as Michal Kleofas Oginski, Jozef Elsner, Henryk Wieniawski, Karol Kurpinski, Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, Juliusz Zarebski and most notably, Fryderyk Chopin. Chopin remains the most renowned and it is regarded for composing a wide variety of composition which include waltzes, mazurkas, concertos and nocturnes and use folk Polish elements in his pieces.