Camerata Silesia / Baroque Sonus / Szostak / Gorczycki / The most Celebrated Composer of the Polish Baroque - NOSPR

Next time you are exploring the historic monuments of Kraków, seek out a medium-sized plaque in the Wawel Cathedral – bronze marble, richly ornamented. Its Latin inscription translates to English as follows: ‘In memory of the most venerable Father Grzegorz Gorczycki (…), Kapellmeister, by all called the Jewel of the Priesthood’. For more than half his life, Poland’s most celebrated Baroque composer was closely associated with the cathedral on the Wawel Hill. Here he served as Kapellmeister (i.e. ‘master of the chapel choir’) and looked after the prisoners held in the towers of the royal castle.

Gorczycki’s oeuvre was almost exclusively religious, composed in direct service to the liturgy. His works reveal both a masterful command of Renaissance polyphony and an evident fascination with the newer concertato style. In the setting of his Completorium – i.e. Compline, or an evening prayer – one is struck by the play of contrasting colouring, textures, and dynamics. Solo voices are prominently featured, brought together in virtually every possible configuration. The concert programme is further enriched by motets in which the influence of stile antico, or Renaissance polyphony, is more pronounced. Even here, however, Gorczycki employs refined rhetorical devices worthy of the finest achievements of the Italian Baroque.

Gorczycki’s music has long held a significant place in the repertoire of Camerata Silesia. While the Katowice-based vocal ensemble is often associated with contemporary music and special projects, it is worth recalling that early music forms the very roots of its artistic identity. Speaking of roots, one should also note Gorczycki’s Silesian origins: he was born in Rozbark, now a district of Bytom, located only a few kilometres from the NOSPR.

Szymon Maliszewski