Middle Ages
The history of pipe organ and pipe organ music in Poland is exceptionally rich and its roots stretch back to the Middle Ages. Historical accounts point out that already before 1190 a pipe organ was property of Casimir the Just, who played it himself to accompany his singing. In 'Annales seu Chronicae Regni Polonia', Jan Długosz even relays that already in 966 a pipe organ was permanently installed in the Cracow cathedral, however this opinion is being challenged and Długosz’s accounts are considered questionable. What is more probable, though, is a piece of information from the abbey of the Cistercian nuns from Trzebnica, stating that instructions on how to play a pipe organ had been there already in 1218. Before 1260 a pipe organ must have been present at the Dominican monastery in Sandomierz, too. The monastery chronicle states that among the brethren killed by the Tatars was an organist – brother Tomasz.
Far more accounts about the pipe organs come from the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1343 a Franciscan monk of an unknown name and surname built an organ in Toruń. In 1373 a pipe organ in the Corpus Christi Church in Cracow underwent renovation – the then organist named Marcin is said to have received a specific sum of money for that purpose. In Kęty near Cracow, in 1381, in the St Margaret Church, a pipe organ was built by Jan Wanc from Żywiec – the first ever organ builder known by name and surname. The pipe organ in Kalisz dates back to around 1410. However, Cracow remained the most thriving centre for builders of the king of instruments. The municipal documents list the names of organ builders – Zygmunt (already in 1321), Szymon (1460), Jerzy (1464 and 1470) – crafters of cathedral organs, Jan (1487 and 1497) – builder of an organ in Olkusz, and Jan Niedziela (1489 and 1490). Poznań was another important pipe organ building centre. Many sources referring to the history of pipe organ building in Poland are of an indirect nature. However, if municipal or parish records mention an organist, we can therefore presume that a town in question could also boast having a pipe organ. There is no doubt that the builders also included craftsmen from Western Europe, although it is impossible to list them all here.
As a matter of fact, no source materials forming a reference to the history of organ works from that period have survived. Most probably, the beginnings of the organ music in Poland were similar as the very origins of this type of art. The performative practice included works of 'organal' type, which is only incidentally similar to the instrument itself in terms of nomenclature. However, due to their structure – a long-note organal and contrasting voice, a more lively second voice in agogic terms, would correspond to the specificity of the instrument and the playing technique it involves. It is beyond doubt that the vocal repertoire must have been transposed to the organ already at that time. Such tendency did not appear in isolation and concerned music composed in the entire European cultural area. At first, organ works were in no way different from vocal works in terms of texture. The instrumental ricercar’s pedigree is in the vocal patterns of a motet. In turn, transformations of the ricercar led to the emergence of a fantasia, referred to as ‘mutetka’ in Poland. Over time, in the process of transposing works of a vocal origin to pipe organ, a number of measures and rules were elaborated, which evolved into formal features – melodic and ornamental formulas strongly exploited in the century that followed by the so-called Colourists.
Renaissance
The 16th and 17th centuries saw exceptionally vibrant development of organ building and works for this very instrument in the Polish territory. Far more source documents from that period have survived – agreements concluded between the pipe organ ordering parties and its builders, descriptions of instruments and the historic artefacts themselves – pipe organs preserved in fragments and repertoire collections, the so-called tablatures. We also learn about new centres in Poland (Vilnius, Grodno, Przemyśl) where organ builders crafting valuable instruments were active. There are records of more pipe organs in already developed centres such as Cracow, Poznań or Kielce, built to an ever greater success also in churches of less significance, including those located in nearby towns. Information about Stanisław Komorowski from Cracow – builder of a new pipe organ in the cathedral – dates back to the beginning of the century (1502). A little later, as mentioned several times in the records, Stanisław Zelik – creator of the pipe organ in the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Cracow (1505), church in Brześć Kujawski (1512) and in Gniezno and Wrocław cathedrals (1522), comes to the fore. At that time, Maksym Dubrawski and Andrzej – an organ builder from Olkusz, were also active in Cracow. Among other organ builders active in the then territory of Poland, it is worth mentioning Wawrzyniec from Poznań, Wojciech from Szadek, Mikołaj – only known by his first name, Maciej from Pabianice, Bartłomiej and Krzysztof Kicher or Mikołaj Załęcki, who was mainly working abroad. However, many of the instruments built in the 16th century were the works of anonymous builders. The towns mentioned below where pipe organs were built in that period may prove that the phenomenon of organ building was gaining more ground in 16th-century Poland (Kraśnik, Śrem, Trzemeszno, Grodzisk Wielkopolski, Jędrzejów, Oliwa, Mogiła, Pelplin, Płock, Jarosław, Stary Sącz, etc.). In cities already featuring organs, the number of instruments doubled (among others, Cracow, Poznań, Lviv, Warsaw, Łowicz).
What kind of pipe organs were built in Poland in the 16th century? Few historic artefacts have survived and those that have have remained in fragments. These include fragments of the organ in Grywałd, some pipes in Wąchock and hollow organ casings from the Church of St John in Chełmno and the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St James in Toruń. Based on the preserved sources, we can try to make a general assumption that the pipe organs of then featured two hand keyboards (manuals) and a foot keyboard (pedal). The presence of a pedal is attested by tall organ front towers which had to accommodate bass pipes. Meanwhile, a fragment of the organ front suspended on balustrades of church choir galleries known as a positive organ, suggests explicit breakdown of pipes and stops into two distinct sound sections (manuals). For sure, smaller, single-manual instruments with or without a pedal existed, similarly as all varieties of organs in the form of positive organs, regals etc, often mentioned in documents and present in iconographic accounts. In Poland, the first foot keyboard recorded in source documents appeared in an organ built in 1381 in Kęty. At the turn of the 16th century it must have been known and broadly used, which is reflected in repertoire accounts coming from the first half of the 16th century.
Organ facade in the Bernardine Church in Leżajsk, photo: wikipedia.org
The 17th century was the most vibrant period for the organ building trade in Poland. It is well documented in the source materials and, most of all, in the form of works that have been preserved in a better or worse shape to this day. Organ casings, that have survived in much greater numbers than pipe organs themselves, also deserve special attention. In the 17th century the number of new instruments grew. Soon, they began to cover nearly the entire map of Poland of then. Unfortunately, the Swedish Deluge in the first half of the 17th century, followed by the Northern War, contributed to the destruction and devastation of the number of existing pipe organs. The oldest surviving instrument from that period is a pipe organ crafted by Jann Hummel in the parish church in Olkusz in 1612. Of an earlier pipe organ in the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Toruń built in 1609 by Joachim Hellwig only an organ facade has survived. An instrument in the parish church in Kazimierz Dolny, built by an anonymous craftsman in the years 1607-1620, also represents a valuable proof of high organ building skills present in Poland. Instruments from Olkusz and Kazimierz Dolny indicate that inspiration was drawn from Southern German patterns in terms of style. Thus, they contrast with instruments built in Pomerania, Warmia, sometimes in Mazovia and in Duchy of Prussia, showcasing elements of the Northern German style. Plenty of organ builders have remained anonymous to this date. They included, among others, Cistercians with their own workshop in Szczyrzyc. Those, who were known by name and surname, include, above all, Jerzy, Andrzej and Daniel Nitrowski. Andrzej built an instrument located in today’s cathedral in Sandomierz, while Daniel crafted the instruments in Pelplin and Frombork. In the second half of the 17th century, pipe organs were built by – not to mention numerous German organ builders – Albert Chrostowski, Jan Złocki, Andrzej Lochmann, Kazimierz Kowalewicz, Krzysztof Lenartowicz and Stanisław Studziński. The latter began the construction of a grand pipe organ in the Bernardine monastery in Leżajsk around 1680. However, the work on the instrument was completed by Jan Głowiński in 1693. The instrument in Leżajsk is considered one of the most interesting pipe organs in Europe, both in terms of sound and ornamentation. More or less at that time Mateusz Brandt (Brandtner) was active in Toruń. He built the organ in the Church of St Nicholas there (1687).
Organ tablature by Jan of Lublin, photo: public domain
The earliest historic repertoires that have survived date back to the 16th century. 'The organ tablature by Jan of Lublin' comes from approx. 1538-1548. This set, apart from the 'Organ tablature from the monastery of the Holy Spirit in Cracow' (ca. 1548), undoubtedly constitutes an invaluable musical relic from the 16th-century Poland. The 'Organ tablature by Jan of Lublin' is currently stored at the branch of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow (ref. no. 1716). In the 16th century, it was used by organists from the monastery of the Canons Regular in Kraśnik and, most probably, was compiled by one of them. The tablature represents a collection of freely assembled works, without a clearly outlined thematic plan. The introduction contains a theoretical treatise on composing choral melodies as well as a presentation of the rules of pipe organ tuning. The set’s repertoire consists of instrumental works as well as transcriptions of vocal works (arrangements of parts of ordinarium and proprium missae) alongside secular chants (Polish, German and French), Italian madrigals and dances. The main composers represented in the collection are Girolamo Cavazzoni, Henricus Finck, Clément Janequin, Josquin des Prés, Claudin de Sermisy, Philippe Verdelot, Mikołaj of Cracow and Mikołaj of Chrzanów. The tablature has been prepared using an earlier type of German organ notation (the highest voice of the composition is noted using a multi-line system, while other voices are noted in letters arranged in rows underneath the notes).
The 'Organ tablature from the monastery of the Holy Spirit' in Cracow contains a similar repertoire as the 'Organ tablature by Jan of Lublin' and an analogical notation system, perhaps due to the similar period they both come from. The Cracow source material contains mainly religious works – transcriptions of vocal works and independent instrumental works – preambula and fugues. In this regard, the 'Organ tablature by Jan of Lublin' was enriched by secular repertoire represented by numerous dances. The 'Organ tablature from the monastery of the Holy Spirit' contains works by German, French and Italian composers – among others Heinrich Finck, Josquin des Prés, Philippe Verdelot, Clement Jannequin; Polish music is represented by works of unidentified composers, signed only with their initials N.Z., N.C. and N. Both sources described above constitute an undeniable testament to the artistry of Polish organ music (the quality of creation and performance) in the first half of the 16th century. They also serve as evidence of familiarity of the Polish geographic zone with the work of the most outstanding European composers, represented there by a number of genres popular at that time. Unfortunately, the original copy of the Cracow tablature, stored at the National Library in Warsaw, was destroyed by the Germans during World War II. We are familiar with its content only owing to microfilms taken before 1944 at an order of the Harvard University, USA.
The 'Łowicz Tablature', previously referred to as 'Warsaw Organ Tablature' or 'Tablature by Marcin Leopolita' from the surname of an alleged author, is a slightly younger relic (from ca. 1580). The 'Łowicz Tablature' suffered the same fate as the abovementioned Cracow Tablature – it burned to ashes in the fire of the National Library in 1944 and we are familiar with its content only thanks to the Harvard microfilms. Without doubt, it should be considered a Polish historic artefact. The collection includes nearly 80 works, mainly of religious provenance – introits, parts of masses, hymns, sequences and magnificats prepared using the alternatim technique (consisting in alternate performance of individual scriptures of the magnificat on an organ and by a choir). Works included in the tablature were signed with initials that are credited to Polish composers Marcin Leopolita, Marcin Wartecki, Krzysztof Klabon and Jakub Sowa (Sówka).
The 'Gdańsk Organ Tablature' originates from the late 16th century (1591). The work’s manuscript is stored at the Provincial Archive in Gdańsk (ref. no. 300 R. Vv.). Scriptor Cajus Schmiedtlein, a musician with ties to the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Gdańsk, was most probably the author of the tablature. The collection has been prepared using the Italian-type notation (Italian transcription, notation using two systems). The collection’s repertoire consists of 17 instrumental fantasias and 23 transcriptions of vocal compositions. Among identified composers we can find, among others, Orlando di Lasso, Clemens non Papa, Pierre Sandrine and Johann Walther. In terms of texture, the compositions are maintained in the style resembling the accomplishments of German Colourists (application of the diminutional technique).
One more source dates back to the late 16th century, namely the 'Tablature by Jan Fischer of Morąg' (1595), sometimes referred to as the 'Toruń Tablature' due to the place of its storage. Primarily, the work consisted of two parts, of which only the second has survived. It contains 148 works, both religious and secular, some of which are intended to be performed on a pipe organ. The religious repertoire is represented by works belonging both to the Catholic as well as Evangelical liturgy. The majority of the collection consists of compositions by Italian authors – Palestrina and Orlando di Lasso as well as Diomedes Cato, who worked in Poland. Some of the anonymous compositions are credited to Jan Fischer himself – a Polish composer coming from the Warmia region.
A recently discovered manuscript – the so-called 'Samogitian Transcription', which contains organ works composed by a priest, monk and, above all, an organist of the Cistercian monastery Adam of Wągrowiec (15??-1629), dates back to ca. 1618. A professed monk of the abbey in Wągrowiec came from Margonin (north Greater Poland); however, he was dubbed Adam of Wągrowiec after the place of his activity. Several pieces of information about this figure have survived. They include accounts on his master skills in the field of organ playing. The 'Samogitian Transcription' comes from the post-Jesuit college in Kražiai, Samogitia. Currently, it is stored at the Lithuanian National Library (ref. no. MS LT-Vn 105-67). The transcription has been noted using the so-called Italian key notation in the first half of the 17th century, at times using the score system. When it comes to the repertoire, it is virtually limited to the works by Adam of Wągrowiec. It bears witness of his technique as a performer and his artistry as a composer. It includes ricercars, fantasias, paraphrased liturgical patterns – works resembling the compositions of Girolamo Frescobaldi – an Italian artist of then, and 'Pro Organo' – a unique composition with a virtuoso part played on organ pedals.
No less significant for the Polish musical culture than the 'Samogitian Transcriptions' is a several years’ younger and also recently discovered 'Sapieha Album'. The manuscript paints a picture of the organ music of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, stemming from the Catholic milieus of the Vilnius region. The collection originates from ca. 1626 and unfortunately contains no information about its author and works presented. Apart from identified fragments of works by Girolamo Frescobaldi, we can only presume that the initials F. L. appearing once in the collection belong to Franciszek Lilius (a musician in the royal court of Warsaw until 1630, later to become a bandmaster of the Wawel Cathedral). The manuscript was prepared for members of the Sapieha ducal family, one of the mightiest Polish magnate families. It is composed of sheets with musical notation as well as sheets with figures depicting the life of St Francis.
A slightly younger collection – the 'Oliwa Tablature' (ca. 1619) – comes from the same geographic area as the 'Gdańsk Organ Tablature' and is similar to the tablature from the nearby Pelplin in terms of repertoire. It was noted using a New German tablature notation (in letters). It is an irrefutable proof of high musical culture of the Cistercians of Oliwa. The collection includes 329 compositions, mainly transcriptions of the vocal repertoire (motets, madrigals, religious and secular songs) as well as numerous dances. What deserves special attention is the compositions of a bandmaster of the Municipal Council and the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Gdańsk – Andrzej Hakenberger (1574-1627), songs 'Jesu König der Ehren' and 'Jesu froleichnam schon warhaftiger gottes Sohn' known only in Gdańsk and in the Warmia region, as well as the collection’s most original works 'Resonet in laudibus' and 'Veni Rdemptor gentium' by Petrus de Drusina (15??-1611), an organist of Churches of St Barbara in Gdańsk and the Blessed Virgin Mary in Elbląg, most probably a student of Antonio Scandelli.
A post-Cistercian and cathedral complex in Pelplin, Diocesan Museum in Pelplin, photo: Albin Marciniak/East News
The abovementioned 'Pelplin Tablature' (ca. 1620-1630) is the largest collection consisting of 6 volumes and representing one of the few pearls of the Seminary Library in Pelplin. It contains 892 works mainly by European composers, thus it constitutes a testament of art and source of knowledge of the musical culture of the 16th and 17th centuries. It was prepared using a New German type of tablature notation (in letters), most probably by Feliks Trzciński, for the purposes of the local Cistercian monastery. The beloved work of the Polish organists, 'Canzon a 4' by Andrzej Rohaczewski, originates from this very source. A greater part of the repertoire of the 'Pelplin Tablature' is formed by instrumental and vocal works not intended to be played on a pipe organ.
The manuscript of the 'Warsaw Organ Tablature' dating back to the 17th century (ca. 1660-1680) and belonging to the collection of the National Library, vanished in the fire of the Palace of the Commonwealth in 1944. However, prior to this (in the 1920s), Adolf Chybiński – a Polish musicologist, had copied nearly the entire content of the tablature. In 1953, one of his graduate students (at the University of Poznań) - Czesław Sikorski, undertook to re-copy 71 of the 94 works from the Chybiński’s transcription. In 1983, Czesław Sikorski’s widow sold her late husband’s manuscript for publication. The 'Warsaw Organ Tablature' contains purely instrumental works (toccatas, fugues, preludes, capriccios, canzones) as well as religious songs with Polish lyrics. One of the most popular Polish organ works has survived among the instrumental works. It is the 'Prelude' by Jan Podbielski which is very frequently included in the concert programmes. Similarly as other works in the 'Warsaw Organ Tablature', this work of Jan Podbielski – a Polish composer active in the area of north-eastern Mazovia, was noted using the Italian tablature system.
The 18th century
The first half of the 18th century did not bring any significant changes to the organ building craft in Poland. Organ building workshops established in the previous century were still active, despite considerable destruction of the country as a result of subsequent hostilities. The visual decor and architectural cover of the instruments was modified owing to the influence of a new style – the Baroque. Previously inactive centres, mainly in Mazovia and Podlachia, were trying to catch up with the developed areas. Numerous remarkable instruments were built in, among others, Jędrzejów, Sejny, Połock, Sulejów, Żywiec and Oliwa. The work of Polish organ builders is supported by craftsmen from Silesia, Prussia, Germany and Austria. Organ building workshops run by monks – Bernardines, Dominicans and Cistercians, remained active. It is the work of a Cistercian monk – brother Michał (better known in secular milieus as Jan Wulf of Orneta), that is famous even beyond Europe, with its impressive size and decor, namely the pipe organ in Oliwa, Gdańsk. Slightly less recognisable, but no less historic than the Oliwa organ, that is, the pipe organ in Jędrzejów, is also a work of a Cistercian monk active in Warsaw – Ignacy Fogler.
After a period of flourishing Polish organ music (16th-17th century) the 18th century marked the period of stagnation, sometimes wrongly understood as a period of demise. In the 18th century, especially in its second half, the interest in organ music visibly declined and this process was accompanied by a limited number of compositions for this instrument. However, that century also saw a trend in transposing light repertoire such as arrangements of orchestra or vocal works into organ: opera arias and overtures, dances, fragments of symphonies, etc. Accounts focusing on more valuable music written in a new, classical style, are brought by two most important sources from that period: a hymn book ('Arie z różnych autorów zebrane, do grania na pozytywie lub szpinecie podczas nabożeństwa w kościele' [Collected arias by different authors to be played on a positive organ or a spinet during a mass at the church]) compiled around 1767 by a nun of the Saint Clare order of Stary Sącz, Teresa Fabiańska, and a hymn book by Jadwiga Dygulska (1796), a Benedictine nun from Sandomierz. Both collections contain mostly anonymous compositions deriving from the Polish geographical area. They include simple arias, but also preludes and fugues that were widely played already in the first quarter of the 19th century. One more, later collection by Wacław Raszek (1825), titled 'Kancjonał muzyki kościelnej' [A book of church music], was predominantly Classicist in style.
The Romanticist revival
New tendencies in the field of organ building that were ever-present in Europe long remained beyond the scope of interest of Polish organ builders. As late as in the first half of the 19th century Polish organ builders continued working upon the assumptions made in the previous century, thus displaying far-reaching conservatism. Only scarcely did new ideas emerge, initially in the form of cautiously added single Romanticist registers. The situation changed in the second half of the 19th century as a result of an ever bolder use of new stops – string and reed stops, plus aliquots and mixtures (combinations) as well as imitators of, among others, human voice (vox humana) or wind instruments – flutes, oboes, clarinets, etc. Shortly after, more innovations were introduced in the form of shades, owing to which smooth modification of dynamics while playing instead of stepwise changes was made possible. Organs with a new type of airlocks (cone-shaped instead of tonal), new type of tracker action (pneumatic instead of mechanical) became more and more widespread. Also the bellows started being motor-powered soon afterwards. Insofar as the new, Romanticist organ was a desired phenomenon, devastating old instruments, witnesses of their era, through 'Romanticising' their disposition and rebuilding them following a new spirit was a deplorable trend. In the 19th century, the number of organists constantly grew. There were already several dozen of them, among others, Wacław Bauer, active in the first half of the 19th century, Wojciech Rudziński, Dominik Pilichowski, Rafał Ostrowski, Jan Ciężartowicz, Feliks Kłosieński, Jan Hawel, Antoni Zakrzewski, Jan Długi, Ignacy Wojciechowski. The mid- 19th century also saw the emergence of organ builder companies that have been operating to this day – among others the family-run company Biernacki, established in 1848. In the second half of the 19th century organ building industry in Poland reached its apex. That period saw the glory days of companies run by Mateusz Mielczarski, Stanisław and Wacław Przybyłowicz, Henryk Hartman, Roman Ducheński, Andrzej Gąsiorowski, Jan Śliwiński, Józef and Jan Szymański, Leopold and Andrzej Blomberg, Antoni Sapalski, the Terlecki brothers or the Żebrowski family. At the turn of the 20th century foreign companies, such as Sauer, Walcker, Reiger, Schuke, et al., came to the fore.
The freedom of repertoire and secularisation of the organ music in the 18th century was opposed by a group of 19th-century composers, who lifted the Polish pipe organ art up and brought it closer to the accomplishments of Western Europe. The foundations under the more ambitious work were laid by Karol Kurpiński (1785-1857), Teofil Klonowski (1847-1872) and Gustaw Roguski (1839-1921), but most of all, an artist truly focused on grassroots: Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-1872). The latter published a collection of preludes inspired by Polish church songs and, being familiar with the state of Polish organ music and the entire society of organ performers and composers of then, he adjusted their musical language to the level of education of contemporary audience. Therefore, in reference to his organ compositions one can talk about the simplicity of applied formal measures, without compromising on their internal charm. Gustaw Roguski – a composer and pedagogue, professor of the Musical Institute in Warsaw in the years 1873-1915 (he led the harmony and counterpoint class there), is an author of the collection 'Organ Preludes' (1865). His Prelude no. 22, 'Hey, on the Christmas Day', is especially interesting and illustrates the path the Polish organ art had to travel – from naive, danceable preludes, to valuable pieces. Meanwhile, Teofil Klonowski – a teacher of music and organist from Poznań, undertook an ambitious task of collecting and harmonising church songs. The effect of this work was a hymnal, published in two volumes, titled 'Rungs to Heaven'.
August Freyer (1803-1883), together with Mieczysław Surzyński and Feliks Nowowiejski, was a leading pedagogue and initiator of the pipe organ movement in Poland of the 19th century. He came from Obserschaar near Dresden, but spent most of his life in Warsaw – at first during his studies at the Main School of Music, then as a double bass player in the Grand Theatre orchestra, to finally start his service as an organist at the Lutheran church in 1837. Owing to Freyer, that church quickly became one of Warsaw’s centres of musical life. In 1861, when the Musical Institute was brought to life to fill in the void after the former Main School of Music, Freyer became famous as its exceptionally zealous co-founder and pedagogue. His merit in the field of raising the significance and level of performance of pipe organ music in Poland is not to be underestimated. He was particularly eager in propagating the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. Through organising courses for organists, he contributed to educating the entire generation of this instrument’s virtuosos. In his extensive creative output the pipe organ works are equally important as choral and piano compositions. Some of them were also published abroad, which can attest to their artistic value. What is particularly interesting is his first opuses dating back to the 1830s: 'Concert fantasia in F-minor', Op. 1, 'Concert variations in E-major', Op. 2 (on the theme of the Russian national anthem 'God Save the Tsar!'), 'Concert Variations in Es-minor', Op. 3 (built on the basis of the 'Cherubic Hymn' by Dmitri Bortnianski) and numerous small organ preludes. Moreover, Freyer was also an author of a textbook on harmony and an organ playing coursebook.
A group of Cracow-based musicians who had significant merit in the field of educating a new generation of virtuoso organists included Wincenty Gorączkiewicz (1789-1858) from Cracow – a long-term organist at the Wawel Cathedral, and Wincenty Wacław Rychling (1841-1896) – professor of the contemporary musical conservatory in Cracow, who equalled Warsaw-based August Freyer in terms of mastering the pipe organ playing technique. Wincenty Rychling was also an author of preludes and pastorales for pipe organ.
The largest collection of Polish organ compositions from the turn of the 20th century was penned by brothers Józef (1851-1919), Stefan (1855-1919) and Mieczysław (1866-1924) Surzyński. Their works allude to the Regensburg-based Cecilian movement for the revival of church music that had suffered from secularisation in the 18th century. Józef Surzyński had strong ties with Poznań, where he led a cathedral choir for over 30 years and worked as an editor at Muzyka kościelna and a publisher of the Monumenta musices sacrae in Polonia series. He mainly composed choral music and small preludes for organ. Stefan Surzyński was predominantly active in Tarnów, where he served as an organist at a local cathedral and taught organ playing at a local school. Mieczysław Surzyński – the most distinguished among the brothers – was an organist, composer and conductor. He studied first at a conservatory in Berlin, then continued his education at a conservatory in Leipzig, from where he graduated in 1891. Under influence of his older brother Józef – a reformer in the spirit of liturgical renewal, he became occupied mostly with church music. To this end, he went to Regensburg, where he supplemented his education at the local School of Church Music. After returning to Poland, he took over the organ class at the Warsaw Musical Institute (1906) and after the death of Zygmunt Noskowski (1909) also the counterpoint class. He was an extremely prolific author. Apart from small functional pieces ('55 Easy Preludes', Op. 20, 'Trio For Organ', Op. 21, '20 Preludes for Organ or Harmonium', Op. 41) and more elaborate collections ('A Year in Church Songs', Op. 42, 'Pastorales – Preludes for Organ or Harmonium', Op. 63 and 67 – the latter penned with his brother Stefan), he also composed a number of virtuoso pieces that have made it to the concert repertoires for good. Among them, 'Chaconne', Op. 14, 'Fantaisie pour orgue', Op. 30, 'Sonate en ré mineur', Op. 34, 'Improvisations pour orgue', Op. 36, 'Improvisations on the theme of Holy God', Op. 38 or 'Choral varié', Op. 50, deserve particular attention. In collaboration with Henryk Makowski, he prepared and published a 'An Organ Playing Coursebook' around 1904. Mieczysław Surzyński is also an author of the 'Concert in G-minor', Op. 35 for organ and orchestra. The concert represents one of the best works of this type in the world’s pipe organ literature. Until quite recently the composition was deemed to have been lost in the fire of the Warsaw Philharmonic in 1939. However, it turned out that a copy of the score had been stored at the University Library in Poznań, waiting to be discovered in 1990.
Among other Polish composers from the turn of the 20th century writing pieces for organ we cannot omit Władysław Żeleński (1837-1921) as well as Teofil Gutowski (1835-189?), Franciszek Walczyński (1852-1937) and Konstanty Gorski (1859-1924) – the latter three being almost completely forgotten nowadays. Władysław Żeleński went down in history mainly as an author of the collection '25 Preludes' for organ, which is especially eagerly used by students of organ classes beginning their journey with the king of instruments. His 'Prélude pastorale', composed at the order of one of the foreign publishers, exhibits a far higher artistic value. Teofil Gutowski continued the tradition of August Freyer and dedicated to him the 'Prelude and Fugue in G-minor' for organ or the so-called pedal piano (with foot keyboard as in organ – a particularly popular instrument in the musical culture of Europe of the 19th century). Similarly as Stefan Surzyński, Franciszek Walczyński was active in Tarnów. There, he served as a director of a diocesan school for organists. Among the abovementioned group of composers, he was the most prolific one. However, most of his works are of a purely functional nature. Konstanty Gorski was a unique figure on the Polish organ playing arena, as he was actually and predominantly a violin virtuoso. However, his oeuvre includes an astonishing in terms of technique and composition 'Fantasia in F-major', which is in no way inferior to the masterly pieces by Mieczysław Surzyński or Feliks Nowowiejski.
Feliks Nowowiejski, photo: National Digital Archives
Feliks Nowowiejski (1877-1946) came from the picturesque region of Warmia, back then under the Prussian rule. He exhibited passion for music already in his early childhood. His took his first steps on the path of musical education at the Music School in Święta Lipka – a town in which marvellous pipe organ with a Baroque facade is still present in the local church. Perhaps it was this experience in Święta Lipka that made the composer fall in love with the king of instruments. He continued his musical studies in Regensburg and later in Berlin. Similarly as August Freyer, Nowowiejski quickly gained acclaim in Europe as a virtuoso organist, which meant that he travelled a lot and played numerous concerts. In 1909 he arrived in Cracow to take over the position of a director of the Music Society. He participated in the commemoration of the victory in the Battle of Grunwald, where the premiere of the patriotic 'Rota' took place to the lyrics penned by Maria Konopnicka. After World War I, he came to Warsaw to take an active part in the movement lobbying for a plebiscite for the accession of Masuria and Warmia to Poland. In 1919 he settled in Poznań, where he established himself as a pedagogue and composer. He constantly performed live and enjoyed a reputation of being doubtlessly the best performing organist and improviser in Poland of that time. In his work, apart from choral pieces, the main place is occupied by compositions for organ. They include, above all, monumental organ symphonies (Op. 45 no. 1-9), organ concertos (Op. 56 no. 1-4), poem 'In Paradisum' (Op. 61) and numerous small pieces with particular emphasis on his three 'Christmas Fantasias' – musical pieces with a free structure, built on the basis of motifs present in Polish Christmas carols ('The Polish Fantasia', Op. 9 no. 1, 'Midnight Mass at the Ancient St. Mary’s Church in Cracow', Op. 33 no. 3 and 'Christmas in Poland', Op. 33 no. 4). An argument in favour of an assumption that Nowowiejski’s works were known abroad is the fact that the composer was granted honorary membership in The Organ Music Society in London and a message that his '1st Organ Symphony in A-minor' had been incorporated into the repertoire of a renowned organ virtuosos, composer and pedagogue of French origin – Marcel Dupré. Nowowiejski’s work in the field of organ music reached the European level. Thus, the composer filled the gap between Polish and foreign organ music. One of his considerable accomplishments was the incorporation of genres previously unknown to the Polish organ music, namely symphonies and concertos.
Contemporary times – in the crucible of changes
Side organ, St John’s Church, Gdańsk, The Baltic Sea Cultural Centre, photo: Adam Warżawa/PAP
The early 20th century in the Polish organ building industry was marked by postulates formulated by proponents of renewal of the organ building craft, the so-called Orgelbewegung. That movement opposed the so-called Romanticist organs due to their ostensible copying of a symphonic orchestra. New technical solutions (among others, cone-shaped airlocks, pneumatic tracker action) introduced to organs built in the 19th century, which had not stood the test of time, were criticised. There were complaints about the aspect of near mass production of instruments, with repetitive sound and architectural structure, etc. The movement proposed the return to proven traditions shaped in the Baroque period, as the most appropriate for the pipe organ and the repertoire dedicated to it. Today, this topic is approached more cautiously and the significance of organ-building craft of the 19th century is not disowned anymore, as it is perceived in the context of general assumptions of the era and on the basis of valuable works that were created back then. Although a little later than in Western Europe, Orgelbewegung also contributed to changes in awareness among Polish organ builders. Tentatively at first, as a matter of fact only in the field of disposition, and only in the second half of the century, also owing to the return to the mechanical tracker action, Polish manufacturers began to absorb the postulates for renewal in the organ building trade. This delay was caused on the one hand by high costs (mass-produced organs were much cheaper), and on the other hand by warfare as a result of which plenty of existing instruments had suffered damage. After World War II several family-run manufacturers remained on the market – among others, the Biernacki brothers, Stefan Truszczyński, Karol and Albert Polcyn, Stanisław Krukowski and the Kamiński brothers. The opening of the European market in 1956 encouraged the local organ builders. Competition the Polish organ manufacturers had to face contributed to raising their own quality level and catching up on differences. Currently, companies with long-standing traditions have remained active on the market. These are, among others, companies owned by the abovementioned Kamiński brothers, the Biernacki family, Ryszard Polcyn, as well as younger manufacturers such as Dariusz Zych, Zdzisław Molin, Władysław Cepko, Jan Drozdowicz, and others. After the period of fascination with electronic organ, which can be successfully used at home for practising, more and more temples, schools and cultural centres care for the provision of a full-fledged instrument – a pipe organ. Polish manufacturers outdo one another with their offers. Ever more valuable instruments are crafted, joining the best Baroque standards with the recent technical developments. An assumption behind plenty of new instruments is their versatility. However, there is a growing tendency to narrow the possibilities in order to achieve a specific sound that corresponds to the spirit of the era, school, etc. Such an instrument is, among others, an organ in the Church of Divine Providence in Katowice-Zawodzie, created at the initiative of Prof. Julian Gembalski and manufactured in 1999 by Janusz and Zygmunt Kamiński. The organ has been built based on French Baroque standards in terms of sound and architecture. Particularly good instruments built recently include an organ in the Church of St Peter and Paul the Apostles in Warsaw (manufactured by Janusz and Zygmunt Kamiński), an organ in the Poznań Cathedral (manufactured by Jan Drozdowicz) and a monumental work by Dariusz Zych – a multi-section organ in the Basilica in Licheń. Today, these instruments can fully satisfy us with their sound characteristics and their decor, but it is time that will decide on their true value.
The doyens of the post-war organ playing were, above all, Bronisław Rutkowski (1898-1964), Feliks Rączkowski (1906-1989) and Jan Jargoń (1928-1995). Feliks Rączkowski should take special credit as a creator and organiser of organ music festivals in Kamień Pomorski, Koszalin, Oliwa and Kazimierz Dolny, a professor of the class of organ at The Higher State School of Music in Warsaw, an organist at the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw (1945-1970).
Polish organ music of the first half of the 20th century saw the domination of late-Romanticist tendencies. At the same time, functional works were also composed (alluding to the Cecilian movement) as well as the greatest concert pieces by Mieczysław Surzyński and Feliks Nowowiejski. Composers of the interwar period included, among others, Jan Maklakiewicz (1899-1954), Bolesław Wallek-Wallewski (1885-1944), Stanisław Kazuro (1882-1961), Mieczysław Sołtys (1863-1929) and Jan Gawlas (1901-1965). However, the postwar years saw the true flourishing of the Polish organ music in the 20th century. Such composers as Bolesław Szabelski (1896-1979), Kazimierz Jurdziński (1894-1960), Augustyn Bloch (1929-2006), Tadeusz Machl (1922-2003), Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz (1916-1998), Jan Janca (born 1933) and composers of musical avant-garde – Henryk Hubertus Jabłoński (1909-2003), Bernard Pietrzak (1924-1978), Norbert Mateusz Kuźnik (1946-2006) and others, came to the fore. A very interesting fact is that many compositions for organ were created by artists who were not organists themselves, for example Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969), Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (1933-2010) or Wojciech Kilar (1932-2013). Among composers-organists active today, we can distinguish Stanisław Moryto (born 1947) and improviser Julian Gembalski (born 1950).
The most distinguished 20th-century Polish composer and organist was Marian Sawa (1937-2005). He received his education at the Salesian Organ School in Przemyśl, then in the Warsaw class of organ led by Feliks Rączkowski and in the class of composition led by Kazimierz Sikorski. For nearly 40 years he was a valued pedagogue at Warsaw’s schools, teaching classes of harmony, counterpoint and, most of all, improvisation. He was a laureate of several composition and state awards. He recorded over a dozen records with organ and vocal repertoire, in the latter case providing accompaniment to outstanding Polish soloists. He gained acclaim owing to incredible improvisation and composition skills. He was an author of more than 100 organ pieces, not to mention a number of choral, chamber, orchestra, piano and other works. In the field of organ music, he composed both small pieces of a didactic nature and the concerto works characterised by high artistic skills – sonatas, concertos, great organ cycles. Organ music authored by Marian Sawa is distinguished for its perfectly developed composition skills with a clear, singular nature rooted in meticulously elaborated art of improvisation.
Marian Sawa at the organ in Leżajsk, photo: collection of the Marian Sawa Society
Polish organ music of the second half of the 20th century is not characterised by coherence. Composers valued different styles and inspirations, whereby the most populous group included the ones who in their works alluded to a broadly understood tradition (through applying classical forms and genres, quotations and stylings). However, another populous group consists of avant-garde works, making use of the accomplishments of dodecaphony, sonorism or minimalism. The pluralism of attitudes that is changing over time can be spotted in many artists.
The above text is only an overview of the history of pipe organ building and pipe organ music in Poland. Its size prevented me from paying sufficient attention to the characteristic traits of organ builders and their workshops and the majority of composers penning their works for this instrument, not to mention more detailed analyses of their compositions. The author would like to refer discerning readers to detailed texts and the literature on the subject as well as encourage them to start their own research in this regard. Publications that can turn out particularly helpful in broadening the knowledge on this theme include: Jerzy Gołos 'Polskie organy i muzyka organowa', Warszawa 1972; Barbara Brzezińska 'Repertuar polskich tabulatur organowych z I poł. XVI w.', Cracow 1987; Ewa Smulikowska 'Prospekty organowe w dawnej Polsce', Wrocław 1989; Marta Szoka 'Polska muzyka organowa w latach 1945-1985', Łódź 1993; Scientific Journals 'Organy i muzyka organowa', vol. 1-13, Janusz Krassowski, ed., Gdańsk 1977-2006.
Author: Mariusz Wrona
