Nothing is known about his youth, either. From at least 1632 he was active as a royal musician in the court of Władysław IV Vasa (most probably an instrumentalist). In 1644 or 1645 he became a bandmaster of Karol Ferdynand Vasa, the youngest brother of Władysław IV and bishop of Wrocław and Płock. The prince-bishop had one of the best music ensembles in the Republic of Poland of that era. It was composed of Italian and Polish musicians, whereas Mielczewski’s position as bandmaster was the most prestigious musical position held by a Pole. He held this position until his death, not severing his ties with the royal court, though. Karol Ferdynand always wanted to have the ensemble at his disposal, so we can speculate that Mielczewski changed his place of residence together with his employer. He resided mainly in Wyszków, Brok, Ujazdów and Warsaw as well as travelled, among others, to Gdańsk (1646), Nysa and Opole (1650), where he most probably stayed for half a year. He was married twice – with his first wife, Urszula Manuszówna, he had a son, Stanisław, and three daughters: Elżbieta, Dorota and Agnieszka; with his second wife, Jadwiga Kołaczkówna – a son, Franciszek Sylwester. He relinquished his entire oeuvre as a composer to Karol Ferdynand in his last will, dated 8 September 1651. Neither a collection of music, nor the list of his works mentioned in his last will have survived to our times. He died between 8 and 30 September 1651 in Warsaw.
Marcin Mielczewski was Europe’s best-known Polish composer of the 17th century. His works were recognised in German spheres of influence, in Denmark, in Gdańsk, Silesia, Moravia and Slovakia, in Ukraine, Russia and, presumably, in Paris. During Mielczewski’s life, only one canon of his authorship was published in print – in Xenia Apollinea, an addition to Cribrum musicum ad triticum Siferticum by Marco Scacchi containing notations (Venice 1643). In 1659, eight years after his death, in Johann Havemann’s publication 'Jesu Hilf! Erster Theil Geistlicher Concerten... aus den berühmtesten Italiänischen und anderen Autoribus' included his solo church concerto 'Deus in nomine tuo'. Other Mielczewski’s works were discovered as manuscript copies (usually without dates, but mostly originating from the second half of the 17th century) currently found in foreign libraries and archives - in Berlin (among others, a collection from the old Municipal Library in Wrocław), Paris, Kroměříž, Levoča and Vilnius, as well as in Polish ones – in Gdańsk, Warsaw and Cracow. Some compositions that had been stored in Poland before the war, are deemed lost and are known only in the form of 20th-century copies or photos.
Compositions:
Vocal and vocal-and-instrumental works:
- Adoramus te Christe, soprano voice surviving
- Anima mea in aeterna, two soprano voices and bass surviving
- Ante thorum huius Virginis (also preserved as a German contrafactum 'O Heiliger Geist, o Herre Gott') - 2 sopranos, alto, tenor, bass, 2 violins, 3 trombones, violone, organ
- Audite et admiramini - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 3 trombones, bassoon, basso continuo
- Audite gentes et exsultate - 2 sopranos, alto, 2 tenors, bass, 2 violins, 3 trombones, trombone grosso or bassoon, violone, basso continuo
- Ave Florum Flos Hyacinthe (preserved as a German contrafactum 'Halleluja. Nun freud euch Gottes') - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, 4 violins, 4 trombones, violone, basso continuo
- Beata Dei Genitrix (preserved as a German contrafactum 'Diß ist vom Herrn geschehen') - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, violone, basso continuo
- Beatus vir - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, violin, 2 trombones, bassoon, basso continuo
- Benedicto et claritas - 2 sopranos, alto, 2 tenors, bass, 2 violins, 4 trombones, basso continuo
- Benedictus sit Deus - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, violone, basso continuo
- Confitebor - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 4 trombones, 2 bassoons, basso continuo
- Confitemini Domino - soprano, alto, 2 tenors, bass, basso continuo
- Credidi - soprano, alto, 2 tenors, bass, 2 violins, viola, basso continuo
- Credidi - 2 sopranos, alto, 2 tenors, bass, 2 violins, 4 trombones, basso continuo
- Currite populi - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 4 trombones, violone, basso continuo
- Deus in nomine tuo - bass, 2 violins, bassoon, violone, basso continuo
- Dixit Dominus - 4 sopranos, 4 altos, 4 tenors, 4 basses, basso continuo
- Dixit Dominus - 4 sopranos, 2 altos, 4 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 4 trombones, violone, basso continuo
- Dixit Dominus a 4, alto voice surviving
- Exaudi Domine, soprano voice surviving
- Gaude Dei Genitrix - soprano, alto, 2 tenors, bass
- Gaudete omnes et exsultate - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, soprano instrument, 6 trombones, cornet/violin, basso continuo
- Grates nunc omnes - alto, 2 tenors, bass
- Ingredimini omnes - 4 sopranos, 2 altos, 4 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 3 trombones, bassoon, basso continuo
- Iste cognovit - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, violin, soprano instrument, trombone, bassoon, trombone grosso or bassoon, basso continuo
- Jesu du bist unser Leben [version I] - 2 sopranos, alto, 2 tenors, bass, 2 violins, 3 trombones, bassoon, violone, basso continuo
- Jesu du bist unser Leben [version II] - 2 sopranos, alto, 2 tenors, bass
- Jesu meine Freud und Wonne - 4 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, soprano instrument, alto instrument, 2 trombones, violone, basso continuo
- Jubilate Deo - 3 sopranos, 3 altos, 3 tenors, 3 basses, violone, basso continuo
- Jubilate Deo a 8, tenor voice of choir II surviving
- Canon - 4 voices
- Laetatus sum - 3 sopranos, 2 altos, 3 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 3 trombones, trombone or bassoon, basso continuo
- Lauda Ierusalem - 4 sopranos, 2 altos, 4 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 4 trombones, basso continuo
- Lauda Dominum in sanctis eius - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, 4 violins, bassoon, basso continuo
- Laudate pueri - 4 sopranos, 2 altos, 4 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 3 trombones, bassoon, basso continuo
- Laudate pueri - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 4 trombones, 2 bassoons, basso continuo
- Magnificati I toni - 2 sopranos, alto, 2 tenors, bass, 2 violins, 4 trombones, basso continuo
- Magnificat III toni [version I] - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, soprano instrument, 3 trombones, 3 violins, cornet, violone, basso continuo
- Magnificat III toni [version II] - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, 4 violins, 3 trombones, bassoon, basso continuo
- Magnificat VI toni - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, 2 sopranos/2 cornets, 2 altos/2 trombones, 2 tenors/2 trombones, bass/trombone, bass/bassoon, basso continuo
- Magnificat VI toni cum Rotulis - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, 2 sopranos/2 cornets, 2 altos/2 trombones, 2 tenors/2 bassoons, 2 basses/2 trombones, basso continuo
- Magnificat VIII toni - 4 sopranos, 2 altos, 4 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 3 trombones, bassoon, basso continuo
- Missa Cerviensiana a 12 vel 18 - 4 sopranos, 2 altos, 4 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 4 trombones, basso continuo
- Missa concertata II toni, soprano voice II, alto, tenor II, bass of the cappella choir surviving
- Missa a cinque voci, soprano, tenor I and II, bass voices, basso continuo surviving
- Missa a 8, tenor voice of choir II surviving
- Missa a 8 voci VI toni, 2 soprano, alto, tenor, bass voices surviving
- Missa de BMV = Missa rorate caeli - alto, 2 tenors, bass
- Missa de Immaculata Conceptione BMV = Missa Salve Sancta Parens - alto, 2 tenors, bass
- Missa Salve Sancta Parens II - 2 altos, 2 tenors, bass
- Missa de S. Ioanne = Missa In medio Ecclesiae - alto, 2 tenors, bass
- Missa de SS. Eucharistiae Sacramento = Missa Cibavit eos - alto, 2 tenors, bass
- Missa pro Nativitate Domini - soprano, alto, tenor, bass
- Missa Requiem = Missa di Morto - alto, 2 tenors, bass
- Missa Sancta Anna - 4 sopranos, 2 altos, 4 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 3 trombones, bassoon, basso continuo
- Missa a 6 et 12 = Missa super 'Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist', basso continuo surviving
- Missa super 'O gloriosa Domina' - 2 sopranos, alto, 2 tenors, bass, basso continuo
- Missa Triumphalis - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 4 trombones, basso continuo
- Missa Triumphalis a 8, soprano, tenor, bass voices, basso continuo surviving
- Nisi Dominus aedificaverit domum (also preserved as a German contrafactum 'Wo der Herr nicht das Hauss bauet') - 4 sopranos, 2 altos, 4 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 3 trombones, trombone/bassoon, basso continuo
- O lumen Ecclesiae (also preserved as a German contrafactum 'Alls Christus gebohren war') - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, 4 violins, bassoon, 4 instruments, trombone grosso, basso continuo
- O seelig ist der Tag - 4 sopranos, 2 altos, 4 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 3 trombones, bassoon, violone, basso continuo
- Pange lingua, tenor I and II, bass voices surviving
- Plaudite manibus - 4 sopranos, 2 altos, 4 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 3 trombones, bassoon, violone, basso continuo
- Quem terra, pontus, aethera (also preserved as a German contrafactum 'Kom höchsten Gutt vom Himmelsthron' - 4 sopranos, 2 altos, 4 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, 3 trombones, bassoon, basso continuo
- Salve Virgo Puerpera - alto, tenor, bass, 2 violins, bassoon, basso continuo
- Sub tuum praesidium - alto, tenor, bass, basso continuo
- Triumphalis dies - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, 4 violins, 3 trombones, bassoon, basso continuo
- Veni Domine - 2 sopranos, bass, basso continuo
- Vesperante Dominicales - 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses, 2 violins, bassoon, basso continuo
- Victimae paschali laudes - 3 sopranos, 3 altos, 3 tenors, 3 basses, violone, basso continuo
- Virgo prudentissima - soprano, bass, 2 sopranos, alto, 3 tenors, 2 basses, 3 violins, 2 trombones, bassoon, viola, basso continuo
Instrumental works:
- Canzona prima a 2 - 2 violins, basso continuo
- Canzona seconda a 2, violin I, basso continuo parts surviving
- Canzona prima a 3 - 2 violins, bassoon/viola, basso continuo
- Canzona seconda a 3, violin I, trombone, basso continuo parts surviving
- Canzona terza a 3 - 2 violins, bassoon, basso continuo
- Canzona quarta a 3, violin I, bassoon, basso continuo parts surviving
- Canzona quinta a 3, violin I, bassoon, basso continuo parts surviving
- Dance I - 3 voices
- Dance II - 3 voices
Author: Małgorzata Kosińska, Polish Music Information Centre, Polish Composers’ Union, December 2006. Update: November 2024.
