Electronic Library of Scientific Literature - © Academic Electronic Press
No. 4 / 2001
To this day, the links between the Polish and the Slovak hymn have been explored only marginally. Recent research into church music revealed that it was the Piarist Order in the Spis/Zips Region that maintained the most lively contacts. As we know, the relations between Hungary and Poland in the 17th century were very close, not only in the political sphere (the family ties between the ruling dynasties played an important role), but also in education: a high percentage of students at many Polish schools (e. g. Cracow University, grammar schools in Toruń and Gdańsk) was from Hungary, among them many Slovaks. Slovak protestants, who in the 17th century decided to live in exile, headed for Silesia and Prussia. To an extent, Polish-Hungarian contacts were in fact Polish-Slovak contacts, which is natural in view of the similarities of languages and proximity of territories.
The links between the Polish and the Slovak sacred song in the 17th century fall into these categories:
Protestant composers of hymns who had contacts with Polish circles included Juraj Tranovský, born in Silesia, Adam Plintovic, a Pole from Silesia, Daniel Sinapius-Horčička, a Slovak exile, who was the headmaster of a school in Nový Bojanov. It was through these authors that translations of Polish hymns entered our protestant hymn book Cithara Sanctorum. Catholic authors (P. Benedikt Szőllősi SJ, P. Mikuláš Hausenka SchP.) also chose Polish hymns, which were familiar to them from Moravian Catholic hymn books or from the repertory in the Spis region, where they were brought by Polish Catholic priests (the Polish influence was strong in towns which were given to Poland as a forfeit, and in the important Piarist College in Podolínec). Interestingly, via Polish Catholics (or Moravian Catholic hymn books) several Polish protestant hymns entered into our Catholic repertory. Since there were no Catholic hymn books in written form in Poland, and since it is reasonable to assume that our hymn book Cantus Catholici was used in the college in Podolínec, a question can be raised, whether this Slovak source crossed over the border into the Polish Catholic environment.
Even if the number of adaptations of Polish sacred songs in Slovak hymn books of 17th century is small (the spiritual poetry of Jan Kochanowski was fairly popular in the hymn books), the wider common context of protestant and Catholic hymns helped to create great similarities of the two song traditions. The examples show several cases of the transfer of Polish melodies into our sources. The issue to be dealt with in the future is the exact definition of direct Polish-Slovak influences. It is necessary to examine more manuscripts in Poland and to assess the possibility of independent crosscurrents from Bohemia and Moravia.
Just as the regular year, the Church Year has its own structure of holidays, which are connected by their religious, ritual and liturgical functions. The form of the year comprises two systems: movable – proprium de tempore and fixed – proprium de sanctis. Before the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) the main structure of the Church Year was built on two holiday cycles: the Christmas cycle and the Easter cycle; both were preceded by periods of preparation – the Advent and the Lent. In Bratislava’s Ursuline Church among the many observed holidays was St. Ursula Day (21 Oct.), St. Angela Merici Day (31 Jan.), and St. Augustine Day (28 Aug.).
From the notes on the title pages of volumes of music in Bratislava’s Ursuline Church we have been able to partially reconstruct the organisation of music production during the Church Year in Bratislava’s Ursuline Church of the 18th and 19th centuries. We assume that the notes were written by M. Stanislava von Seidl (1752–1837), the cantor and organist of the church. Conceivably, they could have been written also by other persons, by sisters or by the copyist of the volume.
The research shows that the repertory of church music in the Ursuline Church of the 18th and 19th centuries was rich in genres and forms. Ursuline sisters performed music, helped by gifted students and professional musicians as guests, not only during the Sunday services and worships, but also during holiday masses attended by high church representatives and by the aristocracy. The attached list shows how meticulously was the music chosen in accordance with the spiritual essence of each period and holiday. The Ursuline order was musically one of the most active orders of that time.
Josef Thiard-Laforest (1841–1897) was the most important composer in Bratislava during the last two decades of the 19th century. Between 1881 and 1897 he was the Kapellmeister of the Kirchenmusikverein at Bratislava’s St. Martin’s Cathedral. He composed both secular and sacred music. The paper seeks to present new discoveries in the research of his sacred music and to asses their historical and musicological value. Thiard-Laforest’s sacred works exist only in manuscripts (composer’s manuscripts and copies) and they are deposited in the music collection of the Kirchenmusikverein in the Bratislava Municipal Archive, in the Museum of Music of the Slovak National Museum in Bratislava, and in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna. The oeuvre comprises 26 Catholic sacred pieces and three pieces written for the Bratislava Evangelical community. The core of the oeuvre is made of Requiem in E flat major for solo voices, choir and orchestra (1888), Missa solemnis in D major for choir, orchestra and organ (1889), Missa brevis in C (1891) for voices, and Te Deum for mixed choir, orchestra and organ (1892). As in his secular works, in sacred works Laforest displays his late-Romantic orientation and often uses sonorous effects and chromaticism. The style of his large orchestral sacred works is based on imitation, melody and homophony. The roots of this can be traced to Händel’s oratorio style and to the contemporary popularity of choral singing. The inspirations of the Cecilian movement can be found in his a cappella works or choral works with accompanying organ. Here he also used elements of Gregorian chant and church modes. Such techniques paved the way for the arrival of new modality in the 20th century.
The oeuvre of Ján Levoslav Bella (1843–1936) represents the cornerstone of Slovak music. Neither his Catholic sacred music, composed during his studies in Banská Bystrica (1859–1863) and in Vienna (1863–1865), and when he held his first posts in Banská Bystrica (1865–1869) and in Kremnica (1869–1881), nor his Protestant works written in German language during the Sibiu period (1881–1921) were until recently known even to Slovak musicologists and historiographers. At first, Bella was very passionate about church music, it belonged to his main interests already during his studies, and he made several written contributions to the debate about the contemporary concept of church music initiated by the Cecilian movement. The twenty years he spent working in Slovak institutions were dedicated above all to church music and it was Bella’s departure to Sibiu and his subsequent conversion that ended this concentration on the genre. When he wrote his biography for Dr. Helm, the oeuvre of Bella’s Catholic church music had been already completed for ten years, and Bella himself confirmed that he had had written nine Sunday masses, five masses for solemn occasions, and four pastoral masses for solo voices, choir and orchestra, praising especially two of them, which were performed under Joseph Hellmesberger in the Imperial and Royal Chapel of the Viennese court. This list, if nothing else, ranks Bella among the most important composers of church music in the Habsburg monarchy. Due to various causes, the music itself was subject to gradual destruction, and its reconstruction is a question of musical archaeology. Today, we can document only:
a) only one Bella’s mass for one-part choir with an organ accompaniment:
Missa brevis (E flat major). Banská Bystrica (?) Print: Závodský Bratislava. Early Slovak Music Edition, No. 2;
b) only one Bella’s mass for four-part male choir:
Missa virorum polyphoniae adaptata, Op. 6 E flat major (Ed. Vindobonae, Typis F. Glöggl F. G. 1900). Wien 1864(?);
c) six masses for solo voices, choir, and orchestra:
Missa pro Die Dominica E flat Major for Choir and Orchestra (Missa pro die Dominica pro 4 vocibus, 2 Violinis, Alto-Viola, Violon-Cello, Violon, Flauto, Clarinetto, 2 Trombis, Trombone, Timpanis et Organo) – the work is partially damaged – several missing parts (cl, tp, org). Year of composition: ? Instrumentation: SATB, fl, cl, 2tr, tn, tp, archi, org (Mus L 101.000);
Missa Sanctae Mariae [in A]. Instrumentation: SATB, fl, 2cl in A, 2 tr in D, tn, archi (Mus L 102.000);
Sunday Mass No. 6 in C Major for Choir and Orchestra (Sonntagsmesse Nr. 6 in C dur für 4 Singstimmen, 2 Violinen, Viola, Flauto, 2 Clarinetten in C, Trombi in C (Tromba in Es), 2 Hörner in Es), Trombone, Timpani, Violoncello, Violon und Harmonium). The work is extant in parts deposited in Matica slovenská, in Martin, Sign. A XXX/2-5. The missing bass part is located in the Museum of Music of the Slovak National Museum in Bratislava (MM SNM), Sign. Mus L 154 (previous signature Mus L 418). Instrumentation: SATB, fl, 2cl, 2cr, 2tr, tn, tp, archi, arm;
Sunday Mass No. 9 in D Minor (Sonntagsmesse Nr. 9 in D für vier Singstimmen, zwei Violinen, Viola, Flöte, 2 Clarinetten in C, Tromba in D, Corni in D, Trombone Basso, Tympani, Violoncello, Violon und Harmonium). The two extant Sunday masses are scored for more or less identical forces; the presence of a harmonium facilitates their dating, as the town of Kremnica bought a harmonium in 1878. The work is deposited in MM SNM in Bratislava (21 parts – Sign. Mus L 162, new sign. Mus L 162.000, however, the harmonium part is missing). Instrumentation: SATB, fl, 2cl, 2cr, tr, tnb, tp, archi, arm;
Mass in B flat for Solo Voices, Choir, and Orchestra (Messe für Chor, Soli, Orchester und Orgel B-Moll). Out of all Bella’s masses, this one was the only composition known to and analysed by musical historians (as Mass in B flat Minor), but the circumstances of its origin were unknown and it was mistaken for Mass in E flat Major, then unknown. The work was written not later than in March 1878 and it is scored for choir and orchestra (SATB, 2ob, 2cl, 2fg, 2cr, 2tr, tnb, tp, archi, org), the score and parts are deposited in MM SNM in Bratislava (Sign. MUS L 124/A – manuscript of the score; MUS L 124/B 50 parts; MUS L 124/C 4 parts, new sign. Mus L 124.001-4). The work was premiered by Joseph Hellmesberger in the Imperial and Royal Chapel of the Viennese Court on 2 May 1880.
Mass in E flat Major for Four Voices, Choir, and Orchestra (Messe für vier Solostimmen, Chor und Orchester) (Hofkapelle Wien, Musikarchiv Sign. VII-66; öNB HK 1993), the manuscripts of the score and parts are deposited in österreichische Nationalbibliothek (MS 4528, H. K. 3054; Mus H. K. 1933). The work was completed in Kremnica in 1880 and premiered on 24 November 1889 by the Imperial and Royal Orchestra of the Viennese Court under Joseph Hellmesberger.
The collection of manuscript parts comprises ”20 Stimmen für Chor, 24 für Streichinstrumente, 13 Harmoniestimmen, 1 für Pauken”, in particular 8 woodwind parts (2fl, 2ob, 2cl, 2fg), 5 brass parts (2cor, 2tr, tnb), timpani part, 24 string parts (6 first violin parts, 6 second violin parts, 4 viola parts, 4 cello parts, 4 double bass parts), 20 vocal and choral parts (5 Soprano principale parts, 5 Alti principale parts, 5 Tenore principale parts, and 5 Basso principale parts – these parts all contain music for solo voices and for choir). Assuming the common practice of orchestral music, we can say that Bella’s Mass in E flat Major was premiered by a 20-member choir with 5 boy sopranos, 5 boy altos, 5 tenors, 5 basses, and an orchestra with 13 wind players, 1 timpanist, and 48 string players (12, 12, 8, 8, 8).
The history of the origin and of the premiere of the mass is an interesting one. Bella considered the work as his prime achievement in church music, and he was also encouraged by the success of the performance of Mass in B flat in Vienna. For the same reasons, he submitted the score to the composition competition held by Haynald, the cardinal of Kalocsa, and he won the highest prize thanks to the vote of Franz Liszt. When Bella successfully applied for a job in Sibiu, he left the church causing a scandal; as a result, the competition results were revised and the planned Vienna performance was postponed until 1889. Bella felt that he could not attain his artistic goals in Kremnica, and when he was offered a post in Sibiu in March 1881, he left the Catholic church (complying with the requirement of the post), he relinquished his priesthood and his office of the town Kapellmeister, which he expressed in a letter dated 29 March 1881:
”During my twelve-year tenure as the town Kapellmeister I had always on my mind that a genuine artist must never be idle, he must always learn and seek higher ground. With this in mind, I wrote several works, which will never be performed here. I have been offered a new post, where my constantly active artistic spirit can develop freely and where I will have at my disposal a full orchestral body, as well as a generous source of means needed to perform my larger works and the most noble works by composers of all nations and ages; because of all this, my heart, which has grown accustomed to Kremnica, my second home, must submit to higher necessities of my profession, and although I will suffer being separated from my favourite town, I have to leave unconditionally my beautiful post.”
Mass in E flat Major for Four Voices, Choir, and Orchestra is Bella’s highest and perhaps last achievement in the genre of Latin church music. The traditional liturgical sequence of six movements is fitted with richly contrapuntal music. The work is a celebration of counterpoint with contributions of solo voices, choir, and orchestra, the harmonic environment bears the marks of the mature Romantic style with elements of late-Romantic expression.
Christmas developed as a festival in the religious and folk calendar against the background of two traditions. The non-Christian tradition of celebration of the winter solstice goes back to the archaic basis of the traditional agrarian culture associated with the magic function of words and music – with the help of wishes given in the sacred time of the solstice days it was possible to secure the basic necessities required for survival in the future year. The Christian tradition added celebration of the Nativity of Jesus Christ as the coming of the Saviour to the period of the winter solstice. The Baroque with the Counter Reformation movement and the origin of the Christmas pastorella played a decisive role in the adoption of the Christian Christmas in the folk environment, where it was superimposed on the older cultural basis. The Christmas song repertoire was a result of overlapping of these two traditions.
If the church songs codified in the hymn books represent official culture, the Christmas songs in folk culture were part of singing outside the churches. They were sung by carol singers touring houses and in the home environment during the whole Christmas period from 24th December (Christmas Eve) to 6th January (Three Magi). Wishes, songs and Christmas plays were presented during processions from house to house with singing “below windows”. The family environment was connected with the creation of a family tradition of Christmas singing in the family circle, which drew from the repertoires of both the hymn books and the folk carols.
A look at the Christmas repertoire in folk culture starts from the concept in the folk environment, from an evaluation of the previous views of Central European authors and from a definition of the category of the folk religious song. The newly proposed typology of the Christmas repertoire is based on the song texts and to a lesser degree on their contextual links. It starts from the existence of two cultural traditions, against the background of which this repertoire formed.
I. Secular Christmas songs (see anthology 1–10) are connected with the non-Christian layer of folk faith and the meanings of the winter solstice. They include traditional wishes and secular parodies (humorous parodies of religious songs). During carol singing tours, they appeared in the context of the ritual importance of laughter.
II. Religious Christmas songs (11–50) are connected with the Christian tradition. Their central theme is the Biblical story of the Nativity of Jesus Christ. They are divided into three groups: 1. Church songs; 2. legends; 3. pastoral songs. The Church songs (11–18) associated with the Church’s Christian tradition include songs with Biblical themes, dealing with them in accordance with official Christian teaching: apart from the Biblical story of the Nativity, also songs about Adam and Eve and the Last Supper. Legends (19–23) are songs from the non-Church repertoire, but still anchored in the Christian tradition. They develop motifs from legends about saints and Biblical elements, especially songs about the Virgin Mary, in which the motif of miracles dominate. The themes and methods of presentation deviate from Christian dogma, but they do not lose touch with its spiritual world. Pastoral songs (24–50) are connected with Biblical themes, but shift the emphasis to secular elements. According to the type of environment into which the Biblical story is stylized, they are divided into the type of pastoral songs adapted to the domestic pastoral-Wallachian culture, and the type of the songs connected with various social layers placed in the rural and small town environment. They develop an epic and dramatic element. The lyrical element dominates in the Christmas lullaby, which continues Baroque poetics.
If the texts of Christmas songs were a starting point for definition of the typological layers of the Christmas repertoire, the musical component acts as an integrating element in this song genre. A homogeneous musical style prevails, formed on the basis of the Wallachian pastoral musical culture and harmonic tunes influenced by the compositional approaches of the composed music of the Baroque and early Classical periods. This musical style formed in the context of historic Christmas pastorella and adapted to some principles of folk thinking, when it was transferred to the folk environment.
Musical stylistic analysis helped to identify several layers of tunes: 1. tunes connected with regional folk musical style; 2. a folklorized version of the historic church Christmas songs; 3. tunes, which have the character of a sign and form part of the semantics of Christmas music (the melody of the night watchman’s songs, melody for the odzemok dance, the intonation of Gloria in excelsis Deo); 4. tunes in a homogeneous musical style which characterizes the genre of Christmas songs and does not occur in other genres of folk song culture.
Examination of the musical stylistic features (tendency to schematization of compositional approaches) and poetics of the texts (concretization and secularization of the Biblical story), provides information on the author’s background, the process of creation, the form of existence and functioning of Christmas songs. The rural intelligentsia, which formed a mediating link between the official and folk culture, had an important place in the formation of the Christmas repertoire in folk culture. Apart from them, the creativity of the folk environment played an important role, expressed not only in the creation of new song types, and especially in the active reshaping, variation and adaptation. The adaptational ability of the folk environment influenced the Christmas repertoire, enriching it with new elements, which could be integrated into its context.
The anthology brigs a selection of the Christmas song repertoire according to the typological layers of the Christmas songs and the basic musical features within this layers. The song material was documented in the territory of Slovakia and Slovak minority environment in the time period from the beginning of the 20th century. It comes from the handwritten records of various collectors deposited in the Archive of the Institute of Musicology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, and from the field research of the author.
The creation of a basic database of all medieval chorale manuscripts deposited in Slovak archives is in preparation at the Department of history of the Institute of Musicology at the Slovak Academy of Sciences. The database, designed to list, analyse, and compare the material, will provide quick and comprehensive reference on medieval music sources on the territory of Slovakia. The data will provide basic characteristics of manuscripts, which will serve as the basis for research of medieval music codices and fragments from our territory, and as the starting point of a broader comparative research conducted in international context.
The first step is to map individual archives. The paper gives the results of the basic research of sources that was conducted in the Regional State Archive in Pezinok. The archive contains 69 musical manuscripts and fragments of medieval sacred music, most of which we have been able to identify. The oldest source dates back to the turn of the 12th and the 13th centuries, the most recent fragments are from the 16th century. The extant fragments of medieval liturgical books contain Latin Gregorian chant. They are just a tiny fraction of music used on the territory of present Slovakia within medieval Hungary. Individual parchment leaves of antiphonals, breviaries, missals, graduals, and fragments of other liturgical books, separated from their original volumes, are today important tools of reconstruction of the history of medieval music on our territory.
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