Mikołaj Zieleński’s collection of offertories and communions, comprising 110 compositions, is probably the most important early Baroque Polish musical print. Firstly, it is extremely extensive – in the case of Polish musical heritage from the seventeenth century, it is unheard of that so many works by one composer have survived to this day. Secondly, in my opinion, it is the most significant collection of works by a Polish composer from the early Baroque period in terms of artistic value. This work deserves to be widely known and performed. That is why we continue the recording work, the result of which is another CD with the repertoire from this collection.

Offertoria et Communiones totius anni are musical settings of offertories and communions for the entire liturgical year. Nearly all of the pieces are accompanied by information about their intended use for a given holiday or occasion (a register in the form of a 12-month calendar with additional indications has also been added). The previous album was based on the history of salvation, this time the key to selecting works for the album was their intended use for holidays or commemorations of patrons or saints associated with Wrocław, Lower Silesia, but also with Poland.

The album therefore contains pieces dedicated to the saints: Stanislaus and Adalbert – the patron saints of Poland; John the Baptist – the patron saint of the Wrocław cathedral; John the Apostle and Evangelist – the patron saint of the former chapel of the Wrocław town hall; Jadwiga of Silesia – the wife of Henry I the Bearded, Duke of Wrocław (together they founded the monastery of the Cistercian Sisters in Trzebnica); as well as Dorothy and Wenceslaus – together with the above mentioned Stanislaus, they were the patron saints of the three communities that made up Wrocław: Polish, German and Czech. It should be emphasised that the National Forum of Music, where the recording was made, is located near the Gothic church dedicated to these three saints. It was founded in the second half of the 14th century to commemorate the agreement on rights to Silesia concluded between the Polish King Casimir the Great and Charles IV of Luxembourg, ruler of Bohemia, while its patron saints symbolized Bohemia (St Wenceslaus), Poland (St Stanislaus) and German settlers (St Dorothy).

The works on the album are complemented by three instrumental fantasies, which have survived to this day in an incomplete form (the top voice part has not survived). In the recording we used the reconstruction of the missing part prepared by Prof Marcin Szelest.

During the recording sessions, we used instruments typical of the first half of the seventeenth century, and we also applied ornaments, diminutions, and improvisations that were as consistent as possible with the composer’s intentions and the performance practice of that era. In this way, we tried to achieve a sound as close as possible to Zieleński’s times.

It should be emphasised that the fact mentioned by Dr Maciej Jochymczyk is that it was in the Wrocław City Library (Stadtbibliothek Breslau) that the only complete print of offertories and communions, coming from the church of St Bernardine, was once kept, which, combined with the entire context resulting from the selection of works, means that this album can be considered to have a ‘Wrocław’ character.
Andrzej Kosendiak (transl. Anna Marks)