Wojciech Dembołęcki

Wojciech Dembołęcki (* around 1585 in Konojady near Brodnica ; † between September 1645 and February 1647 ), also called Dębołęcki , Debolencki or Dembolensius , was a Polish composer and Catholic religious chaplain .

Life

There are no sources available about his early years of life and his musical training. He joined the Franciscan Order in Cracow in 1598 . From 1605 he lived in Opole . Here he was ordained a priest in 1611 or 1612 . From 1615 to 1617 he stayed in Kalisz and Lemberg , where he was Kapellmeister at the monastery, and finally in Chełm . Dembołęcki then traveled to Italy , where he visited Venice and probably also Rome .

In 1619 he returned to Eastern Europe, first to Olomouc , where he co-founded the Society of Christian Soldiers for the ransom of prisoners . From 1621 he was a military chaplain before traveling to Rome for the second time for two years in 1623. There he was awarded a doctorate in theology . In 1625 Dembołęcki briefly held the office of Provincial of the Polish Province of the Franciscan Order, but renounced it and acted as General Commissioner for the release of Polish soldiers from captivity during the Turkish Wars . He also served as a guardian in Kamyanets-Podilskyj . A third trip to Rome from 1630 to 1632 followed before he became a priest in Lviv.

plant

The surviving compositional oeuvre Dembołęcki includes only a few works. It acquires its historical significance because it originated at the change in style of Polish music. At the beginning of the 17th century this began to open up to the Italian influences, which is reflected in Dembołęcki's music. On the one hand, it was still committed to medieval music, especially Gregorian chant , and on the other, it introduced innovations such as the figured figured bass . Similar to his contemporary Mikołaj Zielński , he expanded the strict contrapuntal setting to include diminutions and embellishments .

In addition to his musical work, he wrote historical and theological writings.

literature

• Radosław Sztyber: Piórem, kropidłem i szablą . Wojciecha Dembołęckiego pisarska i kapelańska przygoda z lisowczykami (1619–1623). Studia i szkice . Zielona Góra 2005, ISBN 83-8971259-8 .