According to Johann Mattheson, Polish composer
Bartlomiej Pekiel was born German, but his known career
played itself out in Poland in its entirety. Earliest
mention of Pekiel comes from 1633 when he enters the
service of the Warsaw-based court of King Wladyslaw IV
Vasa, as a sacred musician working with Marco Scacchi,
a composer who supplied the King's court with opera and
other kinds of secular music. Pekiel also took over the
other duties when Scacchi returned to Italy owing to
health concerns...(+)
According to Johann Mattheson, Polish composer
Bartlomiej Pekiel was born German, but his known career
played itself out in Poland in its entirety. Earliest
mention of Pekiel comes from 1633 when he enters the
service of the Warsaw-based court of King Wladyslaw IV
Vasa, as a sacred musician working with Marco Scacchi,
a composer who supplied the King's court with opera and
other kinds of secular music. Pekiel also took over the
other duties when Scacchi returned to Italy owing to
health concerns in 1649, but was not elevated to sole
music director until 1653. Pekiel would not enjoy the
position long, as in 1655 the Swedes swept Wladyslaw IV
Vasa's successor, King John II Casimir, off the throne
in the conflict now known as "The Deluge." Pekiel
managed to land on his feet in Krakow, as in 1658 he
was named to the post of kapellmeister at Wawel
Cathedral. While direct evidence of his death has not
been substantiated, Pekiel must have died around 1670,
as his successor is named in cathedral records around
that time.
Bartlomiej Pekiel was the foremost Polish composer of
his day, and though his work belongs historically to
the middle Baroque, stylistically it is a holdover from
the Italian renaissance of the previous century. So
technically assured is Pekiel within this style that a
tour of study in Italy is likely, even though he is not
known to have traveled there; perhaps it occurred
before first mention of him is found in 1633, and it is
also possible that Pekiel was a little older than his
suggested birthdate of "ca. 1610" might convey. Whereas
his Polish contemporaries are known by mere handfuls of
pieces, Pekiel is represented to posterity through 14
settings of the mass, 17 motets, and about 42
instrumental pieces, though the authenticity of the
latter has been a matter of debate. A scholarly edition
of Pekiel's work was published in 1996 by Monumenta
Musicae in Polonia, though certain works -- such as the
Missa pulcherrima ad instar Praenestini -- have been
available in modern editions going back into the
1930s.
This is a distant excursion from home base for the
British choir the Sixteen, for which familiarity of
repertory is generally part of the plan. The music
heard here, by composer Bartlomiej Pekiel (active
1633-1670), is little known outside Poland. Indeed, the
Polish Baroque, which attracted plenty of Italian
composers in its day, provides fertile ground for
choirs looking to perform unknown masterpieces. The
style of the music is in general what you would expect
from a composer keeping close tabs on the latest music
from Italy; Pekiel was the first native-born Polish
composer to crack what had been a scene dominated by
imports. There are several short motets in Renaissance
stile antico, as well as masses in the newer concerted
style, with solos and various contrasts of massed
groups accompanied by a small continuo-based
instrumental ensemble. Pekiel's realizations of these
styles are unique. Most interesting is the torso of the
Missa à 14, of which only the Kyrie and Gloria have
survived. To hear the entire mass -- with no solo
lines, only constantly shifting relationships among its
14 parts -- must have been a thrilling experience. In
the other masses there are some striking dissonances.
The motets are more conservative, but there is one
unclassifiable piece, Audite morales, that somewhat
resembles the Roman dialogue pieces, little
quasi-dramas from which the oratorio emerged. The music
is all in Latin..
Source: AllMusic
(https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bartlomiej-pekiel-mn00
01200389/biography).
Although originally created for Double Choir
(SSAATTBB), I created this Arrangement of the "Ave
Maria" (Hail Mary) for Winds (Flute, Oboe, English Horn
& Bassoon) & Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
