Wawel Cathedral, Cracow Need help to pronounce his name? Here's how.

Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki, the son of Adam and Anna Gorczyca, was born at Rozbark near Bytom in Silesia around 1665 or 1667 at the latest. He was educated at the university in Prague where he graduated from the department of liberal arts and philosophy, and in Vienna, earning the title of licentiate in theology. In 1689 or 1690 he arrived in Cracow where in 1691 he started stydying in the Theological Seminary and was ordained on 22 March, 1692. Immediately afterwards he was delegated by the Wawel Cathedral Chapter to Chelmno in Pomerania and started lecturing in rhetoric and poetry in the higher classes of the so-called Chelmno Academy run by the missionary priests (in the local secondary school). He also lectured at the seminary and conducted the archpriests' church chapel. After two years the composer returned to Cracow Cathedral and was given the post of cathedral curate. In 1696 he was appointed father confessor, which he remained till the end of his life. On 10 January, 1698, Gorczycki became the cathedral's Chapelmaster (Magister capellae musices Ecclesiae Cathedralis Cracoviensis. In 1702 he was offered an angelic prebend obliging him to participate in the vocal ensemble of St. Stanislaus Chapel in the cathedral. In 1705 he was endowed with the canonry at Skalmierz and, in the 1720s, with the prebend of God's Mercy Church in Smolensk (a suburb of Cracow) which involved supervision of the church hospice. Gorczycki died on 30 April, 1734, having become one of the most eminent composers of the Polish Baroque era.

Thirty-nine compositions have survived which can safely be attributed to Gorczycki. They can be divided into two groups: (1) Compositions written according to the stile antico rules (obligatory in the time of the Renaissance) including masses and a cappella motets. Some of these are: Missa paschalis; Missa "Rorate"; Alleluia; Iudica me, Deus; Sepulto Domino. Also compositions for 4-part choir, two violins and basso continuo, such as Crudelis Herodes; Deus tuorum militum; Iesu, corona Virginum; In virtute tua; Iustus ut palma florebit; Os justi. (2) Vocal-instrumental works (choir, strings, oboe, clarini) maintained in modern concertante style, such as Completorium; Conductus funebris; Illuxit sol; Laetatus sum; Litaniae de Providentia Divina. (Biography and audio help by Wlodzimierz Soltysik). BACK All material on this page © Copyright by Cantus Quercus Press. All rights reserved.