This beautiful carol was composed in the 18th century, a few years before the partition of Poland, and its lyrics are based on an unusual combination of oxymorons. It is set to the melody of the coronation polonaise of Polish kings. Can you imagine a more potent combination? by Piotr Bejrowski Polish carols stand…
‘Let it be “national” but not “provincial”,’ – this is what Karol Szymanowski wrote in 1920 (‘Uwagi w sprawie współczesnej opinii muzycznej w Polsce’, trans. ‘Remarks on contemporary musical opinion in Poland’), referring to the desired shape of new Polish music and weaving it into the space of widely understood universal humanism. During the inter-war…
Artur Rubinstein is counted among the most outstanding pianists of the 20th century. Apart from the sheer scale of his talent, there were many reasons behind this artist’s exceptional position in past century world culture. First and foremost is his exceptionally long – almost eight-decade – intensive career as a pianist, measured by thousands of…
There were three presidents-in-office in the Second Republic yet there were more presidential elections, one of the paradoxes related to the history of the office in interwar Poland, just like there were more persons carrying the duties of the head of state. by Wojciech Stanisławski The discussion concerning the shape of the independent Polish…
Unexpected high price rises announced by the communist authorities of the Polish People’s Republic in December 1970 led to an outbreak of social discontent and street protests. The authorities did not enter into talks and proceeded to brutally suppress the strike. by Piotr Abryszeński Rails are growing cheaper! For Władysław Gomułka, the final month…
Until recently, it was believed that Mieszko I, Poland’s first ruler, had minted the kingdom’s first coin, however, this claim has since been refuted. Mieszko’s denarius was indeed minted by a Mieszko, although in fact it was Mieszko II, the grandson of the founder of the Polish state. by Wojciech Kalwat If we are…
