Andrzej Szadejko
Organist, Gdańsk

Synopsis

Organ music in Gdańsk, dating back to the 14th century, still has many admirers, listeners and excellent performers. In Poland, unlike most other Western countries, pipe organs have an appreciative audience but are poorly financed, and the challenge is how to fund pipe organs better. (In Gdańsk, there are instruments still waiting for restoration from damage caused during WWII.)

Andrzej Szadejko took the opportunity to mention some of the attractions and interesting cultural details about Gdańsk which is to be the venue of the 2008 ISO conference. Gdańsk is one of the oldest cities in central Europe, and St Mary's church is the biggest brick-built Gothic church in the world. In the 16th century, Gdańsk was the only place in Europe where the Catholics and Lutherans shared a main city church peacefully for over 50 years. St Mary's Church was one of the few in Europe in XVI century that had at least five instruments.

The Great organ in St Mary's, built by Anthonius Friese in 1585, was the largest in Europe at that time. During the 17th century, many refugees fleeing religious persecution from all over Europe found a home at last in Gdańsk which, since the Compact of Warsaw (1573) had allowed freedom of worship, at a time when all of Europe was swept up in religious wars.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, there were in Gdańsk alone more harpsichord builders than in the whole of Scandinavia at that time. At Pelplin, a Gothic monastery complex belonging to a Cistercian abbey, the diocesan museum includes the Pelplin Tabulature, containing around 90 manuscripts of musical works from the 17th century, one of the most important sources for the music in North Europe. One of most important sources for 18th century organ registration is left by Daniel Magnus Gronau (circa 1690-1747), city organist in Gdańsk.

The only free console in Gabler style in north Europe in 18th century was built in the village of Oliva (now a suburb of Gdańsk).

Andrzej Szadejko invited ISO members to visit his city, Gdańsk, and see something of its vast heritage of organ culture, and how Poland is trying to overcome the disaster of WWII and the Communist era. Then, too, Poland has good beer, excellent cuisine and some of the most beautiful girls in the world. Welcome to Gdańsk in September 2008.