Reception and adaptation of the works of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina in the circle of the Cappella Rorantistarum in Cracow during the provostship of Rev. Józef Pękalski

Abstract

The works of Palestrina were known and performed in the musical circle of the cathedral in Cracow in the 17th and 18th centuries, especially in the Cappella Rorantistarum. The college was headed by a provost, who was responsible for the selection of the repertoire and preparation of musical materials. One of the most outstanding provosts and scribes was Rev. Józef Pękalski (ca. 1708–1758), who made several hundred copies of works, including Palestrina’s works. Importantly, he made changes to the repertoire he copied. The article lists Palestrina’s works that were performed during Pękalski’s activity (i.e. in the years 1739–1753), indicates which prints he used to make copies, as well as which works and how he modified them. Thanks to comparative analysis, it is known that Pękalski copied not only from collection of works by Palestrina, but also from anthologies that were available at Wawel, and the changes he introduced concerned both the form and the scoring of the composition. In conclusion, it was suggested to conduct further research on this issue, which could provide new information on the performance practice of the Cappella Rorantistarum in the 18th century