Chyliński, Chiliński, Andrzej, *late 16th century, †after 1658, Polish composer, OFM. In the documents of the Polish Franciscans, he is mentioned in the years 1626–1628 as a chapel master. From March 1630, he served as a vicar and bass singer in the chapel of the Basilica of St Anthony in Padua. On February 14, 1632, he became chapel master there; his three-year contract was to be renewed, but on January 20, 1635, Chyliński resigned from his position because Władysław IV demanded his return to the country. In 1658, Professor M. Radymiński of the Krakow Academy mentioned Chyliński as a contemporary musical luminary in his Fastorum (…) Elogia continens Tomi VII (manuscript). Only some of Chyliński’s works have survived. The inventory of musical instruments of the parish church in Przyborze from 1637/38 mentions the printed Concerti Andrea Chiliski cum Partitura; it is possible that they predate another collection, which we know Chyliński prepared for printing while in Padua, but which has not survived.
The inventory of musical instruments belonging to the Franciscans of Drohiczyn from 1681 also mentions Chyliński’s Jubilate Universi Populi for eight voices. The Ossoliński National Library in Wrocław has preserved a print of Chyliński’s Canones XVI. Iidem ad diversa rectis contrariisque motibus toti in tali et toti in qualibet parte… (Antwerp 1634), which was considered lost until the 1980s. The publication is dedicated to Piotr Potocki of the Pilawa coat of arms, voivode of Bracław, who studied in Padua in 1632–1633 and took part in the Turkish War in 1634. The print contains 16 highly elaborate solutions of two canons on the themes Da pacem Domine in diebus nostris (canons 1–8) and Pax tibi Polonia felicissima bello (canons 9–16). In addition, the print also includes a third canon melody on the theme Ora pro nobis sancte Stanislae, but without a solution. According to Szymon Starowolski (1650), Chyliński published the canon Da pacem in Venice in 1620 and encouraged musicians to solve it, but without success. Chyliński was therefore a skilled master of both the seconda pratica and polyphony based on more speculative principles.
Literature: J. Sehnal Kilka XVII-wiecznych poloników morawskich, „Muzyka” 1973 No. 2; A. Sartori Documenti per la storia della musica al Santo e nel Veneto, Vicenza 1977; P. Poźniak Kanony Andrzeja Chylińskiego prefecta muzyki w Padwie na tle “uczonej” muzyki w XVII-wiecznej Polsce, “Res Facta Nova” 2003; A. Dacewicz Franciszkańskie inwentarze muzyczne z II połowy XVII wieku, “W Nurcie Franciszkańskim” 2012 No. 19.
