Długoraj, Wojciech (EN)

Długoraj Wojciech, Albertus *1557 or 1558, †after 1619 (?), Polish lutenist and composer. Długoraj’s place of birth is referred to as “Gostinensis,” which could indicate various locations in Poland. He learned to play the lute at the expense of Samuel Zborowski, in whose service he subsequently remained. By 1579 at the latest, he had fled from his court, possibly staying briefly at the Carmelite monastery in Krakow, and certainly joining the Bernardines there, where he took his religious vows on 12 May 1580. Before May 1581, he was expelled from the monastery for improper conduct. Zborowski then forced him to return to service, but by 1583 at the latest, Długoraj had escaped again and by delivering letters to Chancellor Jan Zamoyski that politically compromised Samuel Zborowski and his brother Krzysztof. He contributed to the execution of the former and the banishment of the latter. From at least 1 July 1583, to 15 January 1586, Długoraj was the royal lutenist. During this time, he stayed in Krakow and traveled with Batory’s court around the country, including to Warsaw and Grodno. Later, he probably left Poland in fear of revenge by the Zborowski family. In 1590, he probably sought a position at the court of Prince Louis in Stuttgart, and around 1619 he may have been in Leipzig.

Of the works bearing the composer’s full name, the finale is entirely polyphonic: the cantus firmus in the lower register is accompanied by a faster, virtuosic melodic line in the upper register. The threefold occurrence of the second part of the cantus firmus, each time counterpointed differently with the use of characteristic instrumental figures, refers to variations. In the fantasia, polyphonic fragments give way to pseudopolyphony and chord progressions. The constant change in texture, together with the change in tempo, the prevailing ametricity, and the variability and fluidity of the tonal centers, give the work a free, improvisational character, which highlights its high purely sonic qualities. Contrapuntal technique plays an even smaller role in villanelles. It is not known whether these are Długoraj’s original works or intabulations, as no vocal models have been found so far. The full-sounding chordal texture definitely prevails here, and the rhythmic finesse is noteworthy. Similarly chordal, but more primitive harmonically, is the structure of the Polish dance, which is a simple arrangement of an exceptionally long melody (perhaps a combination of several dance melodies) consisting of as many as six sections with a symmetrical structure. The entire arrangement then transforms into a triple meter, and the repetition proceeds almost without difference.

Of the compositions marked only with initials, the fantasia and fugue are polyphonic works based on the imitation of a thematic phrase, both based on a triad and undergoing variations. Simple counterpoint, predominately in two voices, quite often reduces to sequences of parallel thirds. A characteristic feature is the repeated use of register contrast by repeating such a two-part passage an octave lower or higher. At the same time, this emphasizes the symmetry of the internal structure of the fantasia and fugue. Compared with the analogous works from Besard’s collection, both villanelles from Długoraj’s Tabulatura are simpler; a shared feature is a distinctive and original rhythm, derived from the last two of the passing rhythms. Both choreae are stereotypical arrangements of dance melodies in a chordal 4-voice setting. In the volta, the composer usually limits himself to leading the melody in the upper register and the bass, using imitations between these lines.

The tablature, bearing the 19th-century inscription Lautenbuch des Albert Dlugorai, is a manuscript with the original date of 1619, containing 462 pages written in German lute notation. The tablature contains almost 550 pieces (intabulations, dances, and independent lute pieces), most of which are anonymous. However, there are also over 40 names or initials of prominent composers (A. Ferrabosco, J.H. Schein, O. Vecchi), especially lutenists (Diomedes, Dowland, Laurencino), more often lesser-known lutenists, as well as little-known musicians active in Dresden and Leipzig.

Literature: Introduction to Tańce polskie z tabulatur lutniowych. 1, ed. Z. Stęszewska, Krakow 1962; Introduction to Fantazje i wilanele na lutnię. Wojciech Długoraj, ed. P. Poźniak, Krakow 1966; Sogenanntes Lautenbuch des Albert Dlugorai 1619, ed. H. Speck, Lübeck 2001: Tree Edition [facsimile]; P. Poźniak Utwory Wojciecha Długoraja w rękopisach z Bazylei, Genui i Kolonii oraz w druku E. Mertela, in: Almanach muzykologii krakowskiej: 1911–2011, eds. M. Woźna-Stankiewicz, Z. Dobrzańska-Fabiańska and A. Sitarz, Krakow 2016; M. Hottmar Diela poľských lutnistov v lutnovej zbierke Jean-Baptiste Besard: Thesaurus harmonicus (Köln 1603), in: Na pograniczach. Z odległej i bliskiej przeszłości. Studia o stosunkach kulturowych, ed. R. Lipelt, Sanok 2019.