Mikołaj z Radomia (EN)

Mikołaj z Radomia, [Mikołaj of Radom], Mikołaj Radomski, Polski composer active in the first half of the 15th century, probably in Krakow, known only through his signatures on several compositions: “N. de Radom”, “Nicolaus de Radom” and “Mycolay Radomsky”. Efforts to establish the composer’s identity have so far been unsuccessful. Hypotheses put forward in the literature (e.g. by H. Musielak) regarding the identification of Nicholas with any of the individuals of that name appearing in the sources (for example “Nicolaus clavicembalista dominae reginae Poloniae” from 1422, “Nicolaus Geraldi de Radom”, who studied in Kraków where he obtained a master’s degree,  and who in 1389–91 was mentioned in Vatican records as being a clergyman born in Radom and associated with the diocese of Kraków, several men named Mikołaj z Radomia studying at the Academy of Kraków in 1420, 1426 and several others in manuscripts from the second half of the 14th and the second half of the 15th century in the Jagiellonian Library as well as the psalterist of the Wawel Cathedral in 1460) have not yet been confirmed. The compositions signed with the name Mikołaj, and so far, not identified as works of other composers, are written in black mensural notation in two Polish collections of polyphonic music from around 1440: in the manuscript of the Świdziński Library, later the Krasiński Library, shelfmark 52, now held in the National Library (shelfmark III. 8054) and in the manuscript of the Załuski Library, later the Imperial Library in St Petersburg (shelfmark Lat. F. I. 378), subsequently in the Warsaw University Library, and later in the National Library, lost during World War II and now known only from a (partial) microfilm copy and from a handwritten transcription made from the original by M. Szczepańska and held in the University Library in Poznań; both manuscripts were published in “Antiquitates Musicae in Polonia” (vol. 13 and 14). Apart from the works of Mikołaj z Radomia, they contain, among others, compositions by J. Ciconia, A. Zacara da Teramo, Mikołaj z Ostroroga, as well as anonymous pieces (including Cracovia civitas and Breve regnum in MS III. 8054). 

Mikołaj z Radomia is the most outstanding Polish composer of the 15th century and the earliest known by name among the creators of polyphonic music in Poland. The surviving works suggest that he was a highly trained musician, well acquainted with the latest trends in contemporary European music. Mikołaj’s oeuvre, though not extensive, is of high quality and draws primarily on early 15th-century Italian and French music (cf. the style of works by J. Ciconia, A. Zacara da Teramo), as well as on the modern achievements in sound technique of the Burgundian school, represented by the works of G. Dufay (Magnificat). The choice of forms is also typical for this period: mass parts, the magnificat, the ballade. The structure of Mikołaj’s works is largely determined by the structure of the text, as shown by the multi-section structure of the Magnificat and the ordinarium parts of the mass, which are paired on the basis of melodic similarity and constitute early forms of the mass cycle. Two vocal-instrumental compositions of the ballade type exhibit a characteristic three-part structure with a repetition of the first part (aabc). These are: a textless piece and Hystorigraphi aciem, often considered a contrafactum of a French ballade due to the mismatch between the Latin text and the melody. The text, a panegyric in honour of the royal family and the birth of Prince Kazimierz, was composed in 1426 and is likely the work of Mikołaj z Błonia. The short Alleluia represents a free adaptation of G. Dufay’s rondeau Bon jour bon mois; the attribution of this simple arrangement to Mikołaj z Radomia has been questioned (M. Majchrowski).

The internal structure of all the compositions generally based on the arrangement of sections that differ in their technical character. Mikołaj of Radom’s works – in accordance with common practice at the time – are written in three-part texture (discantus, tenor, contratenor), with an additional discantus in two mass parts. Apart from three parts of the mass ordinary, in which all voices are set to a text, the remaining works have texts only in the discantus, which suggests that they were intended for vocal-instrumental performance.  Syllabic passages alternate with passages in which all voices move melismatically. Alongside the nota contra notam technique and the developed ornamental counterpoint, the composer uses imitation, and sometimes also interlocking short motifs, syncopation, and hocket. Mikołaj’s works are predominantly in triple metre (duple in the textless piece), sometimes alternating with duple-metre (Hystorigraphi aciem); the tonal character of the pieces is relatively uniform. The mass parts reveal influences of early-15th-century song style with a prominent upper voice; the previously suggested close tie to the works od A. Zacara da Teramo has been questioned in more recent literature (J. Miszke). In the Magnificat, the plainchant melody is paraphrased in the discantus, and sections in free counterpoint appear alongside passages written in the fauxbourdon technique, characterised by progressions of sixth-chords. These passages are marked with the annotation “per bardunum” which appears three times in the manuscript. The oeuvre of Mikołaj z Radomia represents, in terms of compositional technique, a creative engagement with contemporary European polyphony and occupies a special place in the history of music in fifteenth-century Poland.

Literature:  S. Kętrzyński, H. Opieński Mikołaj z Radomia, “Kwartalnik Muzyczny” 1911 no. 1, 2; Z. Jachimecki Muzyka na dworze króla Władysława Jagiełły, Krakow 1915; M. Szczepańska Nowe źródło do historii muzyki średniowiecznej w Polsce, commemorative book for A. Chybiński, Krakow 1930; M. Szczepańska O utworach Mikołaja Radomskiego (z Radomia), “Polski Rocznik Muzykologiczny” II, 1936; Z. Jachimecki Zagadnienie beztekstowej kompozycji Mikołaja z Radomia z rękopisu nr 52 Biblioteki Krasińskich w Warszawie, in: Sprawozdania z czynności i posiedzeń Polskiej Akademii Umiejętności, vol. 50 no. 7, Krakow 1949 (cf. J.M. Chomiński’s review in “Kwartalnik Muzyczny” 1950 no. 29/30); M. Szczepańska Studia o utworach Mikołaja Radomskiego, “Kwartalnik Muzyczny” 1949 no. 25, 1950 no. 29/30; H. Musielak W poszukiwaniu materiałów do biografii Mikołaja z Radomia and W. Węgrzyn-Klisowska Kilka uwag o kształtowaniu frazy w twórczości mszalnej Mikołaja z Radomia, “Muzyka” 1973 no. 1; S. Dąbek Koncepcja formy i brzmienia. Magnificat Mikołaja z Radomia, “Roczniki Teologiczno-Kanoniczne” XXXIV, 1987; M. Perz Il carattere internazionale delle opere di Mikołaj Radomski, “Musica Disciplina” XLI, 1987; M. Perz Kontrafaktury ballad w rękopisie Krasińskich nr 52 (PL-Wn 8054), “Muzyka” 1992 no. 4; M. Majchrowski Powiązanie „Alleluia” przypisywanego Mikołajowi Radomskiemu z chanson „Bon jour bon mois” Guillaume’a Dufaya, “Muzyka” 1994 no. 2; M. Perz Wokół Mikołaja Radomskiego z figlami błazna Bobika, in: Muzykolog wobec świadectw źródłowych i dokumentów, commemorative book for P. Poźniak, ed. Z. Fabiańska et al., Krakow 2009; M. Verstraete Die Ordinariumsvertonungen Mikołaj Radomskis, “TroJa. Jahrbuch für Renaissancemusik” XII, 2013, ed. 2016; J. Miszke Kompozycje mszalne Mikołaja z Radomia w kontekście twórczości mszalnej Antonia Zacary da Teramo i Johannesa Ciconii, “Kwartalnik Młodych Muzykologów UJ” 2017 no. 1.