Żebrowski, Marcin Józef (EN)

Żebrowski, Ziebrowski, Żebro, Zebro, Marcin Józef, Martino Giuseppe, Josepho, Melchiore, Ignatio, Carolo, *ca. 1720, †probably 8 June 1792, Polish composer, violinist, and singer (bass). He was probably educated abroad, as evidenced by the discovery in London of a manuscript of Concerto grosso with a handwritten title page, dated 1748; in the J.J. Hummel’s publishing house in Amsterdam, his sonatas (1757) and symphony (1758) were published. The few documented biographical data come from the archives of the Pauline monks’ Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa. It is known that in 1748–65, Marcin Józef Żebrowski was employed in the Jasna Góra band as a secular musician and teacher. According to the account books from 1759–62, his salary was one of the highest among band musicians, which proves the great recognition he enjoyed as well as the comprehensive use of his skills; there is also a note regarding the high position of Marcin Józef Żebrowski as a teacher. From 1763, Marcin Józef Żebrowski’s wages began to decline rapidly, which could have been why he stopped working with the band in 1765; he resumed it for a few months in 1780.

In the record books, Marcin Józef Żebrowski is listed as Concert Majster, Noster in Claro Monte Częstochoviensi Concertus Maestro, Virtuosus Dominus Martinus Żebrowski. The title pages of preserved works are signed with various names, sometimes as many as five (most often Martino Giuseppe), and various versions of the surname or just the surname. The shortened versions Żebro and Zebro constitute the basis for identifying Marcin Józef Żebrowski with a violinist named Żebro, who performed together with his wife, singer Maria Elżbieta, at a concert on the name day of King Stanisław August Poniatowski on 8 May 1768 in Warsaw. At that time, Żebro was mentioned among the outstanding violinists visiting the capital (see A. Żórawska-Witkowska, Muzyka na dworze…). A letter from Maria Elżbieta Żebro has been preserved, containing the exact date of her husband’s death (8 June 1792), confirmed in the light of research, among others, by R. Pośpiech for the probable date of Marcin Józef Żebrowski’s death (see R. Pośpiech, M.J. Żebrowski w badaniach muzykologicznych, in: Marcin Józef Żebrowski…). The name Zebro appears in the Sumariusz… by J. Elsner (see Literature), listed among the names of composers whose works stored in the attic of the royal castle in Warsaw were lost at the turn of the 18^th and 19^th centuries, after Poland lost its independence.

The compositional legacy of Marcin Józef Żebrowski has been preserved in very good condition, especially in the archives of the Monastery of Pauline Monks at Jasna Góra in Częstochowa (including autographs), and works based on source research by P. Podejko, Z.M. Szweykowski and R. Pośpiech show Marcin Józef Żebrowski in a new light and place him in a leading position among Polish composers of the pre-classical era. The core of Marcin Józef Żebrowski’s work is religious music, in which three stylistic phases can be distinguished. In the first phase, baroque thinking is at the core, but at the same time there is a tendency to homophonic texture; representative works include: Magnificat, Rorate coeli and Missa ex D. Baroque features are visible in the shaping of the form, based on multi-section fragments contrasted texturally, agogically and metrically (e.g. 5 fragments in Gloria, 6 in Credo from Missa ex D), frequently used polyphonic sections (e.g. duet Deposuit the final section of the Rorate coeli, the final Amen in Magnificat, or Qui tollis, Cum Sancto and Hosanna in Missa ex D), also in the use of musical and rhetorical figures (including saltus duriusculus in Crucifixus, pathopoeia in Agnus Dei from Missa ex D). Virtuoso arias and duets show strong influences of Neapolitan opera (ornamental shaping of the melodic line with a wide interval range, frequent use of triplets, Lombard rhythms, dotted lines and syncopations), as well as influences of concerto technique (solo-tutti contrasts, single-voice and two-voice). The homophonic texture occurs over short sections. Most of Marcin Józef Żebrowski’s arias to religious texts also follow this convention.

In the second phase, the composer still used polyphonic texture, the Neapolitan style and the concerto technique, but within larger forms (e.g. Missa Pastoritia, Vesperae) three types of structure emerged: 2-part (Kyrie), 3-part ABA1 (Credo from Missa Pastoritia and Beatus vir from Vesperae) and rondo-variation (Laudate pueri, Domine, probasti me from Vesperae), based on expressive themes with an almost symmetrical structure. The individual parts have become closed, uniform sound wholes, reflecting the mood in the text (Vesperae, except for Dixit Dominus, Magnificat). Much more often than in the previous phase, the composer smoothly moved from polyphonic texture to homophony (Et incarnatus, Et resurrexit, Pleni sunt from Missa Pastoritia). Instrumental voices are autonomous here, which is noticeable in chord and melodic figurations with fragmented rhythmic values, sometimes instruments are treated virtuosically, especially the first violin (double stops and chords in Benedictus from Missa Pastoritia). There are rhythms of krakowiak (Gloria from Missa Pastoritia) and polonaise (Credo from Missa Pastoritia).

The third phase may be related to the alleged visit of Marcin Józef Żebrowski to Warsaw (1768) and more intense contact with the European repertoire of the time. The late works, from around 1780 (Missa Pastoralis and Missa in B), clearly refer to the early classical style; the songs are dominated by homophony with characteristic concise musical structures, naturalness and simplicity of the musical language. There is a visible tendency towards formal uniformity and the influence of sonata form in shaping the themes; the melodic line with a periodic structure is developed using three-note progressions, emphasising dominant-tonic relationships, there is a rondo form with a clear refrain (Kyrie from Missa Pastoralis). The thematic ideas in fugue fragments are based on the sequence of three main functions of the perfect cadenza (Sanctus and Osanna from Missa in B – a two-thematic fugue). The instrumental accompaniment contains figurations with typically classical melodic and rhythmic patterns. Dance rhythms play an important role, in particular polonaise, mazurka and krakowiak.

Marcin Józef Żebrowski’s instrumental works mainly include processional pieces (preserved in the archives of the Pauline Monastery at Jasna Góra). In the first years of the 21^st century, further instrumental compositions were discovered, representing forms particularly characteristic of the Italian Baroque: six trio sonatas and Concerto grosso. The composer named the processional pieces Sonatae pro processione (in the preserved copies also as Adagio or Andante pro processione), combining them in pairs, which suggests that they were performed during the ceremonial entrance to the altar and the exit of the procession. Individual pieces, sometimes differing in their instrumental composition, are single-part, multi-sectioned or have an ABA structure, sometimes with elements of thematic dualism and transformational work. The course is based mainly on motivic work, imitations and progressions, within simple tonic-dominant relationships. Concerto technique plays an important role; the melody is shaped using triads and scale progressions, sometimes with dotted rhythms, syncopations or polonaise rhythms. The composer usually entrusted solo fragments to wind instruments, while the violin often doubles the melodic line at the interval of a third, sixth or octave. The remaining instruments create a harmonic complement and perform basso continuo.

We can describe as unique the edition of six sonatas (published by Amsterdam 1757), which have a mostly da capo structure, one with a minuet and one with a fugato at the end; they contain detailed articulatory and dynamic markings. The preserved voices of the first violin and basso continuo show stylistic kinship with processional pieces. Concerto grosso and symphony also belong to isolated cases in the history of Polish music; Concerto grosso is the only example of this genre in Polish music of the 18^th century; the symphony is the first Polish symphony printed abroad. There is a clear stylistic difference between these songs. The early Concerto grosso (1748) reveals significant Baroque influences. It is a three-movement work (a minuet with a trio at the end), without agogic contrasts (the whole thing is kept at a moderate tempo) and dynamic contrasts, with a characteristic natural horn solo part. A group of wind instruments (horn, bassoon and oboes) creates a concertino and plays a formative role; a ripieno is a group of string instruments. The concert instruments dialogue, taking over motifs and themes from each other, sometimes interwoven into colourful progressions. Throughout, the attention to highlighting the specificity of individual instruments is visible, best seen in the minuet trio, intended exclusively for the concertino ensemble (2 oboes and bassoon). In the symphony (published in 1758), baroque elements intertwine with early classical ones. The piece is in three parts (Allegro–Andantino–Allegro assai); in the outer parts, the main melodic motifs, with outlines of symmetry, are based on distributed triads and are often emphasised by wind instruments. The composer used large dynamic contrasts, even within a few bars. The baroque, lyrical middle part was treated intimately and is intended only for string instruments and basso continuo. There is an originally shaped melody typical of Marcin Józef Żebrowski’s musical language and a rich palette of rhythmic groups. All of Marcin Józef Żebrowski’s works demonstrate thorough knowledge of the compositional technique, principles of instrumentation, proficiency in creating sound effects, melodic inventiveness and aesthetic sensitivity.

As a composer, Marcin Józef Żebrowski was popular not only in Częstochowa but also in other monastic centres. Copies of his works were found in the legacy of Polish bands in Szalowa, Gidle and Staniątki, and have also been preserved in foreign centres (Berlin, Lund). They were played during the lifetime of Marcin Józef Żebrowski and throughout the 19^th century, as evidenced by notes on manuscript pages. In the 20^th century, Marcin Józef Żebrowski’s music remained forgotten for a long time. In the 1960s and 1970s, limited research was conducted, resulting in several editions. Only the “Kapela Jasnogórska” Association, established in 2003, and its scientific and editorial team under the direction of R. Pośpiech organise concert performances, prepare sheet music publications, numerous recordings and scientific studies.

Literature: T. Strumiłło Źródła i początki romantyzmu w muzyce polskiej, «Studia i Materiały do Dziejów Muzyki Polskiej» vol. 3, Kraków 1956; J. Elsner Sumariusz moich utworów muzycznych, intruduction and ed. A. Nowak-Romanowicz, Kraków 1957; Z.M. Szweykowski Z zagadnień melodyki w polskiej muzyce wokalno-instrumentalnej późnego baroku, “Muzyka” 1961 no. 2; J. Węcowski Z dziejów XVIII-wiecznej kapeli w Szalowej, «Z Dziejów Muzyki Polskiej» vol. 7, Bydgoszcz 1964; Z.M. Szweykowski Próba periodyzacji okresu baroku w Polsce, “Muzyka” 1966 no. 1; P. Podejko Nieznani muzycy polscy, kompozytorzy, dyrygenci, instrumentaliści, wokaliści (1572–1820), «Z Dziejów Muzyki Polskiej» vol. 11, Bydgoszcz 1966; P. Podejko Na marginesie dotychczasowych wzmianek o życiu muzycznym na Jasnej Górze w Częstochowie, “Muzyka” 1967 no. 1; B. Muchenberg Z zagadnień dokumentacji symfonii polskiej II poł. XVIII w., «Z Dziejów Muzyki Polskiej» vol. 14, Bydgoszcz 1969; P. 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Jochymczyk Clarino w dziełach Marcina Józefa Żebrowskiego. Świadectwa wirtuozostwa instrumentalnego w kapeli jasnogórskiej, A. Mądry Zjawisko „opery w kościele” w polskiej muzyce XVIII wieku na podstawie kameralnych utworów wokalno-instrumentalnych Marcina Józefa Żebrowskiego, R. Pośpiech Marcin Józef Żebrowski w badaniach muzykologicznych, H. Prochota Nieszpory Marcina Józefa Żebrowskiego, B. Stróżyńska Utwory „pro processione” Marcina Józefa Żebrowskiego, P. Wilk Amsterdamskie sonaty Marcina Józefa Żebrowskiego, in: Marcin Józef Żebrowski (XVIII w.). Kompozytor i muzyk kapeli jasnogórskiej, ed. R. Pośpiech, «Musica Claromontana – Studia» 3, Opole 2013; R. Pośpiech Żebrowski, Marcin Józef, in: Encyklopedia Katolicka, vol. 20, ed. Edward Gigilewicz, Lublin 2014; B. Stróżyńska Symfonia w XVIII-wiecznej Polsce. Teoria, repertuar i cechy stylistyczne, Łódź 2015; M. Jochymczyk Repertuar kapeli oo. Dominikanów w Gidlach w świetle aktualnych badań, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem źródeł osiemnastowiecznych, in: Życie muzyczne w klasztorach dominikańskich w dawnej Rzeczpospolitej, ed. A. Patalas, Kraków 2016; M. Jochymczyk Repertuar świeckiej kapeli wokalno-instrumentalnej, in: Monografia zespołu muzycznego oraz katalog muzykaliów klasztoru ss. benedyktynek w Staniątkach, ed. M. Konik, Kraków 2016.