Musica in monasteriis femineis in polonia minore, Vol. 1: Staniątki

Featuring

Bartosz Sałdan
Susi Ferfoglia
Filip Presseisen
Stefania Polkowska
Flores Rosarum
Miscellaneous

Anonymous (Gregorian Chant)

Did you know?

1/7

Interpretation

Many of the melodies on this album can no longer be heard in liturgical practice due to changes introduced after the Council of Trent and the Second Vatican Council.

Composer's Artistic Vision

For the Benedictine nuns, music is not a leisure activity but an inseparable part of their daily prayers and a means of expressing their encounter with God.

Historical Context

The Staniątki Benedictine Abbey, founded between 1228 and 1238, has witnessed many turbulent events over its nearly eight-century history, including the Swedish Deluge and both World Wars.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded at the Benedictine Nuns Monastery in Staniątki, Poland, between June 29th and July 1st, 2015.

Performer Biography

The female vocal ensemble Flores Rosarum was founded in 2006 by Sister Susi Ferfoglia, a lecturer at the Institute of Church Music in Kraków, out of admiration for the work of medieval mystic Hildegard of Bingen.

Compositional Technique

The antiphonary used for this recording was originally one large, heavy book, but in 1800, Abbess Apolonia Wizanna Szmidowiczówna ordered it divided into four parts for easier handling by the nuns.

Composition History

The oldest surviving liturgical book of the Staniątki Convent, from which the music on this album is taken, dates from the 16th century because a fire in 1518 destroyed all earlier manuscripts.