Conclusions


The musicalia of Diocesan Library of Sandomierz are certainly one of the most interesting preserved in Poland. Even by researching its little fragment, we can provide a lot of data regarding cloister’s performance practices. Undoubtedly, analyzing the entirety of the collection would lead to more findings regarding both musical practices of Sandomierz nuns and music received and composed in the region.

Several reasons, however, make BDS a collection of high importance for the Polish musicological landscape. Firstly, it is the only collection in Poland where we find literature particularly dedicated to tromba marina/ tuba marina. Secondly, some of the manuscripts are unica (the only surviving documents from certain cappellae of the region, proving their existence).

Another important characteristic in the profile of the collection is the appearance of local composers and folk music influences, which coexist with typical galant genres and compositions from the central-European cultural region. The Sandomierz collection appears to be a product of both local traditions and broader, Habsburg Empire cultural heritage.

From a musician’s point of view, Sandomierz musicalia are worth attention, due to a variety of genres, instrumentations and styles featured even only within chamber music. The use of tromba marina in compositions dating from the early 18th to the beginning of the 19th century sheds very interesting light on the general soundscape of cloister’s capella. Further research of tubamaryna use, based on BDS music material, could be useful in researching broader tromba marina tradition in female cloisters of Central Europe.