September 23rd 1652, still under the open sky, the Protestants from Świdnica sang chants. They sang: Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr and Nun lob mein Seel ‘den Herrn – words that begin the story of the music identified with the Church of Peace in Swidnica. The church was built a few years later, but in 1652 the foundations were already in place.
Both these songs are fundamental hymns of the Church of Peace – says Stephan Aderhold,PhD, a musicologist from Berlin, who has just completed three years of study resulting in a 900-page book that chronologically documents the history of music in our church from 1652 to 2015.
Mr Aderhold made an index of the local works of music and archives, as well as described the cantatas, songs and other compositions (particularly important are these indicated in the musical notation). Moreover, he reconstructed a sequence of all the employed people in the Church of Peace associated with music. Since 1652, 18 cantors, 23 organists and 9 signatories (including 1 person who played a role of a “conductor” for the faithful) have worked at the Church of Peace. The musicologist has also uncovered a portrait of Christoph Wecker, a student of Jan Sebastian Bach, who worked in the Church of Peace as an organist between 1729-1774.
This work is merely a starting point of bigger discoveries – many details and issues are still awaiting explanation, says the musicologist.
The work, which was done with the support of the Culture and Media of the Federal Republic of Germany Supervisors and the Silesian Evangelical Church Foundation, will soon be available on www.kosciolpokoju.pl.
