Abstract

The melodies of Polish religious songs are derived from Gregorian chant, lay folk music, p~ofessional music and the music of other nations. The practice of singing Polish texts (translated from Latin) to plainsong tunes, known already in the fourteenth century, became widespread in the subsequent centuries and is also familiar nowadays. For many centuries, religious songs displayed Gregorian motifs, church scales and plainsong rhythms. These conr1ections with plainsong call for thorough study taking note for instance of the composition techniques characteristic of the various periods . (e.g. the cento technique). It is also important that the monophonic religious song, regarded as belonging to „usus" rather than „ars", was not in faćt studied by rnusical theoty. Lay, usually folk tunes have been the second major source of borrowing and inspiration for the religious song. In this area an imprtant part was played by the tecpniques of parody (in polyphonic music} and .i!nitatton. The influence of lay music grew as plainsong receded. In the Baroque period pseudo-Gregorian melodies were made on both lay and religious motifs. The mutual influences had a varied nature and led to a 'var1iety of realizations, some 'of them marked, by dilettantism and lack of theoretical · reflection. The use of lay tunes in currently composed church ,songs is in poor taste and ought to be opposed. Instead, the. Polish .folk tradlbon of. religius song should be drawn upon.