The leading academic conference on medieval and Renaissance music was held in Warsaw – at the UW – for the first time. It was attended by 300 musicologists from 26 countries across Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America.
The conference showcased the latest research findings in the field of medieval and Renaissance musicology. Participants took part in presentations, panel discussions and lectures. The event was organised by the University of Warsaw in collaboration with the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Fryderyk Chopin Institute.
“Our University is becoming a global centre for the history of music. We are delighted to welcome so many experts, academics and students from all over the world,” said Prof. Adam Niewiadomski, the UW Vice-Rector for Doctoral and Legal Affairs, as he opened the conference. “The University of Warsaw has a long tradition of supporting the arts and the humanities. Medieval and Renaissance music is an important part of our cultural heritage,” he added.
The conference was accompanied by concerts. In the auditorium of the Old Library on the UW’s Main Campus, selected pieces from the Tabulatura of John of Lublin – one of the largest collections of Renaissance keyboard music in Europe – were performed. At the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession of the Holy Trinity on Małachowski Square, a concert entitled „Krasne Barszo. Muzyka późnośredniowiecznego Krakowa” (ENG: “Krasne Barszo. Music of Late Medieval Kraków”) took place, featuring compositions by Mikołaj Radomski. At St Jack’s Church in the New Town, conference guests attended the concert “„Muzyka XVI wieku z polskich źródeł”” (ENG: “16th-century music from Polish sources”). The programme was based on five Mass cycles and included Wacław of Szamotuły’s In te domine speravi.
The organisers also arranged exhibitions – for example, at the University of Warsaw Library (BUW), visitors could view musical artefacts from BUW’s collection, whilst at the Krasiński Palace, the National Library’s collections relating to the musical heritage of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance were on display, including the famous 15th-century Krasiński Codex.
