Górecki: Church Songs
These simple, short hymn-like pieces are based on melodies from Rev. Jan Siedlecki’s Spiewniki Koscielne (‘church songbooks’). The songs were composed in 1986 but left incomplete: the manuscript of the twenty-first and final song was torn. This publication is based on the PWM edition of 2013, which was produced with the assistance of the composer’s children, Anna and Mikolaj Górecki, and incorporates alternative Latin words by Edward Tambling.
The Latin versions in this edition mean a wide range of choirs can sing them without having to negotiate the challenge of Polish language.
This new edition groups the songs into three publications according to liturgical usage: 1. The Blessed Virgin Mary; 2. Holy Week & Easter; 3. Saints, the Blessed Sacrament & the Trinity. The songs may be performed in any order or combination.