SINGING MEETINGS • SONGS FOR THE DEAD

About the event

A new series of singing meetings revolves around one of Poland's most enduring ritual traditions - 'puste noce' (empty nights). Empty nights are communal singing gatherings held by the coffin before burial, during which the community bids farewell to the deceased. Until yesterday, they were practiced throughout Poland; today, they can be found relic-like in certain regions, such as Kurpie or Radomskie. The songs performed during this ritual in the rural singing canon are usually called songs for the dead. This year's series will last until the end of November, the month of remembrance for those who have passed away. As last year, we will focus on variants from western Radomszczyzna and Roztocze. This is a repertoire of extraordinary beauty, consisting of 17th and 18th-century lyrics and music, transformed by peasants into thousands of unique melodic variants. - In Polish tradition, funeral repertoire partially overlaps with the Lenten canon, particularly its vanitative branch. Therefore, some songs you may have sung as Lenten hymns will also be sung in October and November. - The meetings are open to everyone - we invite all who feel the need for communal singing, regardless of their level of musical competence. We encourage you to join us for shared spiritual contemplation of autumn and the All Souls' period. 📖 Texts will be provided on-site via the internet, but we encourage you to use the Pelplin Songbook, which will be our primary source of repertoire. 💰 The cost of participation in a single meeting is 50 PLN, while the cost of attending the entire series (8 meetings) is 260 PLN. 📝 Registration via the form: https://forms.gle/XDcbPAkqAFm3oEp99 The initiators and organizers of the series are Witek Wojciechowski and Antek Hasso-Agopsowicz. The Embassy of Traditional Music is sustained solely by donors' contributions and volunteers' work. Help the Embassy continue its activities – support it too. House No. 3/20 at Jazdów Street is used for cultural and social purposes by the 'Dom Tańca' Association with the support of the City of Warsaw – Śródmieście District.