Klasztor cysterski w Oliwie jako nośnik kultury muzycznej na Pomorzu

Abstract

On the eve of the second millennium monastic orders were the carriers of musical culture. One of them was the Cistercian Order, whose rule gave a special importance to music and singing. The centre cultivating musical tradition of the White Monks in Pomerania was Oliva and the peak development of music in Oliva was under the administration of Abbot Jacek Rybiński (1740-1820). At this time the great organ was built there and a vocal and instrumental group, praised for a very high standard by music critics from nearby Gdańsk, was established. This was also the time of artistic work of Father Urban Muller, a great composer whose vocal and instrumental pieces clearly belonged to early classicism and combined the baroque traditions with the latest musical developments, proving his considerable accomplishment. All these facts reflect a great solemnity with which the Abbey of Oliva approached all the issues connected with the musical culture of this place.