St. Mary's Trumpet Call (
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
: ''Hejnał mariacki'';
Polish pronunciation: , derived from the
Hungarian expression ''Szűz Mária hajnala'' meaning "
Saint Mary's dawn") is a traditional, five-note
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
bugle call closely bound to the history and traditions of
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
. It is played every hour on the hour, four times in succession in each of the four cardinal directions, by a
trumpeter
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...
on the highest tower of the city's
Saint Mary's Basilica. The noon performance is broadcast via radio to all of Poland and the world.
History
Origins
The real origin and author of the ''hejnał'' are unknown. The earliest written mention of it appears in civic pay records of 1392. The word ''hejnał'' comes from ''hajnal'', the
Hungarian word for "
dawn
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's hori ...
". These two facts fit well with a putative origin under King
Louis I Louis I may refer to:
* Louis the Pious, Louis I of France, "the Pious" (778–840), king of France and Holy Roman Emperor
* Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia (ruled 1123–1140)
* Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158)
* Louis I of Blois ...
"the Hungarian" (r. in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
1370–82) or his daughter
Jadwiga, Queen of Poland (r. 1384–99). Trumpet calls were used in many European cities to signal the opening and closing of
city gates at dawn and dusk. The four directions in which the St. Mary's Trumpet Call is currently sounded correspond roughly to the four main Kraków gates before 3 out of 4 of the gates were demolished in the 19th century. 16th-century sources mention other trumpeters on other towers, and it is possible that the “interrupted” anthem was originally meant to allow a second trumpeter at a gate to signal the completion of the opening or closing of the gate. In historic times, trumpet calls on the St. Mary's Church tower were also used to warn of fires and other dangers.
Legends
According to a popular 20th-century legend, during a
Mongol invasion of Poland (the invasion usually cited is that of 1241),
Mongol
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
troops led by General
Subutai approached
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
. A sentry on a tower of St Mary's Church sounded the alarm by playing the ''Hejnał'', and the city gates were closed before the Tatars could ambush the city. The trumpeter, however, was shot in the throat by an arrow and did not complete the anthem, and this is the legendary reason as to why performances end abruptly before completion.
The earliest written version of this legend is from the prologue to
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
Eric P. Kelly’s 1928 children's book ''
The Trumpeter of Krakow
''The Trumpeter of Krakow'', a young adult historical novel by Eric P. Kelly, won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1929.
Centered on the historical fire that burned much of Kraków in 1462, ''The Trumpeter o ...
''. Kelly, who was teaching at the
Jagiellonian University on a scholar exchange in 1925-26, admitted that he did not speak the Polish language very well when he wrote the story, and had relied on
French-speaking friends to translate. Part of the current legend may come from a more recent historic incident when a trumpeter died of natural causes while on duty at midnight on 7 July 1901. A 1926 tourist guide vaguely states that the death of a trumpeter was the reason for the premature ending of the anthem, but does not mention the Tartar siege or arrows.
Another possible reason is Ludwik Anczyc's 1861 version of the ''
Lajkonik
The Lajkonik is one of the unofficial symbols of the city of Kraków, Poland. It is represented as a bearded man resembling a Tatar in a characteristic pointed hat, dressed in Mongol attire, with a wooden horse around his waist (hobby horse). It ...
'' legend, which describes the sentry and the invading Tatars without mentioning arrows or the sentry's death. It is possible that Kelly was simply the first to write down the full version of an existing Cracovian legend that had escaped earlier collectors. It is also possible that he was the victim of a hoax or accidentally conflated two different stories. It is certainly remarkable that Professor
Karol Estreicher, Jr.’s thorough 1931 guide to Kraków does not include the story.
Whatever the origins of Kelly's story, it proved popular in Kraków. The first written version of the full Tartars and arrows version in Polish is from a 1935
tourist guide
A tour guide (U.S.) or a tourist guide (European) is a person who provides assistance, information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage to people on organized sightseeing and individual clients at educational establishments, religio ...
. The second appears in a fiction sequel by Ksawery Pruszyński (who was a student at the Jagiellonian University while Kelly was teaching and was later Estreicher's assistant) entitled ''The Trumpeter of Samarkand'' which also ties into the Lajkonik legend. After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, Kelly's role in the legend was largely forgotten and the legend began to be passed down in true folk fashion.
Another recent tradition has it that the four directions in which the tune is played are in honour of the
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
(southwards towards
Wawel Castle
The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...
); the Mayor or
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
towards City Hall or Bishop's Palace on Kanonicza Street, the citizens towards
Main Market Square, and the peasants and visitors (towards the fields outside Kraków and the
Barbican of Krakow
A barbican (from fro, barbacane) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes.
Europe
In the Middle ...
). At the end of each tune the trumpeter waves at the people in the square who are expected to wave back.
Later usage
The ''Hejnał'' was traditionally played twice a day, usually at dawn and dusk; noon was added later. Today, the trumpeter plays hourly, though sleepy trumpeters are sometimes reported to have missed one of the early morning hours. Since 1927 the ''Hejnał'' has been broadcast live on
Polskie Radio
Polskie Radio Spółka Akcyjna (PR S.A.; English: Polish Radio) is Poland's national public-service radio broadcasting organization owned by the State Treasury of Poland.
History
Polskie Radio was founded on 18 August 1925 and began making ...
(the Polish national radio station) from St Mary's Church daily at noon.
The Kraków ''Hejnał'' is well known throughout Poland and has been used as a national symbol. During the Second World War, a bugler from the
2nd Polish Corps
The Polish II Corps ( pl, Drugi Korpus Wojska Polskiego), 1943–1947, was a major tactical and operational unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant General Władysław Anders and fought wit ...
played the tune to announce the Polish victory in the
Battle of Monte Cassino on 18 May 1944.
Historical records show that the practise of playing the ''Hejnał'' has been cancelled and then later reinstated several times, with a particularly long gap before it was reinstated in 1810. The ''Hejnał Mariacki'' was replaced twice by the mourning song ''Łzy Matki'' (English: "The Tears of the Mother"). The first time was at noon on 3 April 2005, due to the death of
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
the previous day, and the second at two minutes after noon on 11 April 2010 following the
deaths
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Lech Kaczyński
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010. Before his tenure as president, he pre ...
and his consort,
Maria Kaczyńska.
Players
Originally played by the town guard, since the 19th century the ''Hejnał'' has been performed by active members of the fire brigade, who also use the church tower as a lookout post. There are at least four different buglers serving in shifts at the tower.
The longest-serving trumpeter was Adolf Śmietana, who played the ''Hejnał'' for 36 years beginning in 1926. The Kołton family has played the ''Hejnał'' for three consecutive generations. In October 2004, Jan Kołton retired after 33 years of service at the tower. His father had been a ''Hejnał'' bugler for 35 years previously, while his son is one of the four current buglers.
On 11 June 2000 the melody was listed in the ''
Guinness Book of Records'' after it was played by almost 2,000 trumpeters from all over the world. They included military orchestras from Poland, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, as well as civilians. The youngest bugler was eight years old; the oldest was 79.
See also
*
St. Mary's Church, Kraków
*
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
*
Culture of Kraków
Kraków is considered by many to be the cultural capital of Poland. It was named the European Capital of Culture by the European Union for the year 2000. The city has some of the best museums in the country and several famous theaters. It became ...
*
Tower music
References
*Burek, Ryszard (ed.) “Hejnał mariacki” in Encyklopedia Krakowa. Warsaw-Krakow: Wydanictwo Naukowe PWN, 2000.
*Dobrzycki, Jerzy. Hejnał Krakowski. Krakow: PWN, 1983.
*Kelly, Eric P. “Papers, 1928-1964,” archive in the collection of Dartmouth Library
*Kelly, Eric P. The Trumpeter of Krakow, New York: The Macmillan Company, 1928.
*Zinków, Julian. Krakowskie i jurajskie podania, legendy, zwyczaje. Krakow: Wydawnictwo PLATAN, 1994.
External links
Video of performance
Hejnal Mariacki - The Krakow Bugle Call(includes musical notation)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Trumpet Call
Bugle calls
Culture in Kraków
Polish legends
National symbols of Poland