Objects

Jewish musicians

Pacanowski, Bolesław (1901-1977)

There are numerous images of Jewish musicians in art and literature; let us recall, for example, this short description by Icchok Leib Peretz: "The community had a band: two violins, a flute, a clarinet, a drum and, as usual, a double bass. It was a poor band. It played at weddings and earned a little money on Hanukkah and Purim. Sometimes it happened that other bands were busy, so minor heirs engaged it for their balls. The band was not distinguished by its high level of playing" (I.L. Perec, Szma Israel or the Contrabass Player, in: https://wolnelektury.pl/katalog/lektura/perec-opowiadania-chasydzkie-i-ludowe.html, accessed 8.11.2021). In the same story Peretz also thrillingly described:

"Once upon a time there was a great wedding in Tomaszow. Such a wedding happens once every fifty years. The occasion was not a small one. A rabbi from Krakow married a son to a daughter of a parnassus from Lublin. In the middle of the road between Krakow and Lublin lies Tomaszów. A perfect town for this wedding. [...]

And there will be plenty of guests. From Lublin, Krakow and, of course, Tomaszów. They will be rich and noble Jews. Scribes, rabbis and judges.

And three bands will play: from Lublin, Krakow and Tomaszów. The latter is also good and necessarily wants to play at such a wonderful wedding. [...]

The Krakow fiddlers play so movingly that they seem to speak in words. The hearts of the listeners open up and the music pours into them. And three bands support these violins. And it seems that it is the river that flows, that it is the full-bodied Vistula itself that pours out of the banks. It sways to the rhythm and hums steadily in honour of the newlyweds and the Cracovian rabbi. And a bird flies over the Vistula. A wonderful bird that sings. Thankfully, sweetly and tearfully it sings.

And shouts of delight erupt. Joyful and solemn shouts. Such as a great joyful wedding deserves. And although great joy reigns in the shed, the shechinah must not be forgotten in the diaspora. [...]

And a festive mood prevails here. And the bands, as if carried away by this mood, suddenly began to play again. This time louder, higher. As if they were trying to climb a ladder, higher and higher up'.

The band immortalised by Pacanowski in metal is a group of traditionally dressed Jews in chałats and caps, with the wooden and ``crumbling`` houses of the town as their backdrop. This orchestra has even fewer instruments than the one described by Perec: there is no clarinet and only one violin supporting a double bass player, a drummer and a flutist. Metalwork, which Pacanowski expertly practiced, has a long tradition in the art and craft of Polish Jews (see A. Chrzanowska, Metaloplastyka żydowska w Polsce [Jewish Metalwork in Poland] , Warsaw 2005).

Renata Piątkowska

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Information about the object
Author / creator
Pacanowski, Bolesław (1901-1977)
Object type
sculpture
Time of creation / dating
20th century
Place of creation
Łódź (Łódzkie Province)
Technique
repoussage
Material
brass
Keywords
Copyrights status
contact the Museum
Owner
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Identification number
MPOLIN-M287
Localization
The object is not currently on display
The purchase of the object for the POLIN Museum Collection was made possible thanks to the support of theAssociation Of The Jewish Historical Institute Of Poland.