THE ORGANS OF THE LATIN CATHEDRAL IN LVIV AS WITNESSES TO THE MUSICAL HISTORY OF THE CITY FROM THE 15TH TO THE 21ST CENTURY

Abstract

The article is devoted to a comprehensive study of the history of the organs of the Latin Cathedral in Lviv as unique musical artefacts that, over several centuries, reflected the artistic, technological, and aesthetic transformations of leading European organ-building schools. Drawing on a wide range of sources–archival documents, historical chronicles, photographs, descriptive materials, and a comparative analysis of organ specifications—the study traces the evolution of the Cathedral’s organs from the first documented reference in 1402 to their present condition. Particular attention is paid to the role of organ music in the religious, cultural, and social life of Lviv from the fifteenth to the twenty-first century, as well as its influence on the formation of local musical traditions.The article outlines the cultural and artistic interactions that shaped the tonal concept of the Cathedral’s organs, with emphasis on the Austrian, Baltic, French, and German organ-building traditions. The research also analyses the role of Lviv as one of the key centres of East-Central European organ building in the nineteenth century, where a distinctive regional tradition emerged. The study focuses on the “Great Organ,” preserved to this day, created by three generations of Lviv masters: Roman Dukhensky (1839), Ignacy and Aleksander Żebrowski (1881–1888), and Jan Śliwiński (1899).The article examines the artistic, historical, and socio-cultural context in which the instrument underwent modifications, tracing the development of its tonal and structural concept from a “classical” model to a distinctively romantic sound while retaining a significant portion of the original 1839 material.A separate section is devoted to the contributions of the Cathedral’s leading music directors and organists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: Henryk Jarecki, Stefan Surzyński, Józef Nowakowski, and Bronisław Pacan. It is emphasized that their professional activity and the continuity of performance traditions have enabled the Latin Cathedral to maintain an uninterrupted musical practice spanning more than a century. The article highlights the unique artistic and historical value of the Cathedral’s organs as living witnesses to the musical history of Galicia and as an important component of East-Central European cultural heritage.