Organological Archive
Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music
ul. Zacisze 3
40-025 Katowice
Tel. (32) 779 21 00
J.Gembalski@am.katowice.pl
www.am.katowice.pl
Director: Prof. Julian Gembalski
Staff:
Stanisław Pielczyk PhD,
Anna Gembalska-Krym MA
The Organological Archives of the Museum of Silesian Organs in Katowice were established in 2015 as a research project of the Faculty of Organs and Church Music, financed under the National Programme for the Development of Humanities by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The aim of the archives is to amass and create an extensive database on Silesian organs and organ music in Silesia, which will be made available to scholars. The database is being created according to a reference key (collections of archival and contemporary documents; iconography in the form of photographs and drawings; project materials; musical scores; documentation of musical life; publications)
and is made available in digital form (after completing the digitization of the collection). Its aim is to help create bibliographical entries so that the collections can be accessed both in the Reading Room of the archives and online (via the Academy of Music’s electronic database). To date approx. 5,200 records have been processed, while the collections
themselves contain several thousand bibliographical entries. The long-term research work, which comprises identifying, recording, safeguarding and processing the materials on Silesian organs and Silesian organ music is on-going and will be continued in future years as part of the research work undertaken by the staff of the Faculty of Organs and Church Music. The aim of the project is to broaden people’s knowledge on Poland’s material and musical culture with regard to
organ music, organ construction, their history and the problems related to protecting and conserving the instruments.
The result of the research work is to create a bibliographical resource, as well as a catalogue of documents, which will be constantly expanded, and which relates to:
a) organs, including antique organs, in the form of archives and fonds, project materials, historical documents, correspondence, and writings. Approximately 500 sets of iconographic materials (some of which contain dozens of photographs) and individual photographs have been scanned successively and entered into an electronic database. The database contains more than 1,000 photographs including photographic documentation of instruments for which conservation work has been planned. The following are also catalogued: projects (files containing materials and documentation for projects), documents and sets of fonds obtained from private collections or copied under an
agreement between the university and parishes;
b) organ music and related church music, in the form of programmes, posters, press materials, biographies of performers and Silesian organists. Nearly 2,000 posters, programmes and booklets have been inventoried under this project. This section also includes documentation relating to the activities of departments within the university which teach how to play the organ, and which popularize organ music, church music and early music (Organ Teaching Group, Faculty of Organs, Faculty of Organs and Harpsichords, Faculty of Organs and Church Music), as well as documentation on the activities of departmental staff;
c) an open database on organ builders active in Upper Silesia in the 20th century, particularly in the Katowice agglomeration. This database is supplemented on an on-going basis and is intended to serve as the basis for future studies into organ building in Silesia. The database will be available on the archives website. Regulations are currently being drawn up regarding access to and use of the collections.
