Hejnal mariacki
Encyclopedia
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
tune closely tied to the history and traditions of the city of Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. It is played by a trumpeter four times consecutively each hour from the highest tower of St. Mary's Church (in Polish, Kościół mariacki) in Krakow.
Origins
The real origin and author of the Heynal tune are unknown. The earliest written mention of it is in civic pay records from 1392. The word hejnał comes from hajnal, the HungarianHungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
word for dawn
Dawn
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon...
. These two facts fit well with an origin under King Louis I "the Hungarian" (reigned in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
1370 – 1382) or his daughter Jadwiga
Jadwiga of Poland
Jadwiga was monarch of Poland from 1384 to her death. Her official title was 'king' rather than 'queen', reflecting that she was a sovereign in her own right and not merely a royal consort. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou, the daughter of King Louis I of Hungary and Elizabeth of...
, who was known as Jadwiga King of Poland (reigned 1384 – 1399). Bugle calls were used in many European cities to signal the opening and closing of city gates at dawn and dusk, respectively. The four directions in which the bugle call is currently made correspond roughly to the four main gates of Krakow before they were torn down in the 19th century. 16th century sources mention other buglers on other towers, and it is possible that the “interrupted” tune was originally meant to allow a second trumpeter on a gate to signal the completion of the task of opening or closing. Bugle calls from the Mariacki tower were also used to warn of fires and other dangers in historical times.
Legendary origins
According to a popular 20th century legend, during one of the Mongol invasion of PolandMongol invasion of Poland
The Mongol Invasion of Poland from late 1240 to 1241 culminated in the battle of Legnica, where the Mongols defeated an alliance which included forces from fragmented Poland and members of various Christian military orders, led by Henry II the Pious, the Duke of Silesia. The first invasion's...
(usually the invasion of 1241), Tatar warriors approached the city. A guard on the Mariacki church tower sounded the alarm by playing the Heynal, and the city gates were closed before the Tatars could take the city by surprise. The bugler, however, was shot in the throat and did not complete the tune. According to the legend, that is why it now ends abruptly before completion.
The earliest written version of this legend is from the prologue to American Eric P. Kelly
Eric P. Kelly
Eric Philbrook Kelly was an American journalist, academic and author of books for young readers, whose book, The Trumpeter of Krakow, won the Newbery Medal for children's literature in 1929...
’s 1928 children’s book The Trumpeter of Krakow
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....
. Kelly, who was teaching at the Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
on a scholar exchange 1925 – 1926, admitted that he did not speak Polish very well at the time that the story was composed, and relied on French-speaking friends to translate. Part of the current legend may come from a recent historical incident in which a trumpeter died of natural causes while on duty at midnight on July 7, 1901. A 1926 tourist guide rather vaguely claims that the death of a trumpeter is the reason for the sudden end of the tune, but doesn’t mention any Tartars or arrows. Another possible piece of the puzzle is Ludwik Anczyc’s 1861 version of the Lajkonik
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...
legend which describes a Mariacki guard spying the approaching Tartars and raising the alarm, but it does not mention any arrows or the death of the guard. It is possible that Kelly was simply the first to write down the full version of an existing Krakow legend that had escaped the many collectors of Krakow legends. 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 Krakow omits the story.
Whatever the origin of Kelly’s story, it proved to be popular in Krakow. The first written version of the full Tartar-arrow-and-bugler Heynal legend in Polish is from a 1935 tourist guide. 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 in to the Lajkonik legend. After the Second World War, 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 honor of the king (southwards towards Wawel Castle
Wawel Castle
The Gothic Wawel Castle in Kraków in Poland was built at the behest of Casimir III the Great and consists of a number of structures situated around the central courtyard. In the 14th century it was rebuilt by Jogaila and Jadwiga of Poland. Their reign saw the addition of the tower called the Hen's...
), the mayor/bishop (towards the City Hall/Bishop's Place on Kanonicza Street), the citizens (towards Main Market Square
Main Market Square, Kraków
The Main Market Square in Kraków is the most important market square of the Old Town in Kraków, Poland and a principal urban space located at the center of the city...
), and the peasants/guests (towards the fields outside Krakow/the Barbican of Krakow
Barbican of Kraków
The Kraków barbican is a barbican – a fortified outpost once connected to the city walls. It is a historic gateway leading into the Old Town of Kraków, Poland. The barbican is one of the few remaining relics of the complex network of fortifications and defensive barriers that once encircled the...
).
Later usage
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and has been used as a symbol of the Polish nation as a whole. For instance, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, on May 18, 1944, a bugler from the 2nd Polish Corps played the tune to announce the Polish victory in the Battle of Monte Cassino
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
.
On June 11, 2000, the melody was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records, after it was played by almost 2,000 trumpeters from all over the world. Among them were military orchestras from Poland, the UK, Belgium and Spain, as well as civilians. The youngest of the buglers was barely eight years old and the oldest 79.
On April 3, 2005, at midday, on the day following the death of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, the Hejnał Mariacki was, for the first time in its history, replaced with the mourning song "Lzy Matki" (English: "The Tears of the Mother"). On April 11, 2010, at two minutes after noon, Lzy Matki replaced the Heynal for a second time, due to the death of Lech Kaczyński
Lech Kaczynski
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
.
Originally played by the town guard, since the 19th century the Heynal has been performed by active members of the fire brigade, who use the church tower as a lookout post. Currently there are at least four different buglers serving in rotation at the tower.
The longest serving trumpeter was Adolf Śmietana who played the Heynal for 36 years, starting in 1926. The Kołton family has played the Heynal for three generations. In October 2004, Jan Kołton retired after 33 years of service at the tower. His father had been a Heynal bugler for 35 years previously, and the tradition is currently continued by his son.