Cyprian Bazylik (c. 1535 in Sieradz – c. 1600) was a Polish composer, usually designated as C.B. or C.S. (Cyprian of Sieradz). Besides writing music, he was also a writer, poet, and printer.
Biography
He was a townsman from Sieradz. In the semester of 1550/1551 he matriculated at the Krakow Academy. He had already leaned towards Calvinism. He created poetic and musical works. Thanks to the support of MikoÃ
Âaj RadziwiÃ
ÂÃ
 the Black, he received a position in the chancellery of Sigismund Augustus in Vilno. In 1557 he met Jacob Heraclides Basilicus and with his support was ennobled under his patron's coat of arms and name, as well as the title poeta laureatus. In 1558 he went to Lithuania, where he became a musician and rhyme-maker at the court of Mikolaj Radziwill the Black (along with WacÃ
Âaw of SzamotuÃ
Ây, who was already there). In 1569 he was secretary to Sieradz voivode Olbracht Ã
Âaski. He also soon married Agnes Lern, daughter of Stanislaw, a townsman from Krakow. He was a chanceller, printer and translator of Calvinist publications. In 1569-1570 he was the owner of the Radziwill printing house in Brest. He held the office of alderman in Mielnik and in the affiliated village of Orlovo. On November 25, 1576 he received from Stefan Batory the use of 7 fiefs (about 115 hectares) in the royal village of Moszczona and a lifetime security of aldermanship. On February 20, 1591, for unknown reasons, he relinquished the right to these estates to StanisÃ
Âaw Kuczkowski.
Musical works
A dozen Polish songs and psalms for choir have been preserved a cappella. Unless otherwise noted, all songs are to be sung by 4 singers.
Songs â From the ZamoÃ
ÂÃÂ hymnal,
- PieÃ
ÂÃ
 o niebezpieczeÃ
Âstwie Ã
¼ywota czÃ
Âowieczego (lyrics by Jakuba Lubelczyka);
- DobrotliwoÃ
ÂÃÂ PaÃ
Âska (lyrics by Jakuba Lubelczyka);
- PieÃ
ÂÃ
 nowa krzeÃ
ÂcijaÃ
Âska (lyrics by Jakub Lubelczyk);
- PieÃ
ÂÃ
 nowa, w której jest dziÃÂkowanie (lyrics are possibly by Zofia OleÃ
Ânicka);
- NaboÃ
¼na piosnka (lyrics by Andrzeja Trzecieskiego);
- Oratio Dominica (Our father, translated by Andrzeja Trzecieskiego);
- Piosnka bardzo piÃÂkna o Narodzeniu PaÃ
Âskim (mainly for 3 singers).
â From other sources:
- PieÃ
ÂÃ
 z Ewanjelijej wyjÃÂta (lyrics by Jakuba Lubelczyka).
Psalms (all 4-voice and first published by Ã
Âazarz Andrysowicz in a now-lost print, later published again by Mateusz Siebeneicher, also preserved in the ZamoÃ
ÂÃÂ hymnal):
- 36 (translated by Jakuba Lubelczyka);
- 70 (translated by S.K. [possibly Sebastian Klonowic]);
- 79 (translated by Jakuba Lubelczyka);
- 127 (128) (translated by Jakuba Lubelczyka);
- 129 (130).
In addition, Bazylik is also the author of the one-voice hymns preserved in the Brzesko cantionary.
Cyprian Bazylika's songs have been recorded by Polish early music ensembles:
- Bornus Consort, conducted by Marcin Bornus-SzczyciÃ
Âski. A capella version, 10 songs.
- Ars Nova wraz z Subtilior Ensemble, chorus by Cantilena Sieradz, conducted by , vocal-instrumental version, 4 premieres, 15 songs.
- Ensemble JERYCHO, conducted by Bartosz Izbicki â "Cyprian Bazylik. Opera Omnia".
Literary works
He was a composer closely associated with the Reformation, his hymns are a wonderful example of Polish-language Reformation religious writing of the 16th century. He left behind numerous occasional poems. He also translated four of the five books of Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski's Latin work De Republica emendanda (De moribus, De legibus, De bello, De schola) into Polish and published them under the Polish title O poprawie Rzeczypospolitej: O obyczajach, O statucie, O wojnie, O szkole; (he did not translate De Ecclesia â On the Church). As a writer, he distinguished himself with an excellent command of the Polish language.
Important works
- Krótkie wypisanie sprawy przy Ã
Âmierci i pogrzebie OÃ
Âwieconej KsiÃÂÃ
¼nej Pani HalÃ
¼biety z SzydÃ
Âowca RadziwiÃ
ÂÃ
Âowej, wojewodziny wileÃ
Âskiej, Brest 1562, printing house of S. Murmelius
- Cyprian Bazylik do tegoÃ
¼ (also known as OdmieÃ
Âca), poem in: Proteus albo Odmieniec, Brest 1564
- Wiersz na czeÃ
ÂÃÂ RadziwiÃ
ÂÃ
Âów, located in: T. Falconius, Sprawy i sÃ
Âowa Jezusa Krystusa, Brest 1566
- Wiersz do ksiÃÂcia M. RadziwiÃ
ÂÃ
Âa, located in: T. Falconius, Wtore ksiÃÂgi Ã
Âukasza Ã
ÂwiÃÂtego, Brest 1566
- Napis na grobie zacnego szlachcica PawÃ
Âa Secygniowskiego, Brest Litovski 1570
- O zacnoÃ
Âci herbu Warnia, a o wielkiej dzielnoÃ
Âci ludzi rycerskich w domu panów GnoiÃ
Âskich... historia, Kraków 1600
Major translations
- Historia o srogim przeÃ
Âladowaniu KoÃ
ÂcioÃ
Âa BoÃ
¼ego... Przydatna jest k temu historia o postanowieniu i potem rozproszeniu koÃ
ÂcioÃ
Âów cudzoziemskich w Londynie, nad którymi byÃ
 prawdziwym a krzeÃ
ÂciaÃ
Âskim biskupem on Ã
ÂwiÃÂtej pamiÃÂci mÃÂ
Ã
¼ Jan Ã
Âaski, BrzeÃ
ÂÃÂ 1567 (a reworking of John Crespin's work Actiones et monimenta martyrum, French edition 1554)
- M. Barleti Historia o Ã
¼ywocie i zacnych sprawach Jerzego Kastryota, którego pospolicie Szkanderbegiem zowÃÂ
, Brest 1569, printing house of C. Bazylik
- Nicolaus Olahus Historia spraw Atyle, króla wÃÂgierskiego, z Ã
ÂaciÃ
Âskiego jÃÂzyka na polski przeÃ
ÂoÃ
¼ona, Kraków 1574, printing house of M. WirzbiÃÂta
- A. Frycz Modrzewski O poprawie Rzeczypospolitej ksiÃÂgi czwore, 1577, printing house of J. Karcan
Lists and materials
- List do Albrechta Pruskiego (Vilnius, 29 November 1560)
- Litterae nobilitationis Cypriani Siradiensis per Heraclidem Jacobum Basilicum, Sami princepem, marchionem Pari, datae ac per Sigismundum Augustum confirmatae (1 September 1557)
- Cypriano Basilico septem lanei in villa Msczona ad vitam dantur (ToruÃ
Â, 25 November 1576)
- Conservatio ad vitae extrema tempora in advocatia Mielnicensi Cypriani Bazyliczi (Warsaw, 1 November 1582)
- Cessio advocatiae Mielnicensis et certi agri in villa Moszczana Stanislao Kuczkowski per Basilik (Warsaw, 20 February 1591)
Works of uncertain authorship
- Proteus abo Odmieniec, Brest 1564
- PostÃÂpek prawa czartowskiego, Brest 1570, printing house of C. Bazylik
- PieÃ
ÂÃ
 ze 31 kap. PrzypowieÃ
Âci Salomonowych o poboÃ
¼nej a cnotliwej niewieÃ
Âcie, NieÃ
ÂwieÃ
¼ 1564, printing house of Daniel z Ã
ÂÃÂczycy
- Commoda Henrici... (published in: J. Czubek Pisma polityczne z czasów pierwszego bezkrólewia, Kraków 1906)
Bibliography
- Bibliografia Literatury Polskiej â Nowy Korbut, vol. 2 â Old Polish Literature, State Publishing Institute PIW, Warsaw 1964, pp. 16âÂÂ17
- Ziomek, Jerzy (2012). Renesans. Wielka historia literatury polskiej (Wyd. 11 ed.). Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN. .
References
Further reading
- KonopczyÃ
Âski, WÃ
ÂadysÃ
Âaw, ed. (1989). Polski sÃ
Âownik biograficzny. T. 1: Abakanowicz Abdank Bruno - Beynart Wojciech. WrocÃ
Âaw [etc.]: ZakÃ
Âad Narodowy im. OssoliÃ
Âskich. .
External links