Musical items from the former school library of the Congregation of St. Ursula in Wroclaw. Dissemination of the resource

Project realized by Wroclaw University Library from 2.12.2024 to 1.03.2026

The project is co-financed from the state budget, allocated by the Minister of Science under the Social Responsibility of Science II Program.

Task value: 38,033.00 PLN

The project financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Social Responsibility of Science program) included cataloguing musical works from the former library of the Congregation of the Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union in Wroclaw.

The Ursulines, associated with evangelization and educational work from the beginning of their presence in the city, established a girls' school after settling in the Silesian capital, educating girls from various backgrounds and denominations. Their extensive educational activities allowed the congregation to avoid dissolution following the introduction of the royal decree of secularization in 1810. Despite later difficulties and restrictions imposed by the authorities, the Ursulines continued to develop their educational mission.

The school offered not only general education, but also practical training, language education, and intensive music education. The scale of this latter activity is evident by the extensive collection of sheet music donated to the University Library, often containing numerous notations for practical use. Students participated in the school choir, co-created the musical setting of the liturgy, and engaged in the school's musical life, as evidenced by numerous handwritten collections of songs. The importance of music in the educational process is also confirmed by the school's music studio.

As part of the project, 250 printed musical scores and 100 musical manuscripts were electronically cataloged and made available in international library databases. The printed works were cataloged in the MARC21 format, in accordance with applicable standards, enriching the records with a full set of descriptors and item descriptions. The created records were entered into the catalog of the Wroclaw University Library and the Combined Catalogs of the National Library. Descriptions of the manuscripts were made available in the international database of musical sources RISM (Répertoire International des Sources Musicales).

Among processeed manuscripts are works by composers such as Joseph Stein, Peter Piel, Ignatz Troumihler, Peter Griesbacher, Franz Schubert, Ludwig van Beethoven, Kaspar Aiblinger, and Adam Krieger. Polish accents are represented by Polish-language Christmas carols and hymns, including the particularly valuable hymn „Boga Rodzico Dziewico” with lyrics by Juliusz Słowacki. The collection is complemented by two hymns in honor of St. Ursula: the Polish Ursuline March and the German hymn "St. Ursula," inscribed in meticulous handwriting on a card decorated with a depiction of monastery buildings.

The collection of printed works is similarly diverse. In addition to local publications, it includes publications with a pan-European reach. Religious repertoire predominates, but secular works are also present, including piano, flute, lute, and guitar instruction manuals.

The collection includes materials created from the mid-19th century to the 1940s. As in previous editions of the project, in many objects have been preserved characteristic provenance marks: bookplates, old signatures and ownership annotations of the sisters.

The realization of the project and its media dissemination contributed to expanding knowledge about the history of youth music education in Wroclaw and became an impulse to undertake new researchs in this area. By providing open access to descriptions in computer catalogs and international databases, the entirety of cataloged collection has become a valuable and easily accessible source of knowledge.

Text:
Mirosław Osowski, WUL's Music Collection Department