Biblical Inspirations in the Works of Krzysztof Penderecki: At the Crossroads of Theology and Music

Abstract

By taking up Biblical themes in his oeuvre, Krzysztof Penderecki ef­fectuated the idea of returning art to its Christian roots. Analyses of selected fragments of his outstanding works (Seven Gates of Jerusalem and Passion According to St. Luke) show that the composer performed a peculiar, apt and suggestive “translation” of Biblical content into mu­sical language, using contemporary compositional techniques as well as alluding at times to the tradition of J.S. Bach.
 In the above compositions, Penderecki utilized the sound of the instruments, assigning them symbolic meaning and even experiment­ing with their construction (tubaphone). He also introduced a spatial­ly-distributed orchestra, assigning the human voice its original, pure­ly declamatory function, without limitations of rhythm or meter. The composer thus took steps to theatricalize the musical work, in order to enable a deeper reception of the Biblical content by the audience.