Kapela Brodów / Poland

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In a new lineup but as fascinating as ever: the stalwarts of Polish folk are reaching for Jewish inspirations preserved in Polish traditions.

Kapela Brodów was founded in 1992. Since its inception it has been led by Witold Broda, an artist with ties to another legend of interpretation of traditional Polish music: the Bractwo Ubogich ensemble. The group’s repertoire includes secular and religious songs from the regions of the First Polish Republic. The artists preserve original performance styles, and for religious music also its thematic context. However, proud of their individualism, they say, “We don’t really cite; we tell the same stories as were told centuries ago”.

In 2001, Kapela Brodów released its debut album “Pieśni i melodie na rozmaite święta”, hailed as the Folk Phonogram of Polish Radio 2. Their following albums were also very well received; they are “Kolędy i inne pieśni”, “Pieśni Maryjne”,“Tańce polskie”, and “Pieśni do Świętych Pańskich”. Their latest release, “Muzikaim”, is a moving search for Jewish motifs in traditional Polish music.

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Broda himself says that pieces comprising the album originate from rambles in rural villages, and rummaging through works by Oskar Kolberg, archives of the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences and pieces by known and unknown artists. He says, “Kolberg rarely noted Jewish melodies. There are maybe a dozen or so out of a total of thousand she recorded. I searched for these motifs, pieced together fragments. This is what Jewish music might have been like in rural pre-war Poland.

Members:
Witold Broda - violin
Iwona Sojka - violin
Marta Maślanka - dulcimer
Jacek Mielcarek - clarinet, saxophone, tarogato
Jakub Mielcarek - double bass
Antol Broda - basses

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The concert took place in 2015.