Wacław z Szamotuł

Wacław z Szamotuł was a Polish Renaissance composer and poet, born around 1524 in Szamotuły, near Poznań. His significance lies in his command of the techniques of late Franco-Flemish polyphony, which is regarded as a high point in the development of Polish a cappella music.

He was first educated at the Lubranski College in Poznań and, in 1538, entered the University of Kraków. Between 1545 and 1547 he served as secretary to Hieronim Chodkiewicz, governor of Trakai in Lithuania, a period during which he published several Latin panegyrics dedicated to events in the royal family. On 6 May 1547 he was appointed composer at the court of King Sigismund II Augustus, with the duty of providing sacred music for the choir of the royal chapel.

Around 1550 he became associated with the Polish Protestant movement, and seven of his pieces in Polish for four voices, intended for Reformed worship, survive. From 1555 until his death he worked at the Calvinist court of the powerful Lithuanian noble Mikołaj Radziwiłł, maintaining only a tenuous connection with the royal court during that time. Much of his output has been lost. He also wrote simple pieces in a popular style, composed note against note, but his most valuable contribution lies in sacred polyphony, where he excels in his mastery of late Flemish techniques.

His death is probably to be dated to 1560, in Pińczów near Kielce, although neither the place nor the date is known with certainty. Today he is remembered as one of the most representative figures of the Polish musical Renaissance.