25 / 03 / 22

Drums and basses from Kalisz

“Master of Tradition – the sound of drums and basses from Kalisz” is the title of the project of the Folkloristic Group “Wielkopolanie” of the Provincial Public Library and Cultural Animation Center. In 2022 the project is financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
The idea of the project is to cultivate and popularize the disappearing traditions of Greater Poland in the field of building regional instruments. The traditions of making instruments and related materials, known in Wielkopolska since the 16th century, have started to vanish and today only two authentic instrumental makers working in this field remain in the Kalisz region. One of them is Krzysztof Rospondek, the Master of the Tradition of this project’s edition – a musician, folk violinist, harmonist, singer, instrument builder, co-creator and organizer of activities promoting and integrating the traditional culture of Wielkopolska, especially the Kalisz region.

During the project, which involves 140 hours of workshops, he will pass on his unique knowledge to people interested in folk art, in the field of acquisition, preparation and processing of raw materials and the construction of the following instruments: Kalisz bass along with a bow, a laced double-skin drum with drumsticks, a hoop drum with clinks and a triangle called “stalka”. An additional result of the course, next to the learnt knowledge about traditions of Greater Poland and skills of building instruments, will be the taught sense of responsibility for the acquired knowledge. Participants of the workshops, who are also folk musicians, committed to continuing the musical traditions of Greater Poland, want to deepen their understanding of the construction of these unique instruments.

Classes will be held in the private workshop of Krzysztof Rospondek, in the village of Kocina, where the Master has all resources needed, gathered over many years of cultivating the tradition of making folk instruments. The end result of the project will be the knowledge acquired by the participants from the Master in the field of the musical heritage of the region. Thanks to it, the tradition of ancestors will be maintained and the students will become heirs of this tradition. The passed knowledge and skills of the Master will become the basis for cultivating a dying profession, so closely related to music, dances and songs in Greater Poland.

PK

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