Biography
Jakub Gołąbek (born 1739 in Silesia , died March 30, 1789 in Krakow ) was a Polish composer and singer (tenor).
Lack of information about the place of Gołąbek's birth meant that he was attributed to him of Czech or Silesian origin; now it is assumed, after Wacław Sierakowski , that he came from Silesia. The first confirmation of his stay in Krakow is the marriage certificate with Marcjanna Celińska of November 4, 1766, kept in the parish archives of the Wawel Cathedral in Krakow. In 1773 he became a singing teacher at the Jesuit music dormitory in Krakow, headed by Józef Zygmuntowski.
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As a musician, he was first active in the band of St. Mary's Church , and from around 1774 until the end of his life in the cathedral band in Wawel, for which he sang and composed for. In the years 1781-1787 he was a singing teacher at the Wacław Sierakowski music school; took part in concerts organized by him, incl. in 1773 at the court of Bishop Kajetan Sołtyk , when a cantata composed by Gołąbek in honor of St. Stanisław.
Gołąbek's music played a significant role in shaping the Polish classical style. It is typical of early classicism, as it refers to the style of baroque music and Viennese classics in terms of the construction of the sonata form, the structure of the theme, treatment of the bass part (basso continuo) and the use of elements of the galant style in slow parts of works (for example in Parthia).
Gołąbek composed vocal music (for a rorantist band), vocal-instrumental music (for a cathedral band) and instrumental music. The latter is characterized by a non-schematic approach to composition, especially in the melodic layer of the piece. His symphonies and sacred works were widely known at that time and enjoyed recognition not only in the Krakow region.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.