Reconstruction Process and Performance of Four Unfinished Sonatas by Marcin Józef Żebrowski

Based on current scholarship on eighteenth-century Polish music, the compositions of Marcin Józef Żebrowski (1720–1792) contain some of the most technically demanding and stylistically significant trumpet parts in the region. His legacy is particularly notable in the field of instrumental music, representing one of the few surviving examples from that period. Of special interest are the ‘Pro processione’-pieces, of which seventeen works are known. Most of these have been transcribed and performed.

     However, several sources remain unperformable, primarily due to incomplete or missing parts. Notable examples include four ‘Pro processione’-pieces preserved in the manuscripts bearing the signature numbers PL-CZ I-167, PL-CZ III-750, and PL-CZ III-751.

     The aim of this project is to reconstruct the missing parts based on the extant voices, while closely adhering to Żebrowski’s compositional style as evidenced in his other works. During the presentation, I will outline my reconstruction process and discuss the sources and stylistic considerations that guided my work. The presentation will culminate in the short performance of these pieces.

Karol Onderko is a natural trumpet player specializing in historically informed performance. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, graduating in 2021, and since the same year has continued his studies at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel with Prof. Jean-François Madeuf. He is among the few performers who play the natural trumpet without finger holes, focusing on historical techniques of the instrument.

     As a freelance musician he has performed under conductors such as Masaaki Suzuki and Paul McCreesh. Alongside his performing career, his research interests focus on Polish eighteenth-century music and its relationship to the natural trumpet tradition.