The early music group “Scholares Minores pro Musica Antiqua”, the choir “Szczygielki” (which means Goldfinches), the chamber string orchestra called “KOS” and many other musical groups formed later, are children’s music ensembles, established in 1975 in Poniatowa (near Lublin), Poland. and still directed by a married couple of musicologists, Witold and Danuta Danielewicz, which have already acquired a legendary reputation in Europe. Both are graduates of the Institute of Musicology at the Catholic University of Lublin. Danuta is a director of the “After School Activity Center” and Witold is a director of the “House of Music”.
Since that time the group has grown from an ensemble of 30 children to an organization of 350 members, aged 4 to 18. The repertoire of the “Scholares Minores” consists of music from medieval times to baroque and includes works by Polish and foreign composers. In addition they dance early dances to the playing of early instruments as: crumhorn, cornamuse, kortholt, viola da gamba, fi del, rebec, chrotta, psalter and many others. To complete the presentation they wear colorful costumes of the period during their performance.
Those “other groups” are – “Junior Band”, Quartet “Antiqua”, “O sole mio”, “Papa Chorda”, two Prep Choirs and some other temporarily formed groups according to present artistic possibilities. Some figures will illustrate best these unquestionable achievements. The music ensembles belonging to Witold and Danuta Danielewicz’s “artistic combine” in Poniatowa have since their formation, given over 2500 concerts in Poniatowa, the Lublin province, all over Poland and internationally during 99 foreign tours. They have appeared in almost all European countries, as well as in Australia, the USA, Canada and Japan. Careful calculations show that over the 33 years of activity all Poniatowa ensembles have together spent more than 4 years away from home. This includes tours abroad, concerts, festivals and competitions held out of Poniatowa, as well as excursions, workshops and training programmes which they have attended.
It has to be stated clearly without false modesty that in the history of children’s and youth musical ensembles it is the only example in Poland (perhaps also in Europe, even in the world) of a successful pedagogical experiment and a brilliant artistic success. This success can be measured by such achievements as concerts in the National Philharmonic – Warsaw, in the Music Academy in Warsaw, at the Wratislawia Cantans Festival (for professionals only) in Wrocław, in the World Choral Competition in Arnhem (Holland), at the Coral Festival in Llangollen (Great Britain), the Neerpelt Festival (Belgium), the 14th World Congress of the International Society for Music Education in Bristol (Great Britain), the Television World Music Festival for Children in Ankara (four times), Morgan Opera House in New York, Sydney Opera House, as well as some 100 recordings for Polish and foreign radio and TV stations.
The ensembles have recorded their own four audio cassettes, two video cassettes and three CD’s. Today the ensembles are proud to have their premises in Poniatowa – the Centre for Outside School Activities, where they practise daily, and the Music House at nearby Kraczewice.
