THE BEGINNINGS OF POLISH HYMNOLOGY: EPHRAIM OLOFF AND HIS 'POLNISCHE LIEDERGESCHICHTE' (Poczatki polskiej hymnologii: Ephraim Oloff i jego 'Polnische Liedergeschichte')

The monumental 'Polnische Liedergeschichte' by Ephraim Oloff (1685-1735), an erudite from Torun and a Polish-German pastor of Dutch origin, provides the first synthesis of Polish church song and also one of the first syntheses of church songs generally. Modern hymnology owes to him the knowledge of many cantional prints from various faiths (Catholic, Lutheran, Arian, Calvinist), which are lost to us today and which were published in the territory of the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania at that time, as well as those from Silesia and the Duchy of Prussia. His treatment of the church song as a component of 'practical theology' precedes the development of hymnology as a theological discipline in its own right. Oloff's work also provides important evidence for the penetration of song repertory beyond the boundaries of faiths, providing the foundation for research into the links between Polish and German songs.