Felsztyna (Felsztyn, Felstin, Felstinensis, Felsztynski), Sebastian z (von)

Felsztyna (Felsztyn, Felstin, Felstinensis, Felsztynski), Sebastian z (von) , noted Polish music theorist and composer; b. Felsztyn, Galicia, c. 1490; d. c. 1543. He studied at the Univ. of Krakow (1507–09), and also studied theology. He was made a priest in Felsztyn c. 1528, and he most likely served in that capacity in Przemysl. He then became parish priest in Sanok c. 1536. He wrote the first Polish treatise on mensural theory, Opusculum musice mensuralis (Krakow, 1517), and a compendium on Gregorian chant, Opusculum musice compilatum noviter (Krakow, 1517; 3rd ed., aug., 1534, as Opusculum musices noviter congestum). His manual for church singing, Directiones musicae ad cathedralis ecclesiae Premisliensis usum (Krakow, 1543), is not extant. He also publ. a vol. of hymns, Aliquot hymni ecclesiastici vario melodiarum genere editi (Krakow, 1522; not extant). His significance as a composer lies in the fact that he was the first Polish musician to employ consistent 4-part writing; 3 sacred motets are extant: Prosa ad Rorate tempore paschali virgini Mariae laudes in Surzynski’s Monumenta musices sacrae in Polonia, vol. II (1887), Alleluia ad Rorate cum prosa Ave Maria in Szweykoski’s Muzyka w dawnym Krakowie (Krakow, 1964), and Alleluia, Felix es sacro virgo Maria in Feicht’s Muzyka staropolska (Krakow, 1966).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire