Miejsce i funkcje muzyki w życiu zesłańców syberyjskich (na podstawie relacji pamiętnikarsko-wspomnieniowych Szymona Tokarzewskiego)
Place and functions of music in the lives of Siberian exiles (based on the memories of Szymon Tokarzewski)

Summary/Abstract: Among the diaries and memories of Poles who went missing in Siberia in XIX century, the lyr-ics of Szymon Tokarzewski (1821–1890) deserve a special attention. He spent on this “inhuman land” 28 years. In Siberia he became friends with many Polish exiles like Jan Adam Skarbek Malczewski, father Krzysztof Szwernicki, Gerwazy Gzowski, Kornel Krzyżanowski. Szymon Tokarzewski, just like other exiles, also experienced hunger, humiliation, fear of death, anxiety of losing the identity. He was not only extremely sensitive to sounds but also he became an attentive observer of musical works functioning in social life. His lyrics repeatedly emphasized the function of music in the life of Siberian exiles. Thanks to singing the songs, Poles communicated through Ural. They emphasized their identity and reflected on the sense of life. The exiles tried not to think about the anxiety or irritation. They tried to regain faith in divine providence and believed in the chance of coming back home. They were singers and listeners of choral music, instrumental music and singing solo. Tokarzewski raised the problem of connotation to sounds, especially the iconic notations. He emphasized the significance of music therapy and the influence of the music of nature on human mind. There are some descriptions of making music by Russians in Tokarzewski’s lyrics. Mainly Polish exiles, who were playing the roles of servants, were the listeners of that kind of music. Thanks to their reports, Tokarzewski deduced that music not always brings people together. The perception of music sequences to a great extend depends on human’s sensitivity to sounds and the situation in which they occur. The musical abilities of Szymon Tokarzewski, the Siberian exile, held in high regard by readers of his lyrics.

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