Chair of Church Music

The Chair of Church Music (created based on the UMFC Senate resolution passed unanimously on 19 March 2019), which is part of the Department, oversees the proper teaching of major subjects; it also provides content-related supervision of artistic activity and conducts academic research related to church music performance and theory. The Chair coordinates and gives an opportunity for students to complete artistic training covering stage training (organ playing, active participation in concerts) and conducting (visitations, work with ensembles, public conducting of compositions) and practical training in liturgical music: pre-conciliar and post-conciliar Mass in Latin, liturgical accompaniment (visitations, accompaniment to responses, dialogues and songs during a Mass, organ improvisation as part of a liturgy), preparation and organisation of a ceremonial liturgy, Gregorian schola, animating the singing of the gathering (cantor) and performance of inter-lesson singing (psalterist). The form of the practical training was approved by the Council of the Department of Choir Conducting, Music Education, Church Music, Rhythmics and Dance on its session on 17.01.2011. On the same session, the shape of BA and BA diploma exams was determined.
Until 2019 there was a Unit of Church Music, which was created in connection with the establishment of the unique major of studies called Church Music. The first Head of the Unit was Rev. Prof. dr Kazimierz Szymonik, then (2012-2020) dr hab. Piotr Wilczyński, Prof. UMFC, and currently this function has been held by dr hab. Ireneusz Wyrwa, Prof. UMFC.
The Department of Church Music has the following ensembles:
•    Vocal Ensemble of the Major of Church Music 
•    Schola Gregoriana Universitatis Musicali Friderici Chopin
Collaborators:
•    Mulierum Schola Gregoriana Clamaverunt Iusti
•    Schola Gregoriana Cardinalis Stephani Wyszyński
•    Chaor of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences 
•    Choir of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw 
The scope of research conducted by the employees of the Chair:
•    style accuracy of performance of organ music from different periods,
•    performance problems in sacred-themed vocal and vocal-and-instrumental music,
•    topics related to organ accompaniment for Catholic and Protestant church songs,
•    physiological basics of liturgical singing,
•    history of Polish liturgical music, options to use separate works in a liturgy,
•    interpretation of Gregorian chant based on the oldest available adiasemantic sources,
•    Gregorian semiology, modality, semio-modality, semio-aesthetics, Bewegungstendenz.