Ancient Oath of the Krakow Trumpeter:
I swear on my honor as a Pole, as a servant of the King of the Polish people, that I will faithfully and unto the death, if there be need, sound upon the trumpet the Heynal in honor of Our Lady each hour in the tower of the church which bears her name.
There was a young boy in Krakow around 1240. When the Tartars came to fight the city he blew his trumpet to warn the inhabitants, to defend his beloved city. He saved Krakow but himself was shot by an arrow and died in the middle of his playing. An old Krakow legend tells this story, and the American writer Eric P. Kelly has woven colours into the story.
Today day the trumpeter's old tune, Heynal, is played, every hour of the day. Always four times, to every corner of the world. From the high tower of the highest twin tower of St.Mary's church. Every time the Heynal stops abruptly, a reminder of the dead trumpeter who saved his city.
Can you see the trumpet, high, high up in the tower? Wish I could give you the sounds as well, but this is a quiet blog :-)
The Heynal is a simple melody, and though the legend tells about the young trumpter from several hundred yeras ago, the melody played today was made by the authoress Aniela Pruszynska for Eric P. Kelly, the author of The Trumpeter of Krakow, around the time the books was published in the 1920ies. Since 1927 the melody has been broadcasted by Polish Radio at noon....in must be one of the most played melodies there is :-)
Our Lady's Church, Koskiól Mariacki, is situated in a corner of the Market Square, Rynek Glowny. The Market Square is busy all day, long into the dark night.
Music, street artist, dove feeding, horses, market stalls with handmade pieces of craft.........
Or you can sit down at one of the many cafes......with your lover, alone, with friends.
..........can you see that I have hundreds of stories to tell already.......and I still have time left here to gather more....
