Lead sheet

Mazurek Dąbrowskiego (“Dąbrowski’s Mazurka or “Poland Is Not Yet Lost” or “Song of the Polish Legions”)– a Polish patriotic song from 1797. The words to music composed by an unknown author were written by Józef Wybicki, a Polish independence activist. The song was inspired by the formation of the Polish Legions under French patronage in northern Italy. “Dąbrowski’s Mazurka” gained great popularity in the 19th century, becoming one of the most important national songs. Since 1927, it has officially been the national anthem of the Republic of Poland.

„Od Kłajpedy do Szczecina” (From Klaipeda to Szczecin) – a Polish military song from the Second World War. The words and music were written by Adam Kowalski, a composer and Polish Army officer. It was first published in 1941 in Scotland. The text of the song was addressed to the sailors and soldiers of the Polish Navy. Polish ships evacuated to the West at the end of August and in September 1939 immediately entered combat on the side of the Allies. They also became the nucleus of the rebirth of the Polish Armed Forces.

„Szara piechota” (Grey Infantry) – a Polish military song associated with Polish units fighting
against Russia as part of the Austro-Hungarian army during the First World War. The melody and
lyrics were probably written by Leon Łuskino and Bolesław Lubicz – Zahorski. In the inter-war
period, the song gained enormous popularity in Poland. The „Grey Infantry” mentioned in the title
are the soldiers of the Polish units that were formed after the outbreak of the First World War in the Polish lands seized by Austria in the 18th century. In 1915, they already formed 3 brigades (about 17,000 men). They were commonly referred to as the „Piłsudski Legions”, after the organiser and commander of the First Brigade, the Polish independence activist Józef Piłsudski. The legend of the Legionnaires’ struggle later became one of the ideological foundations of the reborn Poland.

„Lwowskie Puchacze” (Lviv Eagle Owls) – the anthem of the Polish Night Fighter Squadron 307 which was composed in 1943 at an air base in Blackpool (UK). The music was composed by pilot, Lieutenant Jan Maliński. The text was written by Captain Observer Juliusz Baykowski. Squadron 307 was formed on 24 August 1940 in Blackpool and took the name „Lwowskie Puchacze”. The “307” was one of the 15 airborne squadrons of the Polish Armed Forces in 1940-45. They fought against Germany and Italy defending Great Britain (the Battle of Britain), in North Africa and Italy, in France and Western Europe, and took part in the Allied bombing of Germany.

„Bogurodzica” (Mother of God) – the oldest Polish religious song and the oldest Polish poetic text. It was written in the 12th or 13th century. Its text is a prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to Christ. The first preserved text of “Bogurodzica” comes from 1407, from the collection of homilies by Maciej of Grochów (a curate from Kcynia in the Pałuki region). This date is not considered to be the moment of the song’s creation though. It served as the national anthem until the mid-16^th century.