The phenomenon of the sacred in Polish music during the Cold War as an expression of aspirations for freedom. Inspirations by John Paul II

The starting point for the article is a historical event — the Polish October of 1956, which was not only an important political event, but also an important moment in the history of Polish culture. At that time, the process of weakening the official doctrine of socialist realism, binding in the countries of the Eastern Bloc, began in Poland. General theoretical remarks on the sacred in the humanities and music serve to describe in detail how it can be captured in the musical works of a selected period. The author emphasizes that in the entirety of the sacred issues in Polish music of the time of change, the significant effect of the historical event — the election of a Pole as the head of the Catholic Church — emerges as a significant effect on the composers. The text outlines that the impact of the Pope’s personality, teaching and writing on Polish history, culture and music were significant.