Wojciech Dlugoraj

Wojciech Długoraj was a Polish Renaissance composer and lutenist who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was initially active at the court of Samuel Zborowski, a powerful and cruel nobleman who was later executed for treason. Długoraj fled Zborowski's court and became a monk, but was expelled from the monastery for his misconduct. He then served briefly at the royal court of Stefan Batory, the king of Poland, but had to escape to Germany for fear of Zborowski's heirs. He spent the rest of his life in Leipzig and Wittenberg, where he composed and performed music for the lute. He was considered a virtuoso of the instrument and a successor of the famous Valentin Bakfark. His works include fantasies, villanellas and dances, which are characterized by melody, brilliance and polyphony. He is regarded as one of the most important Polish composers of the Renaissance period.