Abstract
<jats:p>This dissertation describes Officium Tenebrarum (Office of the Darkness) held in the Wawel Cathedral in 15th century. Celebrating Tenebrae has been common in Europe, however its structure varied between various places, based on local traditions. The structure was unified in 16th century by the Council of Trent, so local traditions disappeared afterwards. The Wawel Cathedral has been renowned for the beauty of its liturgical services, with special emphasis on liturgical music. This thesis aims to reconstruct all chants and customs of Tenebrae service as held in the Kraków Cathedral before the Tridentine reform. The work is divided into two parts: a descriptive section and a chantbook prepared with potential performers in mind. The first chapter of the descriptive section aims to present the Tenebrae in the context of the daily Officium Divinum celebrated before the Council of Trent and to present and organize terminology characteristic of these celebrations. It outlines the history of the office, describes the liturgical-musical forms that comprise it, the liturgical books in which it is contained, and the way it was performed. Next, it provides a characterization of those canonical hours that constitute the Officium Tenebrarum (Matins and Lauds). The chapter concludes with a table presenting the detailed structure of this service as celebrated during a comparable period in Rome, based on the aforementioned Breviarium Romanum.</jats:p>