The Jesuits for Society. The Soundscape of the Jesuits in post-Tridentine Silesia

The musical culture of Jesuit circles presents on the semantic level a logical and coherent ideational message. This coherence manifests itself in the well-thought-out unity of the cultural models which the Jesuits applied in theoretical discourse, pastoral work, educational methodology and liturgical-musical practice. Music played a crucial role since, by symbolically representing the values inherent in those different areas of activity, it supported the process of their collective and individual internalization. Various phenomena of music culture served as a tool for social impact, control and growth. Its natural attractive and communicative power proved an excellent medium for the creative reshaping of all existing social structures. Were all those processes any part of a conscious civilization project, accomplished by the Society of Jesus or, should they be regarded as a casual effects of very deep and broad-based evangelization?