He wishes he could once again hear his mother saying “Matka Boska.”
Her parents were immigrants from Poland. Though born in America, his mother Catherine Theresa Pryzwara (knowns as “Kaśka” by her sisters) did not learn English until she entered elementary school. The Catholic school was run by Polish nuns.
Years later when Catherine was upset with one of her children, they would usually hear her saying “Matka Boska, Matka Boska,” which translates as “Blessed Mother”.
Twenty years after her passing, Patrick was practicing guitar one night and began to improvise and a phrase appeared. Quickly he realized this was about his mom. He played with the phrase and developed it. Although Patrick frequently struggles with titles, he immediately knew there was only one title possible for the piece – “Matka Boska.”
Patrick’s new album Scattered Hearts is available for online purchase at: http://www.PatrickSmithMusic.com. The solo guitar recording is the fruit of many people’s efforts.
As a sampler, to listen to “Matka Boska” – click onto: http://www.patricksmithmusic.com/11_matka_boska.mp3
