The Trumpeter of Krakow

Published in 1928, The Trumpeter of Kraków is a young adult historical novel by Eric P. Kelly. Set in 15th-century Poland, the story follows the Charnetski family, caretakers of the Philosopher’s Stone, as they flee their homeland of Kresy (modern-day Ukraine) to Poland to escape Russian mercenaries. Kelly wrote articles for newspapers and magazines in addition to penning several children’s novels. He was also both a teacher and a student at the University of Kraków. The Trumpeter of Kraków won the Newbery Medal in 1929 for excellence in American children’s literature.

For centuries, the Charnetski family has been safeguarding the Great Tarnov Crystal, also called the Philosopher’s Stone. Many wars have been fought between countries wishing to possess the Crystal because of its alchemic powers. The city of Tarnów entrusted the Crystal to the Charnetski family all those years ago, and now Andrew Charnetski, the current patriarch, will not see it fall into enemy hands on his watch.

As soon as he notices a mysterious stranger spying on his house, Andrew leaps into action. He quickly packs up his family, fleeing with the Crystal, and not a moment too soon. Shortly after they leave, Russian mercenaries led by Peter the Button Face (so-called for the pockmarked scars on his cheeks) arrive. In their search for the Crystal, they burn the village to the ground.

Andrew takes his family to stay with his cousin Andrew Tenczynski in Kraków, where he intends to turn the Crystal over to King Kazimír Jagiello. When they arrive, however, they learn that Tenczynski has been murdered and that Elizabeth of Austria now occupies the throne. With no one to trust and nowhere to go, the Charnetskis head toward the market.

While exploring the city that day, Andrew’s 15-year-old Joseph finds the Church of Our Lady St. Mary. According to tradition, a trumpeter plays the Heynal four times each hour, each time facing a different direction (north, south, east, or west), but the song is never finished. Two centuries earlier, a trumpeter was shot with a Russian arrow while playing the song, and in remembrance, the song is now always cut short.

Joseph happens upon man and a girl who are being threatened by a wolfdog. He rescues them, and the man introduces himself as Nicholas Kreutz, an alchemist; the girl is Elzbietka, his niece. In return for saving them, Kreutz offers to let the Charnetskis live in the apartment below his. He resides in the Street of the Pigeons, a lower-class neighborhood frequented by magicians and scientists.

Joseph returns to his family to find that Peter the Button Face has caught up to them. Fortunately, the timely arrival of Jan Kanty, the priest of Our Lady St. Mary, saves them from the mercenaries. Kanty offers Andrew the job of night trumpeter at the church. Pleased at the turn of events that have given him both a job and a home on the same day, Andrew thanks Kanty and Kreutz.

Every evening, Kreutz meets with his student, Johann Tring, to discuss chemistry, but Tring is actually obsessed with the Philosopher’s Stone, which he wants to perform chrysopoeia, the alchemic reaction for changing brass into gold. Kreutz says that he wants to use alchemy to transform the bad in the world into good, such as curing Stas, the landlady’s deformed son, via alchemic processes. However, when Tring convinces Kreutz to submit to hypnosis to open his Greater Mind, Kreutz discusses chrysopoeia.

One day, Peter the Button Face overhears Stas talking about the Charnetskis, and he bribes the boy into telling him where the family lives. That night while Andrew is at work, the mercenaries sneak into the apartment and find the Crystal hidden in Andrew’s mattress. Surprised by Kreutz, they flee, leaving the Crystal behind. Kreutz picks it up and, transfixed, decides to steal it for himself. When he tries to perform chrysopoeia, however, he is unsuccessful. He realizes that he needs to have all the pieces to chrysopoeia stored within his Greater Mind to make it work.

Unaware that the Crystal has been stolen, Andrew teaches Joseph how to play the Heynal. In the event that Andrew is captured by the mercenaries, Joseph will be able to step in and play the required part. One night, Peter the Button Face invades the church tower and holds Andrew and Joseph captive, demanding to know where the Crystal is, but they cannot tell him.

At two o’clock in the morning, Peter orders Joseph to go play the Heynal rather than risk the attention it would cause if it were missed. Joseph plays, but instead of stopping at the usual spot, he finishes the song. Back in the apartments, Elzbietka hears the entire song and recognizes it as a call for help. She alerts the night watch, and the mercenaries are captured.

Kreutz reveals to Tring that he has the Crystal so his student can help him achieve chrysopoeia. Tring puts Kreutz into a hypnotic trance, and Kreutz begins reciting a list of alchemic ingredients. Thinking it is the recipe for chrysopoeia, Tring mixes the concoction; instead, it turns out to be an explosive. The apartment erupts in flames, and Tring and Kreutz flee into the streets. Quickly the fire spreads up and down the Street of Pigeons.

Joseph takes trumpet duty while Elzbietka and the Charnetskis join the effort to put out the fire. After it is over, they find Kreutz wandering in a daze, clutching the Crystal. Andrew reclaims it and takes the Crystal to King Kazimír, who has recently ascended to the throne. However, as the king looks into the Crystal, he becomes transfixed. Kreutz quickly grabs the Crystal and throws it into the Vistula River. All agree not to retrieve it, deeming it safest at the bottom of the river.