Matinata is Maciejewski’s only composition for string trio. It was written most likely in 1948 as a birthday present for Adler Adlerbert, an uncle of Maciejewski’s wife in whose house the newlyweds lived.
The composition, part of a neoclassical strand in Maciejewski’s oeuvre, consists of three movements (linked attacca): Nightshadows, Song at Sunrise and The Daily Rush. The titles define the nature of the movements, which is reflected in the piece’s musical layer: from a dark beginning through a more cantilena-like middle to the finale spiced up by a motoric ostinato. An interesting point is a reference to Polish folk music in the “hurried” third movement thanks to the use of elements of the krakowiak.
The piece draws on the traditional chamber music models, although it is also marked by Maciejewski’s characteristic neostyle.