Musical life in urban communities of North-Eastern Slovakia in the period of reformation

Abstract

The musical culture in urban communities of the North-Eastern Slovakia from the mid-16th century can be searched on three basic issues: what changes in the musical culture were brought by Reformation in multi-ethnic and multi-confessional milieu; how was the musical life in major centres and in minor localities (cities) of Spiš and Šariš influenced by the development of Lutheran urban cantorates in Central Europe; what was the role of local (domestic) musicians in the cantorates (cantors, organists, trumpeters) within this process. The study deals with new findings in archival documents focused on personalities (J. Fabri, L. Stöckel, J. Plotz, G. Plotz) and their activities in the free royal cities and in smaller towns – the centres of musical life (Bardejov, Prešov, Levoča, Kežmarok, Spišská Nová Ves).

Keywords

• musicology
• history of musical culture
• Lutheran urban cantorates
• Johann Fabri
• Leonard Stöckel
• Johann Plotz