Institute of Musicology, Slovak Academy of Sciences
The Institute of Musicology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences was among the establishing institutions of the Slovak Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1943 and the Slovak Academy of Sciences in 1953. Its research is focused on musical culture in Slovakia in broader regional, international and social contexts, and including different fields of arts. Methods of historical musical science, ethnomusicology, ethnochoreology, and systematic musical science are applied in its research activities. Scientific results make a part of international research and they can be applied in artistic and educational programmes and processes as well as in media. The Institute of Musicology of the SAS provides expertise and consultancy services for other research institutes, universities in Slovakia and abroad. The Institute offers PhD educational programmes.
The research programme of the Institute of Musicology SAS is focused on musical history and the reconstruction of the musical culture in Slovakia within the context of the history of European music. Critical research of historical sources is followed by presenting historical musical resources to the public in the form of scientific publications, printed editions and acoustic revival of musical works. Slovak musical and dance folklore within the context of world culture is a major objective of its ethnomusicological research. Different genres and manifestations of contemporary Slovak music and culture are studied within the international context in media as well as in its theoretical and research reflection.
The Institute of Musicology SAS holds and maintains rare documents of traditional musical and dance folklore culture and traditional musical instruments. Its collection covers tens of thousands of written records of songs on index cards (the oldest one is from 1914), photographs, thousands of audio recordings, hundreds of audiovisual recordings on 16mm films and on electronic storage. The library of the Institute has a long tradition and it is focused on musicological literature.
The Institute of Musicology SAS has a fully-equipped facility for the analysis and digital processing of video and audio data by a non-linear editing system. It has audio and video technology (including mechanical editing equipment) for transcription and further processing of archive documents on 16mm films, U-Matic, or older documents. The Institute has its own software for administration of audio and song recordings, enabling their ethnomusicological analysis. It also has its own recording studio with equipment for recording smaller groups and chamber music as well as creating music using multiplayback recording. The Institute of Musicology SAV can create audiovisual programmes at the level of television programmes with outputs in the DV CAM and DVD formats.
