Music Collection of the Church in Skalsko: Rediscovered Composers and New Knowledge Concerning Musical Life in the Mladá Boleslav Region in the 18th and 19th Centuries

SUMMARY: The aim of the study is to provide information about the collection of sheet music preserved in the Church of St. Havel in Skalsko. It is a set of approximately 300 sheet music from the 18th and 19th centuries. Some of them were created or copied by local choir directors, but the collection also includes sheet music from Bezno and Březno. Among the sheet music from Březno, a valuable composition by the talented, though completely unknown, composing teacher J. F. Chwátal has been preserved. The contribution of this paper lies in presenting the basic characteristics of this very valuable collection and providing information on the life stories of teachers as its creators. The study expands the knowledge of musical life in the vicinity of Mladá Boleslav at the end of the 18th century and in the first half of the 19th century.

KEYWORDS: Bezno, Březno, Skalsko, church music, thematic catalogue, collection of sheet music, composers, teachers, choir directors, 18th century, 19th century