Emese Duka-Zólyomiová

PhDr. Emese Duka-Zólyomiová was a Slovak musicologist, editor, cultural organizer, and a prominent figure in the field of music librarianship. In 1969, she became the head of the Music Department of the University Library in Bratislava, a position she held until her retirement in 2005. Afterward, she managed the library of the Department of Musicology at the Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava.

Emese Duka-Zólyomiová was a long-time member of the Association of Slovak Librarians and Libraries, chairing the Commission for Music Libraries from 1980, and later became a member of the Slovak National Group of IAML, where she worked in the Commission for Public Libraries. She contributed to the establishment and development of regional music libraries and participated in organizing 24 annual seminars for music librarians, later expanded to include museum and archive professionals as well. She also organized various music events and thematic exhibitions.

In her professional work, she focused on the mission of music libraries, the creation of cataloging systems for music documents, and the principles of processing, preservation, recordkeeping, revision, and deaccessioning of music collections. She developed methodologies for compiling regional music bibliographies and explored the relationship between music and other disciplines in the context of music librarianship. She also contributed significantly to transnational cooperation, including information exchange between partner libraries in the Czech Republic and abroad, and researched Hungarian musical life in Slovakia.

Emese Duka-Zólyomiová published professional articles in both Slovak and Hungarian journals. Among her most significant editorial works are: Kalendár výročí (Anniversary Calendar, 1990–2003), Hudobný život a významné osobnosti Slovenska (Musical Life and Important Personalities of Slovakia, 2004), Formy a druhy populárnej hudby a aktuálne otázky hudobného knihovníctva (Forms and Types of Popular Music and Current Issues in Music Librarianship, 1998), Generálny katalóg hudobnín a kníh o hudbe 1971 – 1982 (General Catalogue of Sheet Music and Books on Music 1971–1982, 1982), and Bratislavské hudobné telesá a spolky 1945 – 1985 (Bratislava Music Ensembles and Societies 1945–1985, 1987).

Emese Duka-Zólyomiová was one of the founders and organizers of the Pál Kadosa Piano Competition and one of the main organizers of the National Competitive Festival of Hungarian Minority Children’s and Youth Choirs in Slovakia, titled Znejúca pieseň (Resounding Song, 1993–2011). She also served as chairwoman of the Hungarian Society of Friends of Music in Slovakia and founded and led several amateur choirs.