Emanuel Muntág

PeadDr. Emanuel Muntág was a Slovak musicologist, music archivist, and bibliographer. He focused on researching musical monuments and sources of Slovak musical culture (collecting, preserving, processing, and making them accessible) from the historical library collections of Matica slovenská. He worked there for nearly his entire life and, in 1962, established the Archív hudobných rukopisov (Archive of Music Manuscripts), which he led until 1993. This department was founded largely on his own collection-building activities.

The most important of the musical documents he catalogued were published within the series Fondy Literárneho archívu Matice slovenskej (Collections of the Literary Archive of Matica slovenská, 1964 – 1990). This series included inventories such as Viliam Figuš-Bystrý, Miloslav Francisci, the inventory of sheet music from the Roman Catholic Church in Banská Štiavnica, Hudobniny z knižnice grófov Zayovcov z Uhrovca (Sheet Music from the Library of the Zay Counts of Uhrovec), the thematic catalogue of the composer Tibor Andrašovan, and others.

Within the series Monumenta Musica Slovaca – Facsimile, which Muntág founded in 1974, two manuscript collections were published: Uhrovská zbierka piesní a tancov z roku 1730 (Uhrovec Collection of Songs and Dances from 1730, 1974) and Uhrovská zbierka tancov z roku 1742 (Uhrovec Collection of Dances from 1742, 1990). Muntág was also the founder and editor of the anthology Hudobný archív v Matici slovenskej (Music Archive at Matica slovenská, 1974 – 1994).

At Matica slovenská, he organized academic seminars and conferences, such as Hudba a počítač (Music and the Computer) and events on the works of composers Ján Levoslav Bella, Viliam Figuš-Bystrý, Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský, Mikuláš Moyzes, Miloš Ruppeldt, Ján Valašťan-Dolinský, and others.

 Emanuel Muntág also engaged in publicistic work; he authored music-literary programs and scripts for television, radio, and theatre. He most often focused on figures in Slovak culture, such as composers or the Slovak painter Martin Benka. He also contributed to the preparation of exhibition scripts for Spevokol Tatran, Viliam Figuš-Bystrý, Gejza Dusík, and Tadeáš Salva.

In 1993, Muntág initiated the creation of the Slovak National Branch of IAML (International Association of Music Libraries) and for a time served as its chairman. Under IAML, he organized a professional seminar titled Ikonografia v hudobnej historiografii (Iconography in Music Historiography).

In 1994, he became secretary of the newly established Music Department of Matica slovenská. There, he organized the Celoslovenská súťažná prehliadka speváckych zborov Matice slovenskej (National Competitive Showcase of Matica slovenská Choirs, 1996 – 2004), the Kurz dirigentov speváckych zborov (Choral Conducting Course, 1997 – 2004), the Kurz komornej hry (Chamber Music Course, Komárno, 1998), the academic seminar Hudba v Banskej Bystrici v období pôsobenia Dr. Štefana Moysesa (Music in Banská Bystrica During the Time of Dr. Štefan Moyses, 1997), and many other noteworthy events.

In 2007, Emanuel Muntág was awarded the Cena Tibora Andrašovana (Tibor Andrašovan Prize) by Matica slovenská for his significant lifelong work in the fields of musicology, music archiving, bibliography, Slovak folk song, and for his outstanding contributions to the national institution of Matica slovenská.