Tibor Sedlický

Doc. PhDr. Tibor Sedlický, CSc. was a Slovak musicologist, music educator, and conductor. He studied at the Učiteľský ústav v Banskej Bystrici (Teacher Training Institute in Banská Bystrica) and later graduated from the Vysoká škola pedagogická v Bratislave (College of Education in Bratislava). His work primarily focused on issues of music pedagogy and choral singing.

He worked as a teacher at primary schools in several Slovak towns, and after completing his university studies, he became an assistant lecturer at the Department of Music Education of the then Pedagogický Pedagogical Institute in Martin. From 1965 until his retirement, he worked at the Department of Music Education, Faculty of Education in Banská Bystrica.

Tibor Sedlický was the author of monographs, scholarly studies, articles, song anthologies, and several textbooks and methodological guides (e.g., Učebnica hudobnej výchovy pre 8. ročník ZDŠ – Music Textbook for the 8th Grade of Primary School, Hudobné chvíľky v záujmových zariadeniach – Musical Moments in Leisure Facilities, Počúvanie hudby v 1. – 5. ročníku ZDŠ – Listening to Music in Grades 1–5, Počúvanie hudby v 6. – 9. ročníku ZDŠ – Listening to Music in Grades 6–9). He also wrote radio programs, biographical entries, and entries for the Encyklopédia Slovenska (Encyclopedia of Slovakia) and the Slovenský biografický slovník (Slovak Biographical Dictionary). He compiled commemorative books for universities and edited publications by prominent Slovak and Czech authors. He addressed music pedagogy in a historically oriented monograph titled Dějiny hudební výchovy v českých zemích a na Slovensku (History of Music Education in the Czech Lands and Slovakia, 1990). He also dedicated a comprehensive monograph to the Slovak Teachers’ Choir, in which he sang and worked professionally from 1951 for nearly his entire life.

In addition to his teaching, Tibor Sedlický was also actively engaged in extracurricular musical life. In the towns where he worked, he founded and led several choirs (Poltár, Kremnica, Banská Bystrica, Martin). In Martin, he founded and conducted the Mixed Choir of the Pedagogical Institute, later known as Mladosť (Youth), and from 1976 as a women’s choir, with which he performed both at home and abroad.

Sedlický served as a member of national committees focused on music education and choral singing and participated in international conferences (Stockholm, Warsaw, Moscow). He also contributed to the founding of the Literary and Music Museum in Banská Bystrica.

Tibor Sedlický received numerous awards, commemorative medals, and honors, including the Gold Medal of the Slovak Teachers’ Choir (1971), a distinction from the Culture Department of the Central Slovak Regional National Committee "For the Development of Socialist Culture", the Mayor’s Award of Banská Bystrica (2001), the Highest Award of the National Enlightenment Centre (2004), and Honorary Citizenship of the Town of Poltár (2004).