About the Library

The history of the collection of the Institute of Musicology Library goes back to 1869, when musicology was established as a separate field at Karl-Ferdinand University. Musicology was taught at both branches after the university was divided into Czech and German parts. Czech musicology was de facto founded in 1909 when Zdenek Nejedlý became a professor. However, the libraries of both departments initially served as teachers’ reference libraries. It was only in the early 1950s that the library began to fully serve the general academic public. 

The library contains literature from the entire spectrum of musicology and related disciplines, such as literature, theatre, ethnology, aesthetics, pedagogy, psychology and liturgy. A not inconsiderable part of the collection consists of ethnomusicological literature and titles representing modern research areas such as cultural analysis of music, postcolonial and feminist musicology, sound studies, and research on popular music or video clips. 

The library has a representative collection of editions of early music; within the Czech Republic, the library has the most complete sheet music edition of the Corpus Mensurabilis musicae. The music collection covers the Middle Ages to the present day. The library also preserves a collection of old prints and manuscripts. The manuscripts of music are Bohemian pieces from the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The collection includes audio and audiovisual media (CDs, DVDs, gramophone records). 

Two computers in the study room have direct access to electronic databases and the Sibelius and Finale professional notation programmes. 

You can find more information about the library on the Department’s website.

You can also follow news from the library on our Facebook page.

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