Research into medieval and Renaissance musical culture has a long tradition at the Institute of Musicology, dating back to the establishment of musicology as a university discipline. In the light of this statement, it is certainly surprising to discover that only the post-1989 period has allowed for unbiased research on sacred and secular music based on careful consideration of direct sources. Freed from the need to interpret sacred music as a precursor to the qualitatively superior folk music or to overestimate national differences, we can now concentrate on discovering the traditions that have shaped the musical image of Central Europe.
In the Seminar of Medieval monophony, under the supervision of David Eben, research into the Czech chant tradition is being conducted on the basis of a study of liturgical codices. Students and teachers are significantly involved in building international databases of liturgical repertoire, especially the Cantus Database and Fontes Cantus Bohemiae. While computer technology allows for an unprecedentedly efficient comparison of musical sources and parallel recordings, the focus of the scholarly approach remains a reliable orientation in codicology and palaeography and knowledge of the liturgical context.
Jan Bat’a explores the musical culture of Renaissance and Rudolphine Prague. Questions from this thematic area are given space in the 16th century seminar. Recently, the attention of all local musicologists focused on music before 1600 has turned again to hymnology. Research into the traditions and contexts of 14th and 15th century sacred song is being carried out as part of the project Old Myths, New Facts: Czech Lands in Center of 15-century Music Developments. Jan Ciglbauer founded Cantio.cz, a database of 14th and 15th century song repertoire.