TRANSYLVANIAN MUSICAL MANUSCRIPTS: HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL SOURCES FROM THE 17TH–19TH CENTURIES

Abstract

The collection-type musical manuscripts preserved in Transylvania between the 17th and 19th centuries represent a significant yet insufficiently studied source for the history of music in Central and Eastern Europe. They document the coexistence of European art music with local aristocratic and folk traditions, reflecting the region’s complex cultural, social, and confessional landscape. Transylvania’s musical manuscripts from the 17th–19th centuries offer a fascinating glimpse into the region’s rich cultural and musical life. Preserving works by Western European composers, anonymous local authors, and traditional peasant music, they reveal the coexistence of aristocratic and folk traditions. While some collections have been published, many remain largely unexplored, highlighting the need for further study to appreciate the full scope of Transylvania’s diverse musical heritage. This article examines four representative sources: the Sfântu Gheorghe manuscript (1757), which integrates Western European chamber works with Hungarian and Polish dances; the manuscript of Count László Székely (1744), marked by Viennese galant idioms; the Miss Mihály manuscript (1689), containing instrumental, keyboard, and religious repertoire; and the Târgu Mureș manuscript, which combines Viennese Classical piano works with Hungarian songs. By addressing largely unpublished sources, this study seeks to contribute to the systematic recognition of Transylvanian manuscripts as a distinctive corpus within the broader European musical heritage.