Musicologica Olomucensia

Church Music in Olomouc after 1945

The city of Olomouc has always enjoyed significant ecclesiastical powers. As a result of this, there has been a renewed focus on liturgical music. After 1945, there were three historical milestones in the general development of church music. The first was the year 1948, which saw the beginning of a new persecution of the Roman Catholic Church. The second milestone relates to the putting into practise of the principles approved by the Second Vatican Council, which resulted in a strengthening of the active participation by the faithful in the liturgy in which an indispensable role was played by church choirs. The third milestone was in 1989 when church congregations were finally able to exploit openly new artistic opportunities.
The text deals with the history of sacred music in the main churches of the historic center of the town - St. Wenceslas Cathedral, St. Maurice Church, Virgin Mary of Snow, The Assumption (at the Dominican Priory) and The Annunciation of Virgin Mary (at the Capuchin Monastery). This study introduces the leading personalities of liturgical music - the choirs, the music itself and the autonomous musical activities of the various church congregations.