Music Literature

As of February 2011 the Multimedia and Music Reading Room have been closed. The New Music Corner can now be found in the Humanities Reading Room located on the 4^th floor. There are two listening carrels and a digital keyboard instrument as well as an expert music guide and music periodicals.

The MZK owns a unique music collection

• Historical documents are placed in the Manuscripts and Old Print Reading Room located on the 4^th floor
  • Music prints up to 1850 (around 5,000 units) - from the 18^th and the 1^st half of the 19^th century. The collection focuses primarily on music of 18^th century Czech composers and contains a number of works in their first editions – e.g. works by J. Haydn, W. A. Mozart, L. van Beethoven, F. Schubert, R. Schumann, F. Liszt, and F. Chopin
  • Music manuscripts (around 1,500 units) – from the second half of the 17^th century until the present (autographs, copies). Among the most interesting items is a handwritten copy of Mozart's compositions Motetto “Venti, Fulgur, procellae” (1780)
  • Music microfilms - (more than 900 units) – compositions by 18^th and 19^th century authors (contemporary prints, autographs and copies from chateau and monastic archives in the Czech Republic or abroad).

• Contemporary documents - use the online catalogue to order
  • Music prints since 1850 until present  (around 100,000 units) – collection of a universal nature
  • Music reference books (more than 500 units) contain specialised music dictionaries, encyclopedia and selected professional musicological literature. Other books on music may be found in the MZK stock.
  • Classical and popular music periodicals (current year) and previous years editions of magazines are located in the Newspapers and Journals Reading Room.
  • Sound recordings (more than 15,000 units) - MC, LPs, and CDs of various musical genres.
• Music online databases
  • Naxos Music Library
  • Oxford Music Online

Copying scores of musical works borrowed from the library is not permitted under Copyright Act No. 216/2006 Coll., even in the case of it being for one’s own use. The library also does not allow copying of audio files, or their play using one’s own recording equipment.