Expanding early music cooperation in our library

On October 19, 2023, Stefaan Coninx a member of the Belgian Foundation (www.alamirefoundation.org) of the International Research Centre for Early Music in the Low Countries visited us to present the institution's wide range of activities and to explore the possibilities of cooperation between the two institutions. The guest was welcomed by Judit Gerencsér, Deputy Director General, Csilla Kőrösi, Deputy Head of Special Collections and Boglárka Illyés, Head of the Music Collection of the NSZL. After the meeting – at the end of which the parties presented each other with a copy of their valuable facsimile editions – Mr Coninx took a closer look at the 16th-17th century music collection of the church of St. Giles in the former town of Bártfa (today Bardejov, Slovakia) in Upper Hungary, the so-called "Bártfa Collection" which also includes works by composers from the Low Countries and the Franco-Flemish region in its rich international collection. In the coming period, concrete possibilities for cooperation will continue to be explored and discussed, especially with a view to next year's Belgian and Hungarian EU presidencies.