Music in Funerary and Commemorative Ceremonies
from the End of the Middle Ages to the Dawn of Modernity
59th International Musicological Colloquium Brno, Institute of Musicology, Faculty of Arts,
Masaryk University, November 3-5, 2025

In the Middle Ages, the Officium defunctorum already encompassed a rich array of texts and their associated
melodies. The frequent use of specific biblical texts in the funeral liturgy contributed to their widespread
familiarity, even fostering a gradual laicization of musical culture in the early modern period.
The central role of the Old Testament figure of Job as a man of sorrows serves as a prime example. Notably,
lessons from the Book of Job were published in a four-part setting by Orlando di Lasso as early as 1565. This
marks the beginning of musical elements in the funeral and commemorative liturgy beyond the Requiem Mass
itself. In addition to chant and polyphony, within the perspective of the Czech Crown Lands a repertoire
of funeral hymns also began to develop during the sixteenth century, initially represented only marginally
in the earliest hymnals, but by the eighteenth century at the latest, commonly compiled in specialised
songbooks.
The aim of the colloquium is to study the transformations of liturgical and paraliturgical musical elements
in funerary and commemorative rites. Above all, it seeks to uncover the internal connections between various
types of musical settings, styles, and periods within the broad geographical scope of pre-modern Europe.
We welcome proposals spanning from the Middle Ages to the pre-modern era, especially topics that lie
at the intersection of different periods, disciplines, and confessional traditions. The colloquium aims to provide
a fruitful forum for collective discussion, exploring parallels and enduring phenomena through the lens
of funerary culture.
Topics of particular interest include, but are not limited to:
• The various forms of funeral and commemorative liturgies
• Distinctive features in monastic, diocesan, confessional and regional contexts
• Types of polyphonic repertoire for the commemorative liturgy
• The development of vernacular funeral repertoire, including songs, hymnals, and other collections
• Funeral music in urban and rural contexts: parallels and contrasts
• Festival funerals and official commemorative events
• Related topics from cultural history, ethnomusicology, theology, comparative studies, and other
disciplines
We welcome proposals for 20-minute papers, followed by 10 minutes for discussion, in German or English.
Submissions should include an abstract in the language of the presentation (up to 2000 characters),
and a short CV, including institution, country, and email address (up to 500 characters). Please submit your
proposal as a Word file by June 30, 2025, to colloq@phil.muni.cz. Notifications will be sent by July 15, 2025.
Comitee:
Vladimír Maňas, Jana Perutková, Jiří Zahrádka
Secretary:
Zuzana Badárová, Jiří Čevela