During a ceremony at the 32nd National Council of Student Research Societies on 19 November, head of department Ágnes Dobszay was presented with the Master Teacher Award in the Ceremonial Hall of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. She was honoured for her organizational work of the past 15 years in the National Council of Student Research Societies. The high-ranking prize was presented by Dr. Péter Szendrő, President of the National Council of Student Research Societies, Dr. László Lovász, President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Dr. László Palkovics, State secretary for higher education. Congratulations!

Zsófia Hózsa interviewed Ágnes Dobszay for the Liszt Academy’s latest, January-June 2016, edition of the Concert Magazine.

Ágnes Dobszay (Photo: Andrea Felvégi / Liszt Academy)

Church music in the 21st century

This academic year marks a double anniversary for the Church Music Department: the 90th anniversary of the formation of the department in 1926, and the 25th anniversary of its reestablishment in 1990. We spoke with Ágnes Dobszay, current head of the department, about this twin jubilee.

How has the functioning of the Department of Church Music been shaped since its foundation?

When, ninety years ago, the department was officially opened, teaching was adjusted to the then conditions and not so much to ancient traditions. Basically they trained organist cantor-choirmasters, which in fact is important for us in day-to-day practice. The re-founders relied on the several-thousand-year-old Christian liturgical and music tradition, taking into account modern thinking and lifestyle. The current department (which has three core elements) is based on this system: an in-depth knowledge of the liturgy and its potential applications, a musician standard to conservatory level, and a scientific background. The single most important objective of the department is for these three types of knowledge to be combined in everybody – this is how our system differs from church music teaching abroad.

The merits of your father, László Dobszay, are undisputed in the history of 20th century Hungarian church music. Isn’t this heritage a heavy burden?

To a certain extent it is indeed a weight. László Dobszay was a defining figure in efforts to renew the liturgy, he had a full understanding of the associated early music heritage, the theoretical and scientific background, and this is how he transplanted this into practice. Of course, nobody could compete with this. At the same time, naturally, it is a convenience since he bequeathed not only to me but the entire department a well-grounded, tried and tested system that has been working for decades, indeed, centuries, as well as a musical-ecclesiastical way of thinking that we who have studied there or teach there take as completely natural. Alone, I certainly could not carry on his legacy, but together with all those colleagues who came after him, then perhaps we can continue what he as an individual, jointly with Janka Szendrei, established.

Besides the traditions of past centuries, how much space is there for contemporary music in church music?

Contemporary music is a problematic issue everywhere. It is our experience that it is expedient if children come into contact with it at school relatively early on. If beside early music they also learn about works that are comprehensible for them, are not too difficult but bring them into contact with new sounds, then interestingly they are very receptive to this. Teachers at the Budapest School of Singing have said that children are extremely quick to learn and soon take to simple contemporary works integrated alongside Gregorian or early polyphonic works. Those brought up in this way are more open to contemporary music later on. Luckily, there are (mainly younger) composers who comprehended that it is possible to write modern, not too complicated music into the liturgy as well, which can be learned, if not by the youngest pupils, but certainly by our students. We noticed that people did not flee the church, probably because they found the works enjoyable.

What does it mean to be a church musician in today’s world and what do you consider are the greatest tasks facing your profession?

We have an ideal that could be realized (given the right level of support) and then again, of course, there is reality. There was a huge existential positive to the training launched in 1926: under the terms of the agreement between the Liszt Academy and the Episcopacy, anyone applying for a church post had to have a diploma in church music. Today, we could train a lot more students if we had such an agreement. Church music life is only directed by those people with well-grounded knowledge in the liturgy and music, and they could have an influence on the church schools of their denominations. The main job of a church musician, besides organization of the daily liturgical practice, is to mediate this type of music material to young people. It is my experience that this gives the children (and through them the parents) an elevated system of values. Those who have nothing to do with religion also receive this sense because it mediates a tradition and values going back centuries. It creates a spiritual community among children, which I believe surpasses the fact that they also receive something great in musical terms. And they never forget this even if they do not go on to become musicians or they never set foot inside a church again. To send out this message to as wide a circle as possible: this is the principal task of a church musician.

Does this spiritual community exist in the Liszt Academy department as well?

I believe it does. Outsiders who come to see us often tell us that here we do not have teachers and students, but rather a professional and friendly community. We don’t only meet when we swap classrooms, but luckily we have a staff room where we can all sit down together, each Friday we have lunch together with all the colleagues (we call this the departmental meeting), and meanwhile we can talk over topical matters. Our students form a community not only with each other but with us as well. We inherited this from the re-founders but we are very happy to continue it. I reckon it would be a good idea for every department.

Zsófia Hózsa