The publication from the Tradition Today series presents a unique work by Professor Oskár Elschek, one of the most significant Slovak ethnomusicologists and ethnoorganologists.

The large-format book titled “Slovak Folk Musical Instruments – Yesterday and Today” is intended for anyone who would like to engage with folk musical instruments in our territory as a maker, instrumentalist, or specialist.

In this work, you will find a complete list of over 200 Slovak folk musical instruments classified into an international system of musical instruments. Individual chapters consist of a description and characteristics of each group, type, and form of instrument. Each instrument includes dimensions, manufacturing method, and playing technique. This information is complemented by over a hundred musical transcriptions and a repertoire of the best traditional performers and makers from all over Slovakia, obtained from long-term field research from the past and present. In addition to a wealth of quantitative data and musical transcriptions, the work is richly illustrated with images of individual musical instruments. The value of the work is enhanced by a photographic appendix, which complements the illustrations by capturing some production processes or notable personalities directly during field research.

Although this valuable ethnoorganological work had not been published in the Slovak language until today, its original German version (1983) served as a valuable source of information for scientists and professionals, particularly those more proficient in the language. We are therefore very pleased that the publishing house ÚĽUV has the opportunity to contribute to the publication of the most comprehensive work of this significant Slovak author in the Slovak language.

Contains an English summary.

Published by the Center for Folk Art Production in Bratislava, a state-subsidized organization established by the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic, in the year 2020.