On the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of András Benkő – Church Music Research –

This hereby study was written on the occasion of a conference commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of music historian András Benkő. Although the teaching and research of music history were central to his work, this paper focuses on only one aspect of it, namely his research and teaching in the field of Protestant church music, which is particularly noteworthy. His scientific work aimed at the exploration of sacred music manuscripts and the dissemination of the vocal material of early Protestant publications can be considered as a groundbreaking and addressing a gap of knowledge within the Transylvania area. His studies and reviews, published in scholarly volumes and journals, have provided a significant body of literature for pastors, cantors and religious education teachers working in Transylvania. His efforts to provide musical material for cantors in the field of vocal and instrumental ministry in churches and to raise the standard of cantorial training in the region remain exemplary to this day.