The operas arrangements for chamber ensembles in the Moravian and Lower Austrian monasteries

Abstract

This article aims to explore the various possibilities for the operas arrangements for chamber ensembles preserved in selected monastic localities as a remarkable subgenre, which flourished from the end of the 18th century until the middle of the 19th century. Important music collections of monasteries in Moravia and Lower Austria were selected for the research, specifically: Nová Říše (formerly Neureisch, Premonstratensians), Klosterneuburg (Augustinian Canons), Göttweig (Benedictines) and Zwettl (Cistercians). By comparing the situation in different monasteries, it was possible to look at the issue in a broader geographic context, which reflects the customs and possibilities of neighbouring regions within the Habsburg Monarchy.