Molnar Antal: Klasszikus Kánonok

Type of Abstract (select): Individual Presentation

Abstract (max. 250 words):
It was almost 100 years ago that Antal Molnár published his original three-volume work (1928) whose revised second edition was edited by László Agócsy and came out in 1955. Its purpose then, as it remains now, was to introduce material to musicians with an end goal of improving their musicianship using solfa.
Molnár collected canons in the early 20th century; many of the canons were initially found in the form of early handwritten copies. The full collection of 230 canons includes 44 named composers, and 13 anonymous pieces. Although many of these canons were originally set to text, Molnár purposefully omitted texts in favor of a pedagogical aim of teaching solmization because he intended this collection as a supplement to teaching solfeggio.
In 2025, Dr. Thomas Kite prepared an updated print edition which presents all 230 canons in a familiar score format for ease of reading. This edition can be paired with A Companion to Classical Canons, an eBook available online. Here teachers will find all the contents of the print (score form) version, as well as these additional resources to help with lesson planning.
Antal Molnár gave music educators everywhere an enormous gift with this valuable collection. These new editions are important and useful tools that allow users to view music in a variety of formats. Furthermore, they support learning to read music, encourage new ways of thinking about music, and provide suggestions for logical pedagogical uses for learners of all ages.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Dr. Thomas Kite is a retired music professor now writing music pedagogy materials for teachers. As a supervisor of music education students at the University of Arizona, he continues to be active in his field. His degrees include a Doctorate in Music education and theory (University of Houston), a Master of Kodaly Music Education (Holy Names University) and a Bachelor of Music (organ) from California State University, Northridge. He is also attempting to learn Hungarian.