The study deals with the musical-educational, musical-theoretical and methodical-didactic literature written or co-written by educators from Ostrava from the 1890s to 1945. After introducing contextual characteristics of the regional-specific features of the town of Ostrava, the author describes the development of musical education, and presents the key personalities of musical education in Ostrava in the studied period.

The next part of the study focuses on a summary of musical-educational, musical-theoretical and methodical-didactic literature written by Ostrava music teachers between the 1890s and 1945. Major authors of musical-educational, musical-theoretical and methodical-didactic literature included Arthur Kőnnemann, Rudolf Kadleček, Eduard Marhula, Edvard Rund, and Rudolf Wűnsch. In terms of topics and content, this literature was especially based on needs for the development and modernization of contemporary musical education (the area of instrumental pedagogy, music theory, singing and chorus singing, and intonation).

Other parts of the study include a detailed didactic-analytical and content-related reflection of three key publications by two music teachers, namely Rudolf Kadleček and Rudolf Wűnsch. The publications in question are “O výchově hudební. Popularisace myšlenky o správné výchově hudební” (1905) by Rudolf Kadleček, and a textbook called “A prima vista. Škola intonace” (1929) and a publication called “Katechismus školského zpěvu: Metodika a teorie” (1934) by Rudolf Wűnsch.

The study presents the topic of absolute pitch and its effect on music perception. The first chapter is theoretical and introduces information about previous domestic and foreign researches in the context of this topic. The study presents theories on absolute pitch origin, its different forms, connection with native language and relation with other phenomena, for example synesthesia, benefits and disadvantages which absolute pitch brings with. The second chapter describes the results of public research in which 153 respondents took part and in which the author tries to find out the general knowledge about perfect pitch, whether the respondents have personal experience with it and how much wide-spread it is in population. The third chapter, the experimental one, deals with the influence of absolute pitch on changes in respondents’ emotions. It offers information about factors which cause the change of emotions while listening to the music. In the end of the work the author tries to find an explanation for some unexpected results and offer possibilities for future researches.

Artistic education is free for a wide array of people of interest from pre-school children up to adults. It is subdivided into preparatory study, basic study (divided into levels I and II), extended study, condensed study and study for adults. Majority of pupils of Elementary Arts Schools (EAS) can apply their acquired knowledge, skills and habits in their hobbies or in individual artistic creation. In the frame of the elementary education EAS offers to many of its pupils the basic artistic education on the abovementioned levels, which can work as a basis for their further education. Therefore the study at EAS can be understood as the preparatory stage for pupils for their professional activity in artistic fields.

In general the education focuses on harmonic development of socially established personality of the pupil accentuating his/her knowledge and skills. In this process the physical and mental preconditions of the individual should be respected. At present we can observe that the society is influenced by the rapid development of the information-communication technologies (since the 1980s) and schools also reflect this state. Due to digitalization of the world in which the present youth live, including their ardent interest in videogames, the teachers, in an endeavour to increase efficiency and attractivity of their subjects, reach for various innovative means and methods with a goal to motivate the pupils to active participation in education, and to the desire to learn. However we often forget that no only the means and methods of the educational process, but also the environment in which the acquiring of knowledge and skills takes place, influence the motivation of pupils to learn. Therefore we should focus mostly on the fact what kind of educational climate we create together with the pupils in particular subjects, whether comprehensive or special ones. It is precisely the positive educational climate which most of all influences the pupils in their desire to develop their basic knowledge.

[The contribution is available only in Slovak language in the printed version of the revue.]