Jozef Pantaleon Roskovsky (10.03.1734 Stara Lubovna - 27.03.1789 Pest, today Budapest)

Slovak composer, outstanding organist and theoretician. Son of an organist from Stara Lubovna. He studied at the piaristic college in Podolinec nad philosophy at the university of Trnava. In 1959 he entered the Franciscans Order. At that time he already mastered several instruments (organ, winds, violin) and was a good singer. After one ear noviciate in the monastery of St. Catharine near Trnava, he studied theology in Pest (1757-58) ad Bratislava (1959-61). He was priested in 1959 in Trnava. He worked in several churches of the Marian Province (Nove Zamky, Bratislava, Trnava, Pest) as a choirmaster, organist, singing teacher and confessor.
The main repertoir of Roskovsky were liturgy chants which he gathered and issued in several textbooks. He was technically skilled which resulted in the above-average complexity of the repertoir. This might be the reason why his project of musical reform of the Marian Province was rejected. In 1769 the reform was done by P.G.Dettelbach. Only a few of his own compositions have been preserved. The early works are in baroque style, later he tended to classicism; he even rewrote some of the older works in the new style.

Works:

• 5 masses written in 1758-1761 (Missa Solemis originally arrogated to J. Haydn)
• Regina Coeli laetare (antiphon, before 1758)
• Offertorium de Resurrectione D. N. J. C.
• Vesperae Bacchanales (1768-1769, unique carnival parody)
• several smaller vocal, organ and harpsichord compositions

Sources:
Slovak Franciscans (in Slovakian language)
Mala encyklopedie hudby (book by dr. Jar. Smolka; &kolektiv, Supraphon 1983)
CD Booklet Musica Aeterna: Old Christmas Music from Slovakia (Opus 1993)

Sample (MP3):
Fuga Super Ite Missa est Nativiatis (rec. by Musica Aeterna, CD Old Christmas Music from Slovakia, Opus 1993)