Gál Huszár (1512–1575)

Wandering preacher and typographer 

Studying at the university of Krakow Huszár first worked as a Catholic rector, then converted to the cause of the Reformation. During his eventful life he was repeatedly imprisoned for his faith and had to escape on several occasions. He worked as a priest and printer in Magyaróvár, Kassa, Debrecen, Nagyszombat, Komárom, Rózsavölgy, Komjáti and Pápa. From Kassa Gál Huszár fled to Debrecen invited by the town preacher, Péter Méliusz Juhász. He spent only one and a half years in the town, where he was the first to print a book, primarily the works of Méliusz, then, as he passed on to another town to occupy a preaching position, printing work continued with his equipment that he had left behind. Debrecen has had a printing press continuously since the publication of his first printed work, throughout a period over 460 years now. The printed Huszár-hymnal was published in 1560–1561 with musical notation to 105 hymns, collecting several melodies that had been unknown before. His work was probably the first in the list of Protestant congregational hymnals and served as a model for many other publications that came after it.