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Three musical adaptations of the myth of Phaedra, in which the wife of King Theseus of Athens desperately falls in love with her stepson Hippolytus, were composed in the second half of the twentieth century by three homosexual composers: the dramatic cantata Phaedra for mezzosoprano and small orchestra (1976) by Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) after a text by the American poet Robert Lowell, the opera Le Racine: pianobar pour Phèdre (1980) by Sylvano Bussotti (1931-) after a libretto drafted by the composer himself and consisting of a prologue, three acts, and an intermezzo, and, last but not least, the two-act concert opera Phaedra (2007) by Hans Werner Henze (1926-2012) after a libretto by the German poet Christian Lehnert. The aim of this paper is to prove that the three homosexual composers chose a myth about an incestuous—and thus censored—love in order to represent homoerotic desire, labelled as deviant by the coeval heteronormative society and hence condemned by it. The study sheds light on the aspects of the most famous literary elaborations that affect gay sensibility, and on how the three composers experienced their homosexuality and gave utterance to it in their other works. The analysis of the three works at issue demonstrates that the discourse about gayness takes shape through the interplay of numerous aspects. The elaboration of the literary sources, the organization of the libretto, the characters’ definition, and the mise-en-scène, together with the music, put the myth into that perspective.
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The purpose of my paper is to reveal the main features of the mystery genre in the European musical culture of the 19th and the 20th century on the basis of the genre features established in the Antiquity and the Middle Ages.The mystery play genre, as we know, in essence means the firm unity of certain stable features. The complexity of those features consists of two specific elements—religion and social, and a general one—the model of the world for a certain epoch.If in the mysteries of Ancient civilizations and the Middle Ages, the aforementioned components operated as a firm unity of inseparable elements; later, in the period after the “new times”, especially at the end of the 19th century and in the 20th century, the stable elements were disintegrated from each other. This process is discussed on the examples of the following operas:• The common religion and ethical model—Wagner’s Parsifal;• The code of moral rules and principles in the social context—Schoenberg’s Moses und Aron;• The explication of Thomistic ideas in the modern world—Messiaen’s Saint François d’Assise.What is outlined is the unity of necessary components of the genre of the mystery play: multidimensional sources of libretto; a mission of the main hero; the author’s interpretation of the mystery; the abundance of ritual scenes; the relationship between the internal and externaldramaturgical processes; synthesis of the different theatrical genres; static dramaturgy. All of these features suggest a specific type of musical main mystic spheres: divine, terrestrial and demonic. Consequently, the dramaturgy of opera staging has three levels of activity: superficial, inner and upon time.
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The aim of this article is to interpret songs by Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and a less-known composer—Irena Wieniawska (1879−1932), based on the same poems by Paul Verlaine. In the first part of this paper, the relationships between Wieniawska, Fauré, Debussy, Ravel and Verlaine are subsequently described. Then, the author makes a comparison between selected songs by French composers and Madame Poldowski, indicating main similarities and differences. The final part consists of some remarks related to the fact that Wieniawska fulfills features of the French mélodie very strictly. This is why her songs seem to be more traditional, not as allusive and sophisticated as Debussy’s or Ravel’s vocal works.
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The history of the organs in the Cistercian Abbey in Kraków-Mogiła has not been studied so far. The article elaborates this topic based on the results of an archival query. Most of the sources are preserved in the Cistercian Archive in Mogiła. Examining them, the author discusses the history of instruments in the monastic church and in the former St Bartholomew church. On the basis of the sources, it was stated that at least in the 18th century the monastery church was equipped with two pipe organs. This fact has not been pointed out so far by researchers. The following article is supplemented by archival photographs.
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The Archive of St Joseph’s Convent in Kraków contains a collection of musical manuscripts, which have not been studied before. Among books of liturgical use, such as graduals and antiphonaries, there are also small cantionales, full of canto fratto repertoire. The majority of these sources originate from the Convent of Bernardine Nuns in Kraków; however, there are also at least two manuscripts from the Convent in Wilno. The aim of this paper is to present canto fratto repertoire of Benedicamus Domino found in the 18th and 19th century liturgical manuscripts from the Convent of Bernardine Nuns in Kraków. The author indicates sources of studied melodies based on the wide range of liturgical manuscripts from the 18th and 19th centuries—especially from convents of Bernardine Nuns in Poland, as well as from the Convent of Benedictine Friars in Staniątki—and compares it to the dispersal of canto fratto settings of ordinarium missae. Finally, the paper presents complete index of Benedicamus Domino melodies in the annex.
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Infant prodigies were a common phenomenon in the 19th century. They astonished the audience not only through their impressive abilities, but also the innocent beauty and the youthful grace. The perfect example of this is Apolinary Kątski (1826–1879), a violin virtuoso and a composer, known mainly as the founder of the Institute of Music in Warsaw, who, since he was three, was recognizable in concert halls all over Europe.According to the author, the early stage of the violinist’s activity requires more attention. The presented article sketches the path of young Apolinary’s life from the moment of his first performance in 1829 to May 1838, when he was granted with the famous recommendation of Niccolò Paganini. It introduced him to numerous concert halls of Europe and positively influenced his further artistic activity. The hereby presented paper makes an attempt to find out the date and place of birth of Kątski in the context of the rich musical activity of his family members. It also shows the first artistic tours of the young virtuoso against the background of his artistically talented siblings: a violinist Karol, pianists Stanisław and Antoni, and a singer Eugenia. The crucial moment are reflections on the stay of the family in Paris and their first performances in the musical centre of Europe as well as contacts of the young violinist with Niccolò Paganini.The studies on the correspondence of the father of the virtuoso, Grzegorz Kątski, and research on the foreign newspapers let the author reconstruct the life of Apolinary Kątski in the very first stage of his musical activity and place him in the context of infant prodigies of the 18th and 19th centuries.
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The main aim of this paper is to examine the discourse on Frédéric Chopin that took place in Poland in 1949, when the 100th anniversary of his birth coincided with the culmination of the socialist realist propaganda in the field of Polish culture. The discourse, initiated and moderated under effective surveillance of the Polish People’s Republic’s government, was filled with communist ideology. The authorities aimed at creating a sense of communion in the Polish nation, therefore they undertook numerous actions in the area of cultivating memory of Chopin and reception of his works. The composer was used as a banner under which the culture of socialist realism was to be consolidated. Chopin was presented by the narrators in the socialist realist context in various dimensions.“Deep humanism”, “truth”, “optimism”, “sincerity” and “democratic features” of Chopin’s music were the crucial notions used by them. Chopin was depicted, among others, as a revolutionist and a prophet of triumph of communism. The oeuvre of Chopin was said to bring together “fraternal countries and nations”, Polish People’s Republic and Soviet Union, while being simultaneously a crucial element of class conflict. The authorities had a tendency to overemphasize folk roots of his compositions, thus among musical genres composed by Chopin the importance of Mazurka was exaggerated. Other genres without such strong folk connotations, as sonatas, ballades and scherzos, were marginalized in the discourse.
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This article explores the newly discovered account books of the Lviv Uniate Musical Chapel of the Bishop Leon Szeptycki. The main stay of this musical chapel was the architectural complex of the Cathedral of St George in Lviv. Today, two account books are stored in the department of old books and manuscripts of the Andrey Sheptytsky National Museum in Lviv in the archives of the Lviv bishops; they cover the years 1760–1779. In the first two parts of the article, the author investigates the issues of the founding of the musical chapel and its place of activity. In the third part, there is a list of musicians who were members of this chapel over the years. In addition to the names and surnames, their positions, years of employment, musical instruments which they played and details of their biography are indicated. In the next part, there is a list of pupils of the chapel. It appears that the total number of pupils ranged from 2 to 14. Adult musicians and pupils played various instruments: harpsichord (“klawicymbaly”), clavichord (“klawikort”), organ, violin, alto, viola da gamba (“kwartviola”), cello (“basetla”), oboe, bassoon, trumpet and horn; there were singers as well. In the fifth part, the author specifies in what way the Lviv Uniate musical chapel was financed. In the next part, both the church and the secular musical repertoire of the musical chapel are described. In this section, also information from the Warsaw periodicals are used. In the seventh part, the collaboration of the Uniate music chapel with other chapels and monastic orders, Jesuits, Dominicans and Conventual Franciscans is explored. In the last part, the author examines the information about the human settlements that are found on the pages of the account books.
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In the article, the author investigates 24 musical manuscripts belonging to former Miners’ Orchestra of Wałbrzych (Waldenburger Bergkapelle), which used the sources for concerts of the orchestra. The analysed manuscripts have not yet been researched or catalogued in RISM (Répertoire International des Sources Musicales) database before. The ensemble’s repertoire was analysed and the collection’s characteristics, including copyists, watermarks and stamps, were examined. It allowed to assess the provenience of the manuscripts and make certain remarks about the type of repertoire played by Waldenburger Bergkapelle. The results of the analysis were presented in the context that can be found in secondary sources, widely describing the activity of the orchestra. The author also carried on cataloguing in Warsaw University Library, creating the catalogue in the Muscat RISM system. Considering the numbers on shelfmarks, it can be assumed that the original collection contained circa one hundred of musical sources. However, only a small part of them is known and catalogued. Therefore, the knowledge of the collection remains incomplete and is worth further investigation.
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Edward Mąkosza (born on 13th November 1886 in Lisków, died on 25th April 1973 in Częstochowa) was a Polish composer, pedagogue, conductor, organist and ethnomusicologist. He was the main organiser of the musical life in Częstochowa. He is an author of circa 1000 compositions. He received numerous commendations and was a hero of the Jasna Góra Monastery. The article, presenting Edward Mąkosz’s biography, is to serve as an intro-duction to the comprehensive study of his work. The subsequent periods of his life (childhood, youth, professional work until World War II, professional work after World War II) are discussed. Then, we focus on the composer’s broadly understood activity: social, pedagogical and artistic undertakings. The article aims to show the professor’s entire life.
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Review of: Ulrike Schröder - Jiří Vysloužil: Musikgeschichte Mährens und Mährisch-Schlesiens vom Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts bis 1945. Übers. von Věra Vysloužilová. (Wiener Schriften zur Stilkunde und Aufführungspraxis, Sonderbd. 7.) Böhlau. Wien u. a. 2014. 292 S., Ill., Kt. ISBN 978-3-205-79528-5. (€ 49,–.)
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In the time we live in, music is a cult. The musical style brings with it not only the worldview, but also the whole lifestyle of its listeners. Very often walking on the streets we can see girls with Rihanna's hair or boys dressed as Justin Bieber. But this is by no means a novelty or a fashion - the music that is listened to reflects on the appearance. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, considered to be one of the symbols of the 60's and recognized as the most innovative and popular performers in the history of pop music, are considered to be one of the first major music waves to flood in and create their own style. As a period, the time in which the two bands quickly gained popularity coincided with the mass distribution of television. The performers quickly imposed their own lifestyle, behavior and dress, supporting the idea of avant-garde music of their time
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Well is one of the important sources to reach water in rural areas where technological opportunuties are limited in. It’s seen that, this source has a place in Turkish culture, in the world of literature and thought in both real and figurative meanings. The reality is well theme has been using as a powerful symbol in daily life idioms and proverbs, mânis and folk songs, tales, mythes, legends, classical poems, modern literature apart from it’s worldly meaning. Therefore, the reflection of well theme to Tukish movie theatre has a parallel direction with its’ common using in both Turkish culture and literature. It is seen that; material, legendary and psychological aspects of well are emphasized in dramas and horror movies. In this article, the transfer of well theme from folk culture and Turkish literature to movie theatre is examined with a functionalist point. It is tried to be analysed over the well theme that; although there is a thought of a materialistic factor has lost its’ function apparently, with the changing of context, it has gained new functions. With this research besides its’ water resource, these functions of well are determined; it is a socialising means, a source for taboo, useful as a witness for people who fix their faults, a milestone in the life of people who are seen as holy figures, a symbol to describe impossibilities and desperations. Also, it is a way to descibe beauty of lover in classical literature, has various functions as a metaphor to impress the “death, sexuality, past, unknown” and complicated feelings in both modern literature and movie theatre.
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The review of: Binark, Mutlu (2019) Kültürel Diplomasi ve Kore Dalgası “Hallyu” -Güney Kore’de Sinema Endüstrisi, K-Dramalar ve K-Pop; Ankara: Siyasal Kitabevi, ISBN: 9786057877321, 183 sayfa
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This article compares Czechoslovak, Czech and Slovenian hardcore punk fanzine scenes from the 1980s up to the present, emphasising in particular their connections to the various anti-authoritarian movements with which they share the common idea of do-it-yourself (DIY). The comparison is embodied in the histories of above-mentioned scenes and in the context of their legacies. Fanzines are the author’s main sources mainly because cultural and political activities were connected on their pages. While Czech hardcore-punk fanzine culture has persisted until today, Slovenian fanzines in fact have disappeared hand-in-hand with advancing gentrification, despite the punk scenes being remarkably strong there during the period of socialism.
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In this study, the distribution of religious works composed in Maqam Hijaz and included in TRT repertoire in terms of composers, forms, and rhythm were examined for the period between the 18th century, when the first religious work in Maqam Hijaz was identified, and the 21st century. The number of works, composers, the variety of rhythm and forms used in the Maqam Hijaz were determined and given in tables under the headings by the centuries for the period between the 18th century and the 21st century. The research data were obtained by reviewing TRT Turkish Arts Music vocal works repertoire and related literature. In the literature review stage, the scientific articles and the books, including the theoretical ones, related to the subject were reviewed.
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The fields art and culture have always been controlled and protected by authorities through various policies. Having been protected by the Ottoman Empire for many centuries, and seen as the official music of the empire, makam music went through various changes and transformations due to the Westernization movements from the beginning of the 19th century onwards. Turkish makam music which took its final form with the proclamation of the Republic in 1923, began to be seen as an archaic element as a result of the policies of this new regime, and was attempted to be eliminated through the Gökalpist doctrine, in order to found a national music. This research has been focused on the analysis of the effects of the reforms attempted in the musical area following the proclamation of the Republic, on the broadcasting activity in Ankara Radio. Books, magazines, newspapers and articles which give information about the Ankara Radio, have been determined and accessed through the archive research, and examined thoroughly. Thus within this research has been employed a qualitative descriptive research method. As a result of the research, it has been concluded that Ankara Radio could not avoid the dominant ideology since its foundation and has been kept Turkish makam music in the background thereby concentrate on Western music on broadcasting, even though it brought an stylistic innovation.
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The article introduces the adventure videogame, it’s features and sub-genres. The focus is on the narrative and how it’s change over the years. Seven video games, published between 2000-2019, were analyzed through a single matrix. The various narrative structures and their influence on storytelling are analyzed. In the last part an object of attention are the hybrid genre of action-adventure videogames and it’s spread in various media. The text is part of a thesis successfully defended at FJMC in 2019
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