Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Musica

THE BOOK OF SCATTERED BEADS (reflections on the narrative content, on the semantic map, and on the structural architecture: Pascal Bentoiu, “Deschideri spre lumea muzicii (Openings to the World of Music)”, Bucharest: Editura Muzicală, 1973)

2024-01-05T11:11:55+00:00

Through a simple chronological positioning, the title of this book – Openings to the World of Music – declares its bridge identity through the very date of publication – 1973. It is a year located exactly at the point of symmetry between 1971, the publication of the volume Image and Sense, and 1975, respectively, the year in which Musical Thought appears. Thus, concludes what in my consciousness immediately finds a title – The Hermeneutic Trilogy – by the composer Pascal Bentoiu.

At the Crossroads between Opera and Oratorio: Biblical Themes and 19ᵗʰ Century French Opera

2024-01-05T07:26:38+00:00

The present study aims to investigate the delicate border between oratorios and operas based on biblical subjects, focusing on French music. A brief analysis of the period prior to the 19^th century reveals that the oratorio was not one of the most popular genres in France, allowing the genesis of various genres inspired by biblical subjects. The oratorio enjoyed a brief revival in the 18^th century, leading in the 19^th century to the composition of biblical operas and the dawn of genres that are at the crossroads between opera and oratorio: mystére, drame sacré, or légende sacrée, represented by works of Jules Massenet. Although traditionally referred to as oratorios, these works allowed for staged representation, due to the dramatic qualities of the librettos, which in turn allowed for the musical discourse to depart from the sobriety of the oratorio and to include certain features that are characteristic for opera. Gradually, biblical subjects began to be tackled in operas as well, as will be seen in the works of Camille Saint-Saëns and Jules Massenet, the two composers on whose works the present study mainly focuses. At the same time, biblical themes can be related to musical orientalism, but also to the fin de siècle decadent aesthetic (through their exploration of such themes as the opposition between sacred and erotic love), serving as mirror for the political, social, and religious context of the Third Republic.

Impressionism in Serbian Music

2024-01-05T07:35:09+00:00

Musical Impressionism is one of the currents that reflected the anti-romantic discourse of the beginning of the 20th century, having a resonance only in the French cultural space - where the preference for suggestion, for deliberately imprecise tone and nuance has always worked. Although musicological studies do not display very important differences in attitude when it comes to defining impressionist compositions, musicologists’ opinions sometimes diverge. However, taking into consideration the extent to which the comparative method and the stylistic analysis, applied to music, can be conditioned by subjective experiences, the discrepancies can be said to be almost negligible. Basically, the opinion is that the elements of Impressionism in the first half of the 20th century were the most marked in certain compositions by Petar Konjović (1883-1970), Miloje Milojević (1884-1946) and Stevan Hristić (1885-1958), and to a lesser degree (only in the case of a few parameters of the musical language) we can see them in certain compositions by other composers.

Remixing as a Ludus-Component of the Modern Culture

2024-01-05T07:42:56+00:00

The modern development of culture motivates the appearance of new modifications of the play element, based on the concept of Homo Ludens by J. Huizinga. The article substantiates a new scientific concept – remixing as the dominant principle of the organization of artistic matter. A definition of this concept is provided. The specificity of its manifestation is thought over using examples from pop culture, academic musical art (in particular, the creativity of the pianist-composer M.-A. Hamelin, the sketch duo Igudesman & Joo, the Rondo Veneziano orchestra), authentic performance, the opera genre (productions of “Alcina” by G. Handel, “La Cenerentola” by G. Rossini), products of the TV industry. The main vectors of the remixing process are characterized in accordance with the realization of the final artistic goal. The organic nature of the interaction of play logic with the combinatorial thinking of Homo Modernus is revealed.

The Relationship between Color and Music in the Art of Composer Ede Terényi

2024-01-05T07:49:03+00:00

From his early youth, the composer lived his whole life under the spell of colors and color combinations. His talent as an artist was already apparent at the age of six, when, in addition to his piano studies, he enjoyed drawing plants and flowers in school notebooks. He kept his first vase, on one side of which he drew a bouquet of flowers sprouting from a heart on a bright pale green background when he was in high school, and on the other side a deer flying through a bush and a pine tree. She always felt a special fascination for the pine tree, seeing it as a symbol, its scent, and its green color as magical. He was similarly attracted to green grassy lawns and the changing colors of autumn leaves, which he saw as a symphony. These childhood experiences are also reflected in his colorful graphics. This paper presents the relationship between color and music in Ede Terényi’s compositions, and the composer’s conception of tonal aesthetics, the relationship between tonalities and colors.

Tremolo on Domra as a Means of Artistic Expression

2024-01-05T07:53:49+00:00

The article is devoted to tremolo as one of the most important techniques of playing the domra using a plectrum. The article analyzes the use of tremolo in the practice of performing on various instruments – struck string, string, wind instruments, piano. Tremolo on domra in modern performance is considered in several aspects – as a way to lengthen the sound and a specific coloristic technique. At the same time, a new look at tremolo as a special unique means of artistic expression is offered. The research angle focuses on auditory problems in the process of technical implementation of tremolo and the use of tremolo intensity as a means of overcoming inertial mechanical movements and negative perception of uniform sound. Using the example of modern works for domra and mandolin by Oleg Bezborodko, Valery Ivko, Yasuo Kuwahara, Evgen Milka, Oleksandr Oliinyk, Boryslav Stronko, the main functions of tremolos and the problems of their performance specification are considered.

Principles and Procedures of the Construction of Opera Scenarios

2024-01-05T07:57:58+00:00

The construction of opera scenarios involves the development of a dramatic and narrative framework upon which an opera is built. These scenarios serve as the foundation for the libretto, music, staging, and overall production of the opera. In this introduction, we will explore the principles and procedures that guide the creation of opera scenarios. In summary, constructing an opera scenario is a complex and collaborative process that involves the careful consideration of narrative, character, music, and cultural context. The principles and procedures outlined here provide a foundation for the creation of opera scenarios that can captivate audiences and convey the depth of human emotion through music and drama. Over time, the evolution of the singing voice follows a phenomenon of symbiosis between words and music. The intertwining of the act of speaking with that of singing is constantly found in the concerns of the creators in ancient monody, Greek declamation, Gregorian chant, in the polyphonic style, in the opera performance as well as in all the ramifications of the vocal genre.

Orchestration of Proper Piano Pieces as a Self-Interpretation

2024-01-05T08:02:47+00:00

The study is focused on the problem of composers’ self-interpretation in the orchestrations of their own piano pieces. This specific case of a creative re-thinking contains not only adaptation of a piano score to orchestral instruments, but also adding new semantic meaning, sound atmosphere and texture principles as well as further development of initial music idea.

For the analysis two pieces of Maurice Ravel and Borys Lyatoshinsky – two prominent masters of orchestration and piano miniature of 20^th century, were chosen. Their approaches are distinguishably different: (a) the detailed reordering of the initial idea from an “instrument Piano” to an “instrument Orchestra” (Ravel); (b) throughout development with essential changes firstly within piano means, than by orchestral means in the genre of Symphony (Lyatoshinsky).

The Cherubikons of Ukrainian Composers of the 20ᵗʰ–21ˢᵗ Centuries: The Spiritual Genre in Modern Stylistic Interpretation

2024-01-05T08:08:10+00:00

There are considered the features of the Cherubikons as a special troparion in the system of Orthodox worship. It is emphasized that the singing of the Cherubikon is characterized by extraordinary splendor and solemnity; historically, it always stood out noticeably from other chants. It is indicated that the style of the Cherubikons of various stages of the development of the liturgical singing was influenced by the general style panorama of that era. It is determined that, despite this, during each of the historical eras, significant samples of the Cherubikon were created, which retain visible connections with the genre invariant, based on the reliance on the text, strophic and melodiousness. It is determined that the Cherubikons performed in churches today are stylistically simple, but very convenient for choral singing. Separately allocated spiritual music, written not for church use, but for concert performances by modern composers. It is revealed that Cherubikons songs written by modern Ukrainian composers belong to sacred music and have no direct links with liturgical practice. They are individual author’s implement of the canonical text. The musical language of these Cherubikons is extremely complex and involves the use of modern composition techniques. This allows composers to embody the symbolism of the content of the liturgical text and a new look at the traditions of Christian singing.

Microanalysis of a Music Therapy Session Segment with An Autistic Child

2024-01-05T08:14:40+00:00

The following microanalysis helps analyze an essential aspect of a music therapy session with a child diagnosed with autism. This detailed analysis highlights how essential music is in this little girl’s life, both in expression and communication. Microanalysis in music therapy aims to critically analyze the therapy process, focusing even on the smallest elements from a musical and therapeutic view. The music therapy sessions with this client and the analysis are based on the theory of communicative musicality developed by Trevarthen and Malloch. Just as Malloch argues that communicative musicality between mother and infant has three essential parts - pulse, timbre, and narrative - so it is observed that the analyses of the segments chosen were based on these principles. The narrative of the musical interaction between the client and therapist points to the fact that it expresses innate motives for sharing emotion and experience with other people and creating meaning in shared activity. It allows two people to share a sense of passing time and to create and share the emotional framework that evolves through this shared time.

The Cognitive Mechanism of Music

2024-01-05T08:30:34+00:00

Music clearly has a mathematical structure. From the ancient Pythagoreans we know that harmony is the mathematical ratio between the notes (the frequencies as has been discovered by physics). This operation can be performed by the brain which has been seen as a kind of computer by the philosophy of mind of the last decades. And it is an unconscious operation. The conscious presentation of music contains the intervals as phenomenal components, yet not in a mathematical form, obviously, but in a sensorial form, alongside the notes themselves. The experience of music must contain the intervals as cognitions (in the sense that they have phenomenal form), otherwise no music would be possible at all. The phenomenological structure of harmony shows us the notes themselves in the foreground but the intervals in the background that we can still hear and experience it fused with the notes. The experience of the intervals are also not the emotions that music evokes in us - though they are definitely connected in some ways by the neural circuits of the brain and compose further phenomenological structures.

Music and the Altered State of Consciousness

2024-01-05T08:38:26+00:00

Tourists travelling to Turkey may encounter circling (mevlevi) dervishes in Konya, spinning in circles to achieve a kind of altered state of consciousness and enter a trance-like state of ecstasy. The world of popular music has also been inspired by the concepts of Christianity and ecstasy, and some rock bands have emerged from a combination of the two. This altered state of consciousness is brought about by the combined effect of dance and music, which they believe can be an ecstatic experience of dual action, freeing one from the agonies and pains of everyday life. In some religions, the ecstatic and altered state of consciousness is part of ritual and worship as a power unleashed. The question is, is there a place for music-induced ecstasy in Christian worship? In this sub-chapter, we will discuss the ecstatic effect of music, the altered state of consciousness experienced as a result, and the increasingly prevalent binaural beats and music at 432 hertz.

Definitory Characteristics of Pianistic Expression in the Contemporary Jazz

2024-01-05T08:45:46+00:00

The general fundamental approach of improvisation, of the creative moment in jazz leads succinctly to the question of whether this phenomenon is a product or a process. The jazz perception as a product assumes that the recordings accompanied by the related transcripts represent that product (final) which is used for analytical purposes by taking harmonical-melodical characteristics. It is important to remember the aspect by which these transcripts do not fully express the essence of improvised thinking and elaboration but are only a starting point in identifying key characteristic features. The possibility of representing a replica of the artistic act produced on stage, however, is not a real one. Visualizing the improvisation process as a practical way of creative performance is therefore an essential aspect of the artistic act. This should be considered together with the product, especially when synthesizing models or indicators that define the personal style of the instrumentalist. Previously, some jazz critics defined the vision of the two modes as an inseparable dichotomy, which is the basis of multi-dimensional analytical possibilities. Beginning in the ’60s, jazz is marked in the expression and elaboration of pianistics by Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Bill Evans and later by Keith Jarrett. They implement a variety of contemporary jazz elements, melodical-harmonic expressions that will be taken over and will obviously lead to a new evolutionary stage.

About Electroacoustic Music: From the Beginning until Our Days

2024-01-05T08:50:49+00:00

In this article, we will follow the development of electroacoustic music. This article focusses especially on the instruments that contributed to the apparition of this genre of music, starting with the beginnings, before the twentieth century. This will help us understand the evolution of musical instruments and how important they are when it comes to making music. What is more fascinating about electro acoustic music will be presented in the article, focusing on some of the pioneers of this type of music, and how electro acoustic music turned into what nowadays we call techno music. Also, we will follow the development of the instruments used back in the days to the processor which we use in the creation of electronic music.

Vocal Pedagogy - Reflections on How to Teach Proper Speaking and Singing to Students

2024-01-05T08:54:14+00:00

The present study intends to dive into the world of technically appropriate human sound production. Whether it’s used in professional speech or singing, understanding the different elements that aid in the correct creation and emission of sound are prerequisites for all who intend to pursue a career that requires speaking or singing for an extended period of time. From the characteristics of sound, to the anatomy of how sound is created, what does technical breathing mean but also what a voice trainer needs to pay attention to in terms of anatomy but also psychology when working with students, the following article presents the steps and methods a vocal coach needs to take into account when taking on a new student.

László Dobszay: The World of Tones Solfège Book Series and the Timeliness of the Contemporary Edition

2024-01-05T09:03:46+00:00

The article discusses the necessity of the contemporary publication of The World of Tones series of solfege books by Dobszay. It outlines the areas of Kodály method that are related to the textbooks and describes the solfege publications in use before the series was published.

Modern Global Trends in the Development of Choral Performance

2024-01-05T09:08:52+00:00

The relevance of the studied issue is the need to identify the main trends in choral performance, and determine the principles of the work of conductors and choral artists in the context of renewal of the components in this field. The aim of the research is to study the problem of current global trends in the development of choral performance as a complex multifaceted and integral phenomenon. Its practical methods (audio search; audio selection; audio analysis) were used in the research. The aspects of modern choral performance (interdisciplinary; socio-cultural; as well as artistic management; professional training; modern engineering technologies; information and communication space; technologies aimed at preserving human and professional resources) were identified. The current components of activity in the field of modern choral art were established. The directions of modern choral practice were identified (activation of the musical group in the life of society; expansion of traditional executive functions; growth of the genre stylistic palette of the choral repertoire). The system of key modernized methods of interpreting choral works of the 20th and 21st centuries was studied (principles of intonation; the principle of expanding the range; the principle of enriching the technical means of interpretation; the principles of forming the performance texture; the principle of interpreting the verbal text in the context of the choral score; the principle of creating different types of sound). The general features of modern choral performance in Ukraine and in the world were studied. The results can be applied in the process of researching future choral performing practice and preparing the relevant studies. The prospects of research in this field of musical culture are to enrich the theoretical and practical sectors of choral art as a complex system which is open for updates.

The Arsenal of Means Used by a Conductor in Decoding an Opera Score

2024-01-05T09:29:06+00:00

For a conductor the text of the score is that building material used in the creation of “his own world”. This paper examines the system
of means used by a conductor in creating an opera performance. A transformation of the “mobile” and “fixed” elements of the score into a magnificent world of opera performance. The study is based on material from a production of the opera Orpheus by Claudio Monteverdi, directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, conductor being Nikolaus Harnoncourt. This staging can certainly be considered one of the most striking examples of the remarkable interplay between conductor and director in an opera production. Each new revised edition of different opera titles, over the centuries, becomes the product of the personal vision of the creators, acting from the point of view of the aesthetics of its time.

Violin Etudes of the 19ᵗʰ Century in the Aspect of the Evolution of Performing Mastery

2024-01-05T09:50:16+00:00

The article examines the role and significance of violin etudes of the 19th century in the evolution of European performing art. The contribution of the figure of N. Paganini and his creative work in the process of transition between the eras of classicism and romanticism has been determined. It has been noted that the artistic and aesthetic views of the Genoese virtuoso, which significantly exceeded the capabilities of his contemporaries, reoriented the didactic material. On the example of the etude collections of P. Rode and J. Dont – representatives of schools of various musical arts – it has been found that the opuses of the educational direction usually reflect the real state of performance of a certain historical period, the complex process of coexistence of the established tradition and innovations, reassessment of ideas about the semantic and technical potential of the violin.

Interpretative Elements of György Kósa’s Chinese Song Series From an Art Psychology Perspective

2024-01-05T10:03:35+00:00

I got to know the art of György Kósa (1897-1984) during my performing career. During the performances of the first Chinese Songs series, the songs inspired me to learn more about the composer. Delving into the literature shed light on the composer’s artistic concept, elements of which I can identify with also as a performer. It can be said that, even if we focus only on his songwriting, his most important role as a songwriter is to communicate values. His choice of lyrics is based on a profound knowledge of twentieth-century Hungarian and world literature, and his literary themes represent both the cultural and mental-spiritual well-being of the time, and satisfy the musician’s need for expression, both on a personal and a communal level. György Kósa’s oeuvre as a songwriter is a densely woven structure, consistently and organically formed. The songs are each a microcosm of their own, linked to a particular state of being, time and emotional mood of the individual, and in portraying this, the literary and musical tools employed can all be accurately mapped.

Performance Style as Comprehensive Artistic Method in the Field of Music

2024-01-05T10:20:04+00:00

The possibility of a review of this topic consists in the disclosure of a specific performing and instrumental awareness of the notion of style, namely, in the methodological direction of this definition as factor of the intellectual and practical perspectives for the interpretation of musical pieces. The theme of the style is complex in understanding of the problems of musical and performing arts. It is not about the stylistic features of a particular personality of the composer or an era in which this personality worked and was spiritually raised, but more about the principles of their definition. Our attempts to understand the notion of performing style are intended to help define it as carrier of a specific artistic thinking, which is objectively shaped and technologically and conceptually functioning.

Analytical Aspects of the Three Versions of "Confitebor Tibi, Domine" by Claudio Monteverdi

2024-01-05T10:25:56+00:00

This work focuses on the musical analysis of Monteverd’s composition styles in his sacred music. The motets, Confitebor tibi, Domine were printed in 1640 in collection of Selva morale e spiritual. Even in these rigidly bound works, Monteverdi gives full intensity to the meaning of every word of the text, trying to bring it to life in a vivid and convincing way. These three versions of Psalm 111 present different compositional techniques, through which Monteverdi wishes to emphasize the content of the text.

Examples in the development of Clementi’s four-hand piano sonata

2024-01-05T10:39:05+00:00

Muzio Clementi exploits the possibilities of duet texture more, individualizing the middle voices as a separate layer. However, it cannot compete with the refinement of the interweaving of voices in Mozart’s duets. The bass and middle voices often provide a supporting function for the melodic material concentrated in the primo part. Clementi’s four-hand sonatas are among the earliest significant works of four-hand piano in musical history. They reflect the composer’s individual and intense journey through the genre and the variety of his approaches.

Opera Metamorphoses of the Story of "Manon Lescaut"

2024-01-05T10:43:26+00:00

In the article, the opera genre is comprehended in its two hypostases – as the one inheriting the mythological tradition through the plots and experience of literature, and in the dynamics of the manifestation of individual creative consciousness. The tendency to demythologize the opera genre did not exclude the typification of situational motifs genetically related to the myth, while giving rise to their variable plurality in the new socio-cultural and artistic-aesthetic conditions. As a result, the opera reveals the ability to operate with archetypes, drawing closer to the mythopoetic consciousness. The considered compositions by D. Auber, J. Massenet, G. Puccini, H. W. Henze demonstrate the variety of opera metamorphoses of the story by Abbé Prévost. The path from the idealization of plot situations through the disclosure of the drama of feelings to the reduction of conflicts to the level of a tabloid story closes the circle of semantic overtones of the literary source.

Transcription, Paraphrase, Creed in Franz Liszt’s 'Variations on „Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen”'

2024-01-05T10:47:53+00:00

Franz Liszt created a new tradition by playing transcriptions and paraphrasing the most well-known operas and works of his time on his fabulous concerts. This habit created new genres like Transcriptions (Reminiscences de Norma S. 394, Grandes études de Paganini S. 141) and Paraphrases (The Rigoletto Paraphrase S.434, The Ernani Paraphrase S. 432). The Variations on „Weinen Klagen Sorgen Zagen” fits into both categories: On the one hand Liszt paraphrases J.S.Bach’s Crucifixus and the 12th Cantata. On the other hand, he transcribes with a great craftsmanship his piano work for organ. The historical and private background of this work testifies to an extraordinary faith.

The Proportion and Importance of Folk Music in Piano Method Volume 1 and 2

2024-01-05T10:56:05+00:00

The study focuses on the folk music aspect of Piano Method Volume 1 and 2, which are still widely used in Hungarian piano teaching. It examines the proportion and function of Hungarian folk songs in the volumes. It sheds light on folk songs appearing in different phases of piano teaching and their methodological possibilities of use.

"The Gates of Sky" by Ede Terényi: Sources and Context

2024-01-05T11:00:35+00:00

The ninth decade of the last century brought an opening for domestic composers towards themes less tolerated until then, especially religious ones. In the case of Ede Terényi, this resulted, among other, in a considerable number of church choral works of Protestant and Catholic origin. The Gates of Sky composed in 1996 stands out in this context not only for its musical complexity, but also for the way it deals with a subject that has its roots beyond Christianity in archaic cultures. Our study aims to investigate those factors that contributed to the conception of this piece rich in meaning and significance, its sources of inspiration, and the shaping of the text of the three movements. In a subsequent study we will also discuss elements of style and expression in a detailed musical analysis.

Interferences Between Tradition and Modernity in the Symphonic and Concerto Works by Adrian Pop – (2) Etos I

2024-01-05T11:06:34+00:00

The present study is part of a series of analytical approaches undertaken on the symphonic-concertant oeuvre of Cluj composer Adrian Pop. Following the chronological order of the works and keeping as a reference their common source of inspiration – namely the Romanian folklore –, the conclusion seeks to highlight the way in which the composer’s individuality relates to both the trends of contemporary language and the European cultured musical tradition, without attenuating the signs of the local stylistic matrix. Starting from the melody of a Miorița from Sălaj, whose typology will prove crucial in rendering the Blagian concept of the undulating plain, the composer uses traditional means – in particular the timbral essences and effects specific to folk organology – or contemporary techniques such as spectralism, texturalism, heterophony, to capture both the descriptive aspects of the idyllic universe and the archaic, archetypal, timeless and, last but not least, tragic essences of the philosophical and literary source. The symphonic discourse established at the level of the three main sections of the work follows a path of almost organic development, from the cellular-motivic elements that anticipate the Miorița theme, engaged in homogeneous, pulsating, diaphanous, or extremely dissonant textures, to the unique moment of virtuosity of the two semantroms in the central section and, finally, to the display of the original melody in juxtaposition, or superimposition with its inversion, in a tableau dominated by the ascent and descent of the flocks of sheep.

In Memoriam Viorel Cosma (1923-2017): Outstanding Personality for Romanian Musicology

2024-01-05T07:17:45+00:00

This year marks a century since the birth of the musicologist and enescologist Viorel Cosma (1923-2017). The purpose of this article is to recall the impact that Viorel Cosma had in musicological research on a national and international level through the thousands of signed articles and through the approximately 100 books published on themes that highlighted Romanian music and musicians. The significant contributions of Viorel Cosma are recognized in particular for 22 volumes dedicated to George Enescu, for 12 biobibliographical lexicons with personalities of Romanian music, for musical criticism signed throughout 40 years at concerts as well 60 years at opera performances. Viorel Cosma remains in the history of Romanian musical culture as an emblematic personality who successfully combined the role of musicologist, teacher, enescologist, lexicographer and music critic.