Vol. 20 No. 19-20 (2019): ARTES. JOURNAL OF MUSICOLOGY
Volume 19-20 of the periodical Artes. Journal of Musicology continues the favourite lines of research of the scientific environment in Iași, occasioned again by the works presented at the 8th edition of the national Symposium Stylistic Identity and Contexts in Romanian Music organised by the “George Enescu” National University of Arts from Iași on 23-24 November 2018. The academic-type modern sonic art and the psaltic music of Byzantine origins, the two traditional cognitive worlds of Iași musicology are complemented through the expression of a further interest for jazz music in its postmodern mixes.
The general vision of the scientific approaches also develops in this issue the sphere of comparative analysis – Romanian vs. international musical works – through veritable thematic diversity, organised in the volume in two great categories: A. Music history. New directions in the interpretation of the artistic past and B. Art and significance in contemporary musical works. Readers will discover musicological studies based on the critical evaluation and reception of recent history (works signed by Tatiana Oltean, Loredana Iațeșen, Laura Otilia Vasiliu), research and analytical works of the psaltic patrimony in Romania (signed by Irina Zamfira Dănilă and Cătălin Cernătescu), semantic interpretations of Romanian works, contemporary composition techniques (studies by Cezara Petrescu, Claudia Nezelschi, Petruța-Maria Coroiu, Cătălin Răsvan), works promoting through analysis values of the musical art of Iași (achieved by Ciprian Ion and Aurelia Simion), reflections and research on contemporary stylistic crossroads (texts by Alex Vasiliu and Carmen Almășanu) etc.
The volume reflects the continuous ramification of the process of writing about music, gathering works elaborated from the perspective of the various specialisations of the musical field. The musicologist’s vision is revealed as being strongly interdisciplinary and critical, the performer deepens the analysis of the structure in order to gradually constitute an autonomous form of decrypting the relation between form and content (we mention here the studies signed by Oana-Andreea Severin and Cristina-Nicoleta Șoitu), the composer goes straight to the target by revealing the essence of the means of expression, their artistic value (we are referring to Ciprian Ion’s work), the sound engineer (Cătălin Răsvan) honours his status by offering useful technical information for those interested in the electro-acoustic sonic universe.
Celebrated in Romania in 2018, the centennial of the Great Union inspired ample evaluations of the Romanian musical phenomena in the last hundred years. Musicologist Carmen Chelaru’s work – Romania in The Last Hundred Years Historical and Musical Considerations. What was done? What are we doing? What to do? – is an ample piece of research of the parallel evolution of the Romanian society and musical life from World War I to the contemporary period, featuring the selection of relevant temporal areas and events from the historical and musical past. The investigation benefits from a vast bibliography focusing on the reconsideration and reinterpretation of facts thorough the lens of post-ideological freedom of thought. In her turn, Byzantinologist Elena Chircev configures a “panorama” of the musical art of Byzantine tradition created by Romanian cantors in the last hundred years – a vast piece of research finalised in a significant, solidly reasoned synthesis regarding the relationship between ideology and religious music: The Romanian Music of Byzantine Tradition Between 1918 and 2018.
In the section Book reviews, a recent and very important documentary retrieval from the history of the “George Enescu” National University of Arts – The Book of Honour – is presented in an article signed by Carmen Chelaru, the main author in the recovery of the lost tome.
Editor-in-chief,
Prof. Laura Vasiliu, PhD
