213 research outputs found
The Garden and the Scene of Power
No full textHere, the author is dealing with the dual valence of social and aesthetic representations of a symbolic place, the garden, and of its links with collective memory. She will approach the argument from a variety of perspectives that can be summarized as follows: (a) the social and aesthetic representation of the sacred (paradise) in the hortus conclusus —the “geometrization” of space begins with the stability of the Italic pagus; (b) the labyrinth, the social and aesthetic representation of the garden as exorcism, which opposes the hybris of power; (c) the social and aesthetic representation of power in royal gardens (profane); (d) the social and aesthetic representation of collective memory in cemeteries—these are a specific model of hortus conclusus, entrusted with collective memories; and (e) the new stimulus to collective memory by the restoration of former industrial areas (creation of garden-paradises). Today, these areas are the new horti conclusi of collective memory
National Plan for Research, Development and Innovation 2007-2013, PNII. Evaluation for project proposals for the 2011 funding call of The Romanian National Council for Scientific Research.1."ROMANIAN LITERARY ONOMASTICS: NAMING, IDENTITY AND INTERCULTURALITY" 2.“The Saint of Montparnasse” between Document and Myth: a Century of Brancusian Exegesis.
No full text1.
The project Romanian Literary Onomastics: Naming, Identity and Culturality is motivated by the fact that literary onomastics has recently gained a growing scholarly recognition. In Romania, this topic has been less studied than non-literary proper nouns. The project proposes a monographic study on literary onomastics and focusses on inventorizing and analizing the onomastic fund circulating in the Romanian cultural space, as reflected in the 19th and 20th centuries Romanian fictional prose. The social-cultural context of creating different types of literary names will be investigated, as well as the manner in which proper names can reflect a fashion in a certain historic epoch, traces of cultural heritage, allogeneic influences, or the way the author relates to a particular movement or to his/her characters. The research will also consider the relationship between proper names, which constitute themselves as identitary marks at social, national or European level, and literary names borrowed by means of permanent/temporary globalization phenomena. The aim of the project is to elaborate a monographic study, based on a research activity consisting of selecting, inventorying and classifying a corpus of representative Romanian prose texts. Another objective of the project is to form a team of researchers whose scientific field of interest is connected with the proposed topic,thus promoting a model of an interdisciplinary study.
2.
The starting point of my project is the Barbu Brezianu archive, bequeathed to the Institute for Art History, containing mostly documents (books, periodicals, correspondence, drafts, press clippings, photographs) related to Brancusi’s (called “the Saint of Montparnasse” by his friend writer Peter Neagoe, author of the book with the same title) work, which needs to be studied and organized in order to become easy of access to a larger public. The analysis of the documents themselves will be corroborated by the team of researchers with the larger problematic of the reception of Brancusi’s work and its shifting interpretations, taking into account the changing historical context during a century. As such my topic refers to the history of art history and aspires to a better understanding of the conventions mediating between viewer and art work. In the forefront of my proposal stays the cleavage between Western and Romanian Brancusi’s critical posterity during communist period. Contrasts and meeting points will be emphasized, taking into account also the rich correspondence exchanged by Barbu Brezianu with well known art historians and artists. Brancusian exegesis is seen as a dynamic object, but at the same time as an ever-developing enrichment of the meanings of the work itself. Not the least objective is to distinguish rigorously between serious and innovative critical analysis and the plethora of shallow ones
The mezzo-soprano as representation of 'the other' in nineteenth century opera
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.The author continues by arguing that mezzo-soprano and contralto voices resemble the male voice and therefore composers often cast women in this fach as the jealous and malicious characters compared to the true and simplistic nature of the soprano (e.g. Ortrud versus Elsa in Lohengrin).3 When one looks at the significant mezzo-soprano roles in nineteenth-century opera, it is clear that the majority of these roles can be seen as representations of the Other. The aim of the thesis will be to investigate some of the most important nineteenth-century mezzo-soprano roles that represent the Other. The main research question is: To what extent do the selected roles represent the various templates delineated in theories of alterity? The roles will be classified and discussed according to four templates of alterity: social, religious, moral and emotional
Yaarah Bar-On, "The Cemetery in the Kibbutz: Locus, Ritual and Memory of Death". Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. Tel Aviv University.
No full text1) Originality & innovation
The project sounds original and very attractive both from the perspective of the sociological cultural processes and from the point of view of the anthropology of material and visual culture, particularly regarding the relationship between the world of the dead and that of the living. What is originally shaped and focused on is the creation of a unique form of subculture and a particular aspect of “Israeliness”. The author combines personal memoirs and socio-historical, political analysis, shaping his particular model of bricolage.
2) Project importance & implications
The project is significant because of its implications in architectural and design studies and in the mourning rites ones at the same time. It considers important values like liberty, equality, collectivism and self-subsistence, that reflect the very origin of the Israeli state. As an institution, the Kibbutz cemetery suggests a balance between intimacy and collectivism, secular values and public religious rituals. It represents the liberty of expression of personal sentiments, in spite of all traditional restrictions.
3) Adequacy of methods
The project adopts as qualitative as quantitative methods, a perfect guarantee of scientific correctness and of in depth research. The mapping efforts are particularly relevant.
4) Suitability of investigators’ scientific background to the project
The investigators clearly indicate to master both qualitative-cultural methods and statistical ones. In addition to insightful documentation and analysis, and to a wide collection of data, they concentrate their attention to thick description and, at the same time, to model building and thin description, to produce an analytical preinvestigative empirical purview with available data apt for postgraduate students too.
5) Summary (strengths / weaknesses of the proposal)
Strengths: the skillfullness in addressing and focusing the Kibbutz cemetery as a very specific kind of cultural pattern and institution. The possibility to construct new archives of data regarding this topic. The collection of data related to the diverse habitus.
Weaknesses: the possibility to empirically evaluate the advantages produced from this kind of model in comparison with the traditional way. The non exportability of this model
Clara Maffei al cospetto di Verdi. Tra storia e finzione
No full textIl saggio ricostruisce la vita e la figura di Clara Maffei attraverso le pagine dei suoi contemporanei e le rielaborazioni letterarie di Otto e Novecento. Le lacune documentarie e la loro frammentarietà suggeriscono di prendere in considerazione un corpus eterogeneo di testi, che comprende epistolari, biografie, ma anche narrazioni letterarie, cinematografiche e televisive. In queste opere Clara Maffei è presentata come un personaggio secondario che, nondimeno, è essenziale per delineare gli ambienti intellettuali e la società del suo tempo. Il ritratti della celebre salonnière intervengono spesso in biografie di importanti esponenti della cultura ottocentesca, quali Alessandro Manzoni, Carlo Tenca e Giuseppe Verdi. E' in particolare la sua lunga amicizia col grande compositore italiano a costituire l'ambito di maggior interesse, grazie al cospicuo numero di lettere intercorse tra la contessa e Verdi dal 1845 al 1886. Nella seconda parte del saggio l'autore ricostruisce le tappe della loro profonda e duratura amicizia.The essay aims at drawing a portrait of Countess Clara Maffei through the pages of her contemporaries and the fictional reconstructions of her life and personality. The lack of documents at our disposal and their fragmentary nature suggest taking into account a diverse corpus of texts, including novels, movies and teleplays dating from mid-Nineteenth century to present time. In these works Clara Maffei is mainly seen as a minor character who is nevertheless essential for the delineation of the intellectual society of her time. Maffei’s portraits are often to be found in biographies of important personalities such as Alessandro Manzoni, Carlo Tenca and Giuseppe Verdi. Her lifelong friendship with Verdi is of high relevance, thanks to the large number of letters written by and to the Italian composer from 1845 to 1886. Thus, in the second part of this essay the author reconstructs the main events regarding the profound and enduring relationship between Verdi and the famous salonnière
Clara Maffei al cospetto di Verdi. Tra storia e finzione
No full textIl saggio ricostruisce la vita e la figura di Clara Maffei attraverso le pagine dei suoi contemporanei e le rielaborazioni letterarie di Otto e Novecento. Le lacune documentarie e la loro frammentarietà suggeriscono di prendere in considerazione un corpus eterogeneo di testi, che comprende epistolari, biografie, ma anche narrazioni letterarie, cinematografiche e televisive. In queste opere Clara Maffei è presentata come un personaggio secondario che, nondimeno, è essenziale per delineare gli ambienti intellettuali e la società del suo tempo. Il ritratti della celebre salonnière intervengono spesso in biografie di importanti esponenti della cultura ottocentesca, quali Alessandro Manzoni, Carlo Tenca e Giuseppe Verdi. E' in particolare la sua lunga amicizia col grande compositore italiano a costituire l'ambito di maggior interesse, grazie al cospicuo numero di lettere intercorse tra la contessa e Verdi dal 1845 al 1886. Nella seconda parte del saggio l'autore ricostruisce le tappe della loro profonda e duratura amicizia.The essay aims at drawing a portrait of Countess Clara Maffei through the pages of her contemporaries and the fictional reconstructions of her life and personality. The lack of documents at our disposal and their fragmentary nature suggest taking into account a diverse corpus of texts, including novels, movies and teleplays dating from mid-Nineteenth century to present time. In these works Clara Maffei is mainly seen as a minor character who is nevertheless essential for the delineation of the intellectual society of her time. Maffei’s portraits are often to be found in biographies of important personalities such as Alessandro Manzoni, Carlo Tenca and Giuseppe Verdi. Her lifelong friendship with Verdi is of high relevance, thanks to the large number of letters written by and to the Italian composer from 1845 to 1886. Thus, in the second part of this essay the author reconstructs the main events regarding the profound and enduring relationship between Verdi and the famous salonnière
Verdi, Wagner, and Politics in Opera. Bicentennial Ruminations
No full text"Opera" par Ricard Urgel Working paper de Mitchell Cohen, professeur de sciences politiques au Bernard Baruch College et à la Graduate School de l'Université de New York, Verdi, Wagner, and Politics in Opera. Bicentennial Ruminations. FMSH-PP-2012-05, mai 2013. Pour télécharger ce document sur HALSHS The author Mitchell Cohen is completing a book on Politics and the Birth of Opera and is professor of political science at Bernard Baruch College and the Graduate School of the City University of..
The mysterious motives of Giuseppe Verdi : four short essays on Judeo-Christian motives and moral themes within the music of Giuseppe Verdi
No full textTravail de synthèse présenté à la Faculté de musique en vue de l'obtention du Doctorat en musique (D. Mus.), option interprétation du chant classique.Cette thèse présentera quatre essais qui traiteront de certains thèmes psychologiques et motifs musicaux retrouvés dans les œuvres de Giuseppe Verdi. Ce qui est fascinant par rapport à ces motifs, c’est qu’ils retrouvent leurs origines dans l’ancien monde des modes de prière juives. Encore plus intéressant, c’est qu’ils sont utilisés par Verdi d’une manière très semblable à la façon dont ils sont employés en prière juive. Pour illustrer ces propos, des extraits de six opéras de Verdi seront utilisés dans l’ordre chronologique suivant : Rigoletto, La Traviata, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Forza del Destino, Aida and Otello.
Le premier essai consistera d’une comparaison entre la mélodie principale de Verdi “Addio del passato” de La Traviata, et une ancienne chanson Ladino, “Adio querida”. Il sera démontré que Verdi a directement copié sa mélodie de la chanson Ladino. De plus, une brève présentation de ce qu’est une chanson Ladino et l’historique de la culture Ladino seront données.
Le deuxième essai portera sur l’utilisation par Verdi de certains éléments clefs des motifs et mélodies juives dans ses opéras. L’attitude de Verdi vis à vis Dieu et le destin est évidente par la façon dont les évènements et les personnages évoluent dans ses opéras. Pour exprimer ses croyances encore plus fortement, Verdi a emprunté des éléments des motifs musicaux de la musique juive. Les modes de prières et leur évolution pendant leurs 5000 années d’existence seront discutés. Des exemples de ces modes, qui s’appellent Nusach, se retrouvent dans la musique de Verdi. Un bref résumé des deux motifs juifs que l’auteure a trouvés parsemés dans les opéras de Verdi ainsi que leurs usages historiques seront présentés de manière à appuyer l’hypothèse émise. Une description des motifs et mélodies juives sera incluse dans l’addendum.
Il est évident que Verdi a entendu ces mélodies et thèmes juifs d’une manière ou d’une autre. C’est l’opinion de l’auteure qu’il a du avoir un soupçon de leur signification mélodique parce que Verdi les a utilisés correctement selon le ton et l’action dans ses œuvres. Autrement dit, lorsque Verdi a voulu démontrer le repentir, il emploie le mode Seliha, le Nusach approprié pour demander le pardon de dieu. Lorsqu’il voulait exprimer le pathos et la sympathie, il a imité le mode Ahava rabba, qui correspond aux prières de plaidoirie.
Peut-être nous avons tous des souvenirs subconscients d’anciennes mélodies dont on ne parvient jamais à identifier leur origine. Pourquoi est-il que certaines mélodies plus que d’autres perdurent des milliers d’années?
Par notre aspiration pour la bonté et notre détermination d’influencer nos propres destins en tant qu’êtres humains, ne ferions-nous pas tout notre possible pour invoquer une force que l’on pense capable d’influencer un pouvoir suprême? Certainement, Verdi, qui croyait en le destin, tout en niant une croyance en Dieu, nous montre dans chacun de ses opéras que nos actions ont des conséquences. Nous ne vivons pas dans un vide, et nous récoltons ce que nous semons. Ce lien entre l’homme et son créateur, pourtant idéaliste, est présent dans les œuvres de Verdi, psychologiquement et dans les notes de la musique elle-même. Les vieux échos qui résonnent en nous et qui nous rappellent notre lien à Dieu sont profondément incrustés dans ses mélodies.
On en conclut donc que d’une manière ou d’une autre, Verdi a entendu ces modes de prière et chansons et qu’il en a incorporés des fragments dans sa musique. De plus, l’utilisation que fait Verdi de ces modes démontre une profonde compréhension de leurs significations émotionnelles et de leurs impacts potentiels. L’auteure a tenté de démontrer que lors de l’emploi par Verdi des Nusach, son intention théâtrale convient à l’émotion communiquée par le mode en question.
Le troisième essai de cette thèse sera consacré à une discussion de morales judéo-chrétiennes et de thèmes de destin dans les opéras de Verdi. L’abus de conscience morale et ses conséquences ont été des thèmes centraux pour Verdi, autour desquels tous les autres évènements de l’histoire pivotaient. Il a souvent utilisé des motifs rythmiques intéressants dans la manière expressive par laquelle ils transmettaient les émotions, en adjonction créative à ses mélodies. Plusieurs exemples de ceci seront donnés parmi les six opéras choisis.
Le quatrième essai portera sur le rôle des femmes dans les opéras de Verdi. On parlera de duos père-fille, avec des exemples choisis pour illustrer les propos tenus, ainsi que la position psychologique de la femme dans les œuvres. L’auteure présentera son argument à propos du concept des “archétypes féminines” dans les six opéras, avec des exemples, et une hypothèse sera présentée concernant le thème de l’absence de la mère chez Verdi.This paper will be comprised of several essays, which will address, among other subjects, musical and psychological themes, and musical and rhythmic motifs, found in the work of Giuseppe Verdi. Throughout the paper, six operas will be used from which the author has furnished examples. These operas are, in chronological order: Rigoletto, La Traviata, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Forza del Destino, Aida and Otello.
The first essay will be a comparison between Verdi’s main melody for “Addio del passato” in La Traviata, and an ancient Ladino song, “Adio querida”. It will be shown that Verdi borrowed this melody directly from the Ladino Song, and a brief explanation of what Ladino is and the history of Ladino culture will be given.
The second essay will discuss Verdi’s utilisation of essential elements of Jewish melodic motives in his operas. The fascinating thing about these particular musical motifs is that they have their roots in the ancient world of Jewish prayer modes. Even more astounding, they are used by Verdi in a manner consistent with the way in which they are used in Jewish prayer. In other words, there seems to be a consistent treatment by Verdi, in the dramatic effect and emotional aspect, with how he employs the prayer modes and their originally intended emotional expressivity.
Verdi’s attitude towards God and destiny is apparent in the way that events and characters evolve throughout his operas. In order to express these beliefs more strongly, Verdi borrowed fragments of musical motifs from Jewish music. What the prayer modes are, and how they have evolved over 5000 years of continual usage, will be discussed. Examples of these modes, called Nusach, can be detected in the music of Verdi. A brief overview of the two modes that the author found represented and their usage historically will be given to provide a backdrop from which to understand the author’s hypothesis. An appendix will be provided with a description of all of the modes as well. The examples from the operas will be shown, illustrating this remarkable discovery.
The third essay will be a discussion of Judeo-Christian morals and themes of destiny in Verdi’s operas. The abuse of moral conscience and its consequences was a pivotal theme for Verdi. As well, Verdi often used interesting rhythmic motifs, notable for the expressive way they convey emotion. These rhythmic motifs add a creative and vital adjunct to the melody. Several examples of the conjunctive use of rhythm and moral adversity will be given from the six operas chosen.
The fourth essay will address the position of women in Verdi’s work. Father-daughter duets from the focal six operas chosen will be explored in some depth. An argument about female archetypes will be presented, with substantiating examples. An additional discussion will be had concerning the absence of mothers in Verdi’s operas
The Operas in Pictures: Four Explorations
No full textIn the essay were selected sixtyone images, both historical and contemporary, relating to aspects of the conception and staging of the four operas of Giuseppe Verdi (planned for the Verdi Festival 2019 of Parma-Busseto): I due Foscari, Aida, Luisa Miller, Nabucco. These pictures are published in large format, but from them especially the author carried out four series of new historical-scientific considerations, in the form of several large captions placed on the page in parallel to the specific images they refer to
The Operas in Pictures: Four Itineraries
No full textIn the essay were selected fifty images, both historical and contemporary relating to aspects of the conception and staging of the four operas of Giuseppe Verdi (planned for the Verdi Festival 2018 of Parma-Busseto): Macbeth, Un giorno di regno, Le Trouvère, Attila. These images are published in large format, but especially from them the author carried out four series ofnew historical-scientific considerations in the form of several large captions placed on the page in parallel to the specific images they refer to
- …
