Nielsen’s Saul and David and Italian Opera

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Muntoni

In this essay, I focus on the music-cultural context in which Carl Nielsen’s Saul and David (1899–1901) was composed, as Nielsen approached the operatic genre for the first time. This will cast new light on his independence and originality, but also offer the possibility for some seemingly unlikely comparisons, revealing that the work is more tightly integrated with Nielsen’s broader European musical experience than has previously seemed – especially as an alternative to naturalism. I therefore consider the Italian context before, during and after the rise of verismo, focusing particularly on the anti-naturalism debate, to which Saul og David also belongs. Nielsen’s work follows a path that parallels the shift from the so-called noir dramas of the 1880s to the work of Ildebrando Pizzetti, via the almost completely unknown operas of Antonio Smareglia. Unusual as it may be, I believe that this comparison will support the idea of a composer who, while working in the genre of musical drama, was in constant dialogue with his European contemporaries.

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 87-100
Author(s):  
M.A. KOMOVA ◽  
Keyword(s):  

The purpose of the article is to present the history and the analysis of the Russian wooden sculpture “Nikola Мtsenskiy” results of the examination from Peter and Paul Cathedral in Mtsensk. For the first time, the author conducted a historical and cultural examination of this object for religious purposes. The article defines the historical and cultural context of this object existence, its veneration as a relic, the problem of comparing the “The Legend of the appearance of the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas Wonderworker in the city of Mtsensk” and the preserved sculpture. The author also examines the historical and artistic sources of origin of similar items in the culture of the medieval Moscow state. The author dates the preserved fragment of the sculpture from Mtsensk Peter and Paul Cathedral to the late 1600s.


Author(s):  
Gemma Almond

Abstract This study explores the representation and use of Victorian visual aids, specifically focusing on how the design of spectacle and eyeglass frames shaped ideas of the ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ body. It contributes to our understanding of assistive technologies in the Victorian period by showcasing the usefulness of material evidence for exploring how an object was produced and perceived. By placing visual aids in their medical and cultural context for the first time, it will show how the study of spectacle and eyeglass frames develops our understanding of Victorian society more broadly. Contemporaries drew upon industrialization, increasing education, and the proliferation of print to explain a rise in refractive vision ‘errors’. Through exploring the design of three spectacle frames from the London Science Museum’s collections, this study will show how the representations and manufacture of visual aids transformed in response to these wider changes. The material evidence, as well as contemporary newspapers, periodicals, and medical texts, reveal that visual aids evolved from an unusual to a more mainstream device. It argues that visual aids are a unique assistive technology, one that is able to inform our understanding of how Victorians measured the body and constructed ideas of ‘normalcy’ and ‘abnormalcy’.


2021 ◽  
pp. 192536212110561
Author(s):  
Roberto Scendoni ◽  
Piergiorgio Fedeli ◽  
Nunzia Cannovo ◽  
Mariano Cingolani

According to the Italian legal system, forensic autopsies are performed by a medical doctor specialized in legal medicine, otherwise known as a medicolegal expert (MLE), who has a range of very complex responsibilities. Indeed, the quality of forensic autopsy activity is always questioned in courts of law; incorrect assessments are dangerous because they can jeopardize the validity of a criminal investigation and thus affect the outcome so that a real culprit may be acquitted or an innocent person convicted. Nonconformities also discredit the professionalism of the specialist who performs the autopsy. The work of a MLE implies a series of assignments and duties that should be given constant consideration, but when certain aspects of this activity are underestimated or overlooked, this can lead the expert to make mistakes with irreparable consequences for the judicial investigation. In this article, for the first time, we present a summary of seven known errors related to autopsy activity following death by unnatural causes, with the purpose of alerting MLEs who work under the Italian judicial system to the potential dangers of such errors. These relate to: oversights in autopsy technique, incorrect collection of photographic and video material, unauthorized attendance at the autopsy, missing/mistaken reporting at any stage of the forensic activity, failure to notify the party forensic consultant, using histological or toxicological nonaccredited laboratories for forensic activities, and lack of observance of the chain of custody.


Author(s):  
Aysel Asadova

The article analyzes the musical language of the opera Kerem by A. Adnan Saygun. Ahmet Adnan Saygun was born during the Ottoman period and lived in the newly created Republic of Turkey. Saygun is one of the founders of the Turkish School of Composing, as well as one of the founders of the Turkish Five. The composer paid great attention to folk art and national values. You can always see folk music and folklore in his works. The purpose of the research is to analyze Sufi motives in the scenes of the opera. Mainly, the attention is paid to musical drama and harmonic aspects of the opera, which directly reflect Turkish folklore and musical culture in general. The research methodology lies in solving a scientific and theoretical problem. A number of theoretical and analytical methods have been applied, highlighting the principle of using a literary text in musical scenes that contain phrases that reflect “reunification with the Creator” in Sufism. The use of characteristic rhythmic patterns in mystical scenes, when searching for information, the methods of the axiological concept of culture were used, which made it possible to highlight the characteristic features of Turkish music. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time the reflection of religious characteristics based on folk music, in particular, based on modal structures and maqams, analysis of the mystical motives of the opera, in combination with modern musical techniques is considered. Conclusions. Saigun’s opera Kerem is one of the rare works based on Sufi philosophy. A clear reflection of the main thought of Sufi philosophy was noted in Kerem, according to which the suffering of the seeker of truth is marked by a return to it. The way of light is the way of Allah. The composer, to show the unique colour and character of Anatolia, the life and customs of people, used the fret and rhythmic structure characteristic of Turkish music. As a result of the study, we see how in Kerem the author enthusiastically and passionately works on national values in all aspects of the opera.


2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Trentacoste

Domestic livestock were a crucial part of Mediterranean communities throughout later prehistory. In the first millennium BC, livestock mangement changed, and was changed by, the rise of cities in Italy. Italian prehistory has a rich zooarchaeological tradition, but investigation of the Iron Age has been regionally divided and synthetic works on the Po valley comparatively few. This article presents a pan-regional review of late prehistoric and protohistoric livestock exploitation that considers Northern and Central Italy together for the first time. Zooarchaeological comparison reveals an increase in the use of sheep/goat for secondary products, while cattle and caprines were subject to size changes that distinguish their management from that of pigs. A marked increase in pig husbandry is visible in both regions, but this shift took place earlier and more emphatically in Northern Etruscan centres than in Central Italy. After defining the main changes in animal management during the period under review, this article looks beyond population density to explore the wider environmental, economic, and cultural context of pork consumption and its relation to the development of urbanism in Etruria padana.


Author(s):  
Виталий Калицкий ◽  
Vitaliy Kalickiy

The monograph reveals the main theoretical, historical and methodological problems of concertmaster's art, and also solves practical problems of concertmaster's performance. For the first time, one publication systematizes various aspects of this problem. The monograph examines the philosophical and aesthetic orientation of concertmaster art in the context of ensemble performance, clarifies the aspects of professional definitions, and clarifies the fundamental differences between the accompanist and concertmaster. The study reveals largely unknown pages of the formation of the concertmaster as a separate profession, this process can be traced in the historical and cultural context from ancient times to the present day. The fundamental prerequisites of the formation of concertmaster activity as a special form of music making are analyzed, theoretical and methodical literature, including foreign literature not translated into Russian, psychological aspects of concertmaster activity are studied. The specificity of concertmaster's work in various performing classes of music schools and in musical theater is studied. A number of clarifications of the musical text of claviers are given, as well as corrections to incorrectly published musical editions. The monograph is addressed to concertmasters-practitioners, teachers, students of higher educational institutions, graduate students, assistant trainees studying in the field of "Piano", as well as related specialties.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muahmmad Kashif ◽  
Sharifah Suzana Wan Shukran ◽  
Mohsin Abdul Rehman ◽  
Syamsulang Sarifuddin

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of PAKSERV measures on customer satisfaction and loyalty in the Malaysian Islamic banking context. Design/methodology/approach – The dimensionality of the PAKSERV scale is examined with confirmatory factor analysis. A survey approach is adopted to collect data from 300 Islamic banking customers in Kuching, Malaysia. Findings – Results reveal an excellent model fit for the PAKSERV scale in collectivist cultural context of Malaysia. All dimensions of PAKSERV are validated except reliability. The issue of non-validity of the reliability dimension in an Islamic banking context is explained by extant literature. Practical implications – Islamic banks are recommended to focus on all the PAKSERV scale dimensions to impart service quality. Given a collectivist cultural setting, a “network marketing” approach is recommended to maintain a desirable level of customer satisfaction and loyalty. Originality/value – The PAKSERV scale has been employed for the first time to investigate the service quality-loyalty path in a collectivist cultural context. The validity of the PAKSERV scale has been operationalized for the first time in a collectivist cultural context.


2002 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 936-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene J. Johnson

The teatro all'italiana, or Italian opera house with boxes, was one of the most successful building types invented during the Renaissance, but fragmentary and ambiguous evidence has made locating its origins difficult. This article proposes that those origins are to be found in two theaters for commedia dell'arte built in Venice in 1580 and destroyed by order of the Council of Ten in 1585 (m.v.). The history of these two theaters is sketched here for the first time by means of documents recently found in the Archivio di Stato, Venice, that also include new information related to Palladia's Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza. The role the two Venetian theaters played in the economic, political and social history of the city is suggested.


2007 ◽  
pp. 86-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Veblen

The article written by the founder of institutionalism and published in 1909 is translated into Russian for the first time. Veblen criticizes different versions of neoclassical theories of production and consumption, trying to consider human behavior in the wide cultural context. He suggests a methodological alternative to neoclassical theory, rebutting teleological explanations of neoclassics and emphasizing causal relations. Moreover Veblen formulates a theoretical alternative: he develops a theory of institutional evolution and describes how habits, customary modes of thought and conventional judgments influence behavior of businessmen and how the analysis of their scheme of life can contribute to deeper understanding of their economic activity.


Author(s):  
Lala Huseynli

This article is devoted to the study of the evolution of the lyrical image in the ballets of Azerbaijani composers. The presented article emphasizes that the Azerbaijani ballet on the extension of the history of the Azerbaijani school of composition functioned indefinitely as an important component of the Azerbaijani musical culture. The theme of this article is actualized in the aspect of the historical approach, as each ballet of Azerbaijani composers, on the other hand, reflected the significant features of the artistic, historical and cultural context. On the other hand, the study of the evolution of the lyrical image in the Azerbaijani ballets reflects the dynamics of the development of the Azerbaijani school of composition. Moreover, the figurative system in Azerbaijani ballets represents the slender line of artistic connections of Azerbaijani culture. The purpose of the research is to study the role of the lyrical image in the evolution of the Azerbaijani ballet. The research methodology is based is based on the use of a historical approach to determine the basic definitions of the study. The expediency of the historical method is due to the fact that the development in the space of historical time should be based on certain basic categories that would reflect the school of composition, its national specifics. The scientific novelty of the research is that for the first time the peculiarities of the evolution of the lyrical image in Azerbaijani ballets – from its origin to modern functioning – are analyzed; the nuances of style creation in the Azerbaijani school of composers in the specified aspect are considered, and also certain art processes are systematized. Conclusions. It is proved that the combination of deep lyricism with dramatic emotions is characteristic of the transfer of lyricism in the drama of ballets at all historical stages of development, in different stylistic contexts. Lyrical images in the ballets of Azerbaijani composers have similar features and are due to the specific content of the national worldview.


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