Educational Independence

Two underresearched aspects of French provincial education concern the centralist (but “alternative”) ambitions of the Paris Schola Cantorum across France and the distinctive character of conservatoires which either freed themselves from the national system or refused to join it. Discussion centers on Montpellier (the Schola set up by Charles Bordes in 1905), Strasbourg (a proudly municipal conservatoire which retained many Germanic elements after its return to France in 1919), and Bordeaux (the Société de Sainte-Cécile, also independent, and which, unusually, included a plainchant class alongside its secular provision). Composition emerges as the elusive yet defining feature of the finest and most ambitious of the provincial conservatoires, whether national or not, while the pedagogical commitment of the “scholistes” to regionalist composition (ostensibly one of their calling cards) is revealed as both belated and fragile.

Composition

Despite its “regional” label, the 1937 Exposition offered meagre support for folk-related art music written by regionalists, suggesting that the tempering of folk music’s power was just as important here as in its popular sung and danced forms. Consistently across the century from the 1830s, provincial career paths for composers offered many more opportunities for decentralized or centralist activity (secular or as a maître de chapelle) than for regionalist expression, and the Schola Cantorum was not the catalyst for change to the extent that has hitherto been assumed. Discussion of the influence of the “Russian Five” on French music, and the contrasting ways regions (native and adoptive) are presented in new music, leads to case studies of operas by Bruneau, Séverac, Ropartz, Canteloube, and Leroux to show how French local and regionalist content played out in Paris during periods of changing nationalist intensity, including during World War I. The allegorical tactics of creative anachronism (Ropartz) prompt a broader discussion about the folk-historical nexus in French music from Chabrier to Poulenc, underpinned via modality. This nexus is what explains why France emerges with one of the few European modernisms to eschew folk sources except as folded into an upper-class patrimoine—the balletic dance that underpins much French neoclassicism.

The National Conservatoire System

Discussion of the educational situation in Paris prepares the main arguments of chapters 1 and 2 in relation to nationalized and independent conservatoires in the provinces. Here, the soft power of the state-financed Paris Conservatoire (founded 1795) is contrasted with the more haphazard attempts of the privately funded Schola Cantorum (founded 1896) to act as a centralizing force. After the Revolution the cathedral choir school (maîtrise) system was initially replaced by the Paris Conservatoire alone, but the need for a deconcentrated national system of succursales was keenly felt. However, the Paris Conservatoire’s pedagogical approach could not immediately be imposed on provincial institutions, and some municipalities guarded their independence. A mixed economy of resistance and compliance resulted in a general trend towards homogenization (unity in uniformity) but more decentralist variety and ambition than the government ministry overseeing them found ideal. The Schola Cantorum showed similar centralizing tendencies but could not achieve significant institutional traction.

L’autobiografia di Liberale Medici Aspetti linguistici, espressioni idiomatiche e metafore

This paper aims at providing a first research on the autobiography of the Venetian farmer Liberale Medici (1922-2016). The Medici’s work crossed the boundaries of private writing by winning the Premio Pieve in 1988, and, consequently, with its first publication, entitled Schola cantorum (Rome: Edizioni Live, 1989). Recently, it has been also comprehended in the anthology La vita è sogno (Milan: il Saggiatore, 2016). After highlighting the main linguistic features of this autobiography, the analysis focuses on its metaphorical devices, in order to survey its figurative language.

Sound Power: Musical Diplomacy Within the Franciscan Custody in Mandate Jerusalem

Although often underestimated or barely quoted by historical studies, music plays a crucial role in the cultural agenda of Church institutions and missionary congregations. Among the Catholic actors, the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land was a central one connecting two of their main goals: evangelisation and education. These two tasks were strictly linked: music was a central element in the liturgies celebrated in the parishes and in the Holy Places and at the same time a pedagogical tool, taught in the schools ruled by the Friars. Music reveals also the complex process of encounter of Palestinian and Western patterns in modern Palestine. In this way the music sung and taught in the St Saviour also contributed to shape the soundscape of Jerusalem. The chapter discusses various sources related to Augustine Lama, at that time the director of the schola cantorum of St Saviour.

Parisian Debuts and World War I

In 1913, Georges Auric and his family moved to Paris, where he studied for one year at the Conservatoire and one year at the Schola Cantorum. During his first year in the capital, Auric published his first pieces of music criticism, performed a recital for the Société Musicale Indépendante, and had compositions performed on a recital for the Société Nationale de Musique. From these auspicious beginnings, he participated in several avant-garde art groups and was invited to join many of the most prestigious Parisian salons. In 1917, he was drafted into the army; though his military record was undistinguished, it led to close friendships with Louis Aragon and André Breton.

Ina Lohr (1903–1983) - Transcending the Boundaries of Early Music

<P>Although almost forgotten today, Ina Lohr played a significant role in Basel’s 20th-century musical world. In 1930, she became Paul Sacher’s musical assistant, helping in the preparations for performances of the Basel Chamber Orchestra, of which he was the director. Just three years later, she was one of the courageous pioneers who under the direction of Paul Sacher founded the now internationally renowned Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. As Ina Lohr was instrumental in creating its program, her work indirectly had an enormous impact on the Early Music Movement. Through her biography, we learn to see Early Music within the complex cultural and religious matrix of her time, forcing ourselves to transcend our own boundaries to understand her life.</P>

Motet Cycles between Devotion and Liturgy

This book explores the corpus of motet cycles composed and disseminated in manuscript and printed sources of polyphony c.1470–c.1510 (including, but not limited to, the motetti missales). The different chapters investigate issues of textual and musical design, function, and performance, at the same time illuminating the rich devotional and cultural context in which this fascinating repertory flourished. About the series Since its establishment in 1933, the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland / Basel Academy of Music) has been involved in the research of historical musical practice. The series Schola Cantorum Basiliensis Scripta presents topical subjects and research results mostly in monographic form, whereby a broad spectrum of issues and presentation formats is cultivated. The publications are intended not only for specialists, but also for students and interested persons outside the immediate field, and in this way encourage an in-depth occupation with the diversity of Early Music.