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abstracts
Konstantinos
G. Sampanis: The opera performances in Zante from 1835 until the embodiment of the
Ionian Islands to the “Kingdom of Greece” (1864) – I
“Apollo”, initially a
wooden theatre in the Ionian Island of Zante (“Zakynthos” in
Greek), was built by the Italian Gaetano Mele in 1835, when the
first aimed, organised and complete season of opera performances was
held. For more than two decades the seasons of operas did not take
place on an annual basis, but from the year 1857 until the season of
1863-1864 there was a remarkable stability and regularity concerning
the annual occurrence. Totally, from 1835 until the embodiment of
Zante to the “
Kingdom
of
Greece
” (1864), nineteen organised seasons of opera performances took
place, as well as a series of performances, which lasted only a few
weeks. Furthermore, two more seasons can be considered as
questionable and a series as possibly having taken place. It is
estimated that during the period 1835-1864 a total of 115-125 opera
productions were held, of which up to now the 90 are completely
confirmed, while 5 more are strongly believed to have taken place
based on documented evidence. Fifty-seven operas of 14 composers
were performed, mainly by Donizetti,
Bellini, Verdi and Rossini. The small population of Zante, as well
as the fact that this island was a small and peripheral opera “market”,
conduced to the appearance of Italian opera troops mainly of medium
or law quality, usually consisting on the one hand of young and
undistinguished singers, a few of which made a name of themselves
during the following years, but also most of which remained
undistinguished, and on the other hand of aged singers, which were
very close to the end of their career. However, not only a few times
even with such troops, the impresarios of “Apollo” were led to
bankruptcy. Despite this, the public of Zante had the opportunity to
hear significant singers while they were still young and
insignificant. The most important lyrical artists that appeared
during the above mentioned period on the stage of “Apollo” were
the prima donnas Antonietta
Galzerani, Serafina Rubini, Enrichetta Zani and Argentina Angelini,
the baritone Davide Squarcia, the bass Luigi Dalla Santa and the
comic bass Leopoldo Cammarano.
Ioannis
Fulias: The music of Ludwig van Beethoven through Heinrich
Birnbach’s first essays on musical form (1827-1829)
Although Heinrich Birnbach (1793-1879) is not among the
best known music theorists of the first half of the 19th century, he
is one of the first who examine from an analytical point of view
works by Ludwig van Beethoven, in a series of essays published
immediately after the death of the great composer in the periodicals
Berliner Allgemeine
Musikalische Zeitung (1827-1828) and Caecilia
(1829). In these essays, the author is systematically involved with
the harmonic and thematic specifications of sonata forms, mainly,
and other structural models (various “rondo” forms, variations
and minuets / scherzos), secondarily, through factual observations
and analyses of selected works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, as well
as other composers from the early 19th century. Therefore, in the
present paper a critical review of the morphological data derived
from Birnbach’s writings is made, alongside with a modern
appreciation not only of his analytical remarks on specific works of
Beethoven but also of the overall contribution of Beethovenian
creation in the formation of his theoretical viewpoints.
Vesna Sara Peno: The modern Serbian psaltic practice in the light of the post-Byzantine
psaltic tradition
The relationship between Serbian and Greek chanters
grew deeper during the second half of the 17th and 18th centuries,
especially in towns of the Austrian Empire, where they lived close
to each other, sharing the orthodox churches for common services.
The existence of a developed post-Byzantine chanting tradition gave
Serbs the opportunity to learn neume notation and to chant from
notated manuscripts. This article deals with existing data which
illuminate the Greek influences on recent Serbian liturgical chant.
The preserved neumed Greek and bilingual Greek-Slavonic manuscripts,
held in Serbian libraries, are presented as well as information on
Greek daskaloi (teachers)
who took part in the teaching process of Serbian chanters.
Marianna
Sideri: A historical survey of Faust’s legend in opera
Faust’s legend became a favorite subject of the
musical theatre development during the 19th century, mainly because
of the extraordinary personality of a purely romantic hero, winning
a prestigious place to the podium of the favorite opera heroes, next
to the mythical Orpheus and the legendary Don Juan. In the hands of
skilled composers, Faust’s ardent desire to walk on new paths of
knowledge and live new experiences became a stimulus for musical
experimentations, which in many cases led to the renewal and reform
of the opera. This study attempts a historical survey of Faust’s
legend in opera, through works that cover almost the whole field of
the musical theater.
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