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abstracts
Alexandros Dionatos: The institutions of music education in the
Italian Baroque. Traditional practices and innovative foundations:
Venetian Ospedali and Neapolitan Conservatorii
Despite the economic turmoil and the ominous political developments of
the 17th-18th centuries, Italy became the birthplace of the artistic
and musical Baroque. The orgasmic growth of sacred and secular music,
most notably of the opera, as well as the exuberant musical life of
the Italian cities, gave birth to a unique need for musicians of any
specialty, which could only be partially covered, either by the
traditional musical institutions or other informal music educational
modes.
The ecclesiastical institutions, indisputably, played an important
role in music education, aiming primarily in covering their musical
needs. Such were clerical schools, church choirs, welfare institutions
established by the church (for boys), and monasteries (for girls).
Other equally important means of music education were in-house
teaching of children coming from families of musicians, education
under the tutelage of a professional, apprenticeship in music players’
guilds, and private home lessons for aristocracy. Despite all that, in
the early days of the 17th century new forms of musical educational
institutions are emerging and flourishing, dwelling in humble welfare
institutions (orphanages, penitentiaries, asylums) in Venice and
Naples. The evolution of music education in the four Venetian ospedali
aided their financial independence and survival, in an era of economic
decline. The elevated performance of the vocal and instrumental
ensembles playing in the chapels could result in larger congregations,
increase of generous offers, and finally
in
the financial survival of the institutions. With the progressive
organization of their musical schools in the early 18th century, the
ospedali become highly acclaimed in Europe for the exceptional quality
of musical ensembles. The starting point as well for the Neapolitan
Conservatorii was the financial survival of the institutions; however,
the music education in these institutions was soon associated with the
productive chain and the necessity to cover the city’s demanding
musical needs. Neapolitan conservatories have been, among other
things, the main training houses for castratos in Europe, and the
cradle of major composers, who will later excel in the most
significant courts in Europe. Even though the second half of the 18th
century saw the descent of the Venetian and Neapolitan foundations,
their contribution to the evolution of music has been crucial and
their educational material a heritage treasured to our days.
Nefeli Chadouli: Mixed forms of sonata and rondo in the final
movements of selected piano trios by Mendelssohn (opera 49 and 66) and
Spohr (opus 133)
Triggered by the study of sonata and rondo mixtures used in the final
movements of major piano trios that were composed around the fifth
decade of 19th century, the present study starts with a chronological
presentation and a brief overview of the basic characteristics of all
the piano trios composed by Mendelssohn, Spohr and Schumann.
Subsequently, the study focuses on analyses of three final movements
from selected works of Mendelssohn (Piano Trio no. 1, in d minor, opus
49, and Piano Trio no. 2, in c minor, opus 66) and Spohr (Piano Trio
no. 4, in B-flat major, opus 133), concluding with a review of common
characteristics between them. Its ultimate goal is the extraction of
general conclusions, concerning both the treatment of mixed sonata and
rondo forms within these three works and the level at which the
aforementioned composers show preference in these sonata and rondo
mixtures.
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