Musicology

The first part of the course introduces methods and practices of historical research, focusing on the main theoretical frameworks, objects of study, types of sources, and modes of constructing historiographical discourse. It also examines musical concepts from a historical perspective and explores recent research directions related to musical heritage and gender studies. A specific focus will be devoted to musicological research resources, including archives, catalogues, bibliographical repertories, and digital or multimedia materials. The second part of the course focuses on the musical text and its transmission. Through case studies dedicated to composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Rachmaninoff, Janáček, and Ravel, students will address issues related to different types of musical editions, also considering the perspective of performance. In collaboration with Dr. Ditlev Rindom, methodological criteria for preparing a critical edition will be illustrated. Finally, students will have the opportunity to prepare the edition of an excerpt from an opera by Saverio Mercadante, accompanied by a short critical commentary.

Basic knowledge of music history.

Carlotta Sorba and Federico Mazzini, «La svolta culturale. Come è cambiata la pratica storiografica», Laterza 2021. ---- Gianmario Borio and Carlo Gentili (eds), «Storia dei concetti musicali», 3 vols. (vol. 1: «Armonia, tempo»; vol. 2: «Espressione, forma, opera»; vol. 3: «Melodia, stile, suono»), Carocci 2007-2009 (five essays of choice). ---- Nicholas Cook, «Musica. Una breve introduzione», Torino, EdT 2005 ---- Carmela Bongiovanni, «Introduzione alla bibliografia musicale: istituzioni, risorse, documenti», Ledizioni, 2018.

Attendance is not mandatory, but it is strongly encouraged. Students are invited to register for the course on Google Classroom to access teaching materials and study resources (course code: brctxg3y).

The final examination consists of an oral interview designed to assess the level of knowledge, understanding, and critical reevaluation of the course content. Students who attend classes regularly may take mid-term assessments, which include: 1) a group project involving the preparation and presentation of a multimedia assignment; 2) a written paper on topics and research perspectives discussed in the first part of the course (approx. 10,000 characters); 3) the edition of a short musical text, accompanied by a critical commentary. Students who do not complete the mid-term assessments must demonstrate a more comprehensive knowledge of the bibliography and may submit and discuss, during the final exam, a written report on five essays of their choice from the series «Storia dei concetti musicali», to be delivered at least one week before the examination (15.000–20.000 characters).

Lydia Goehr, «Il museo immaginario delle opere musicali. Saggio di filosofia della musica», Mimesis, 2016. ---- Christopher Small, «Musicking. The Meanings of Performing and Listening», Wesleyan University Press, 2011. ---- Nicholas Cook, «Music as Creative Practice», Oxford University Press, 2018. ---- Kevin Korsyn, «Decentering Music: A Critique of Contemporary Musical Research», Oxford University Press, 2004. ---- Nicholas Cook and Mark Everist (eds.), «Rethinking Music», Oxford University Press, 1999 ---- Jean-Jacques Nattiez, «Alcuni concetti fondamentali di storiografia della musica: periodizzazione, "spirito del tempo”, successione di generazioni», in «Rivista di Analisi e Teoria musicale», 13/1, 2007, pp. 7-35. ---- Susanna Pasticci, «Improvvisazione e creatività nella performance della musica classica”, in «Creatività e creazione artistica nella musica e nelle arti», eds. Marco Bizzarini and Enrico Careri, Federico II University Press, pp. 197-218.

To foster active and participatory learning, lectures will be complemented by text analysis workshops, exercises, group work, and multimedia presentations prepared by students.