The theme is “Music and Spirituality since the French Revolution”
SIENA. The “Chigiana Conference 2022”, the international conference of the Chigiana Academy, now in its third edition, will take place from 1 to 3 December of the new format, which renews the historic Chigian appointments that have characterized the history of 20th century musicology. The conference is dedicated this year to the theme “Music and Spirituality since the French Revolution”. Three days of work which will attract teachers, musicologists and scholars from all over the world to Siena, in the evocative setting of Palazzo Chigi-Saracini, seat of the Academy.
«We have reached the third edition of the rediscovered Chigiani conferences – he explains Susanna Pasticci, Director of the Scientific Committee and of the journal “Chigiana”, Journal of Musicological Studies – whose rebirth, after the long history of the past decades, is due first of all to the enthusiasm of the artistic director of the Accademia Nicola Sani who strongly wanted to bring back to life the historical musicological activities of the Accademia Chigiana. Long-standing activities that date back to 1939, the year in which there was the first publication of the magazine “Chigiana” and which in 2019 returned to new life, with the resumption of publications and international appointments on an annual basis”.
The history of Chigian musicological activities began in 1939 with the volume Antonio Vivaldi. Notes and documents on his life and works, created on the occasion of the first edition of the “Settimana Musicale Senese” festival dedicated to Antonio Vivaldi and today available for online consultation (like the other volumes of the first series of the historic magazine) on the Accademia Chigiana website. After years of conferences and publications, always linked to the artistic programming of the Sienese institution and after the launch of a second series that began in 1964, when Edizioni Olschki of Florence took over the publication of the magazine and the conference activity of the Accademia Chigiana had now obtained international recognition, the activity was interrupted in 2012.
«In 2019 we started again with the publication of the first volume of the third series – explains Susanna Pasticci. – From 2020 we have therefore also resumed with lannual organization of international conferences, linked to the themes of the musical and artistic programming of the Chigiana. After an initial study meeting dedicated to Ildebrando Pizzetti, held in 2018, an important symposium was held in 2019 dedicated to the philosopher, sociologist and musicologist Theodor W. Adorno, on the theme of the concept of mediation in music; in 2020 it was the turn of the conference on the theme of changing listening in the era of the dominance of the visual. Therefore, last year the international conference had as its topic “Music and Power in the long 19th century”. It is a source of pride to see how the top international experts in the field of musicology always respond enthusiastically to our proposals. It means that the name of Chigiana in the field of musicological study and training is still today strongly recognized internationally».
There were numerous again this year requests to participate from all over the worldselected by the scientific committee.
The aim of the conference, like every year, is to better understand our time, investigating its relationship with the past and with previous centuries. This year, the three-day event aims to explore the impact of the multiple declinations of the concept of spirituality – in terms of creative activity, performance practices or the listening experience – on the musical cultures of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries .
A path that starts from the French Revolution which had a decisive impact on the collective mentality towards religious practices, triggering a process of “secularization” which paved the way for a progressive sacralization of art. In the last two centuries, the possible interactions of music with a non-dogmatic conception of spirituality have undergone various aesthetic redefinitions. In 19th century sacred music the syncretic unity of text, music and rite undergoes a progressive weakening, leading to the configuration of new balances between factors of an aesthetic order and elements of a religious nature, while in secular musical repertoires and practices direct references multiply or allusions to the sphere of religion and spirituality. Since the 20th century, in conjunction with a significant decrease in the production of liturgical music, many composers have shown a strong attraction to the sphere of spirituality, often hidden among the ins and outs of an openly secular and worldly poetic universe.
The musical outcomes of these complex interactions between the sphere of the sacred and that of the non-sacred have yet to be fully explored, to the extent that they intertwine with a series of wide-ranging issues: the relationship of composers with tradition and modernity; the concept of progress as a gradual approach to the idea of perfection; the aesthetic tendency towards abstraction; the possibility of redefining the music listening experience on the basis of particular aesthetic criteria; the search for new dimensions of musical temporality; the interaction between religiosity and processes linked to national identity, and so on.
The works will begin Thursday 1 December at 15.30, with a dialogue between Franco CardiniISUS/SNS professor emeritus, as well as one of the greatest historians of the Middle Ages and the writer, journalist and music reporter for Corriere della Sera Giancarlo Riccio. The opening report on the theme “The celebration of death, between music and politics” is entrusted to Simone Caputo of the ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome. They complete the picture of the speakers of the first day James Garratof the University of Manchester, e Melita Milin of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
The first day of work will end with a musical appointment that will see the Choir of Siena Cathedral ‘Guido Chigi Saracini’directed by Lorenzo Donatiin the concert scheduled at 7 pm in the concert hall of Palazzo Chigi Saracini.
Friday 2nd Novemberthe conference will see alternating speakers Eftychia Papanikolaoufrom Bowling Green State University, Antonio Cascelli of Maynooth University, Hedy Law of the University of British Columbia, Matthew Macinanti And Lorenzo Corsini of the Sapienza University of Rome, Martin V. ClarkeOpen University, Roe-Min Kokfrom McGill University, Candida Happyof the G. Verdi Conservatory of Milan, Maria Rosa DeLucaof the University of Catania, University of Catania) e Federico Gonof the Giuseppe Tartini Conservatory of Trieste.
In the end, Saturday 3 December They will be present Mila De Santisof the University of Florence, Brian Inglisof Middlesex University, London, Graziella Seminarof the University of Catania, June Boyce-Tillmanfrom the University of Winchester, Kerry Bunkhall from Cardiff University, Stefano Lombardi Vallauriof the IULM University of Milan, Andrew Shenton of Boston University, Maximilian Locanto of the University of Salerno, Jan Christiaensfrom the University of Leuven, Sonja Wermagerof Columbia University, e German Gan-Quesada of the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
The Scientific Committee of the conference is made up of the Director Susanna Pasticcifrom Philip V. Bohlman, Simone Caputo, Mila De Santis, Roe-Min Kok, Eftychia Papanikolaou and Andrew Shenton. The Organizing Committee from Antonio Artese, Marica Coppola, Stefano Jacoviello, Anna Passarini, Nicola Sani and Samantha Stout.
The conference will be broadcast live online on the Chigiana Digital digital platform.
The complete program and the details of the individual speakers can be consulted at the following link
https://www.journal.chigiana.
The “Chigiana Conference 2022” will take place from 1 to 3 December – Il Cittadino Online