Introduction

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The paper is dedicated to the eminent Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk's opera <italic>Moses</italic>, which has been researched here from the standpoint of musical imagology for the first time. The methodology of the paper is based on the complex imagological concepts of Manfred S. Fischer and Jean-Marc Moura, in which they propose to analyse literary phenomena in national comparative contexts in terms of imagemes, imagothemes, and imagotypes. This triad in its totality makes up the imagosphere, that is, the world of artistic images which are both a cultural representation of a given national identity and its reflection in the artist's work. It has been found that one of the central images of Skoryk's opera and entire output is the national character of his music, which is defined by references to Ukrainian folksongs as well as the nation's operatic and choral tradition. The imagothemes of Skoryk's opera are related to a wide range of ‘eternal’ philosophical problems, such as good vs evil, faith vs its lack, human vs God, etc. By developing the ideas of Ivan Franko, the author of the opera's literary prototype, the composer presents a whole complex of ‘eternal’ themes, which he refers to the contemporary Ukrainian context: freedom and faith, liberation from centuries-long slavery and dependence, as well as the theme of the nation's spiritual leaders’ responsibilities and their relationship with the people. The main imagotypes of the opera: the God Jehovah, the prophet Moses, a lyrical young couple, and the Poet – correspond to the main qualities of Ukrainian mentality and national character, namely: patriotism, spirituality, piety, ‘cordocentrism’, and a lyrical-poetic worldview.
</abstract>

The Imagosphere of Myroslav Skoryk's Opera <italic>Moses</italic><xref ref-type="fn" rid="j_muso-2022-0001_fn_001">1</xref>

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The paper concerns the presence and ideological identity-building function of Polish folk music in Polish state-run schools between the World Wars, and the experiences of Jewish children and teenagers in this regard. The young Polish state brought together populations from the former three partitioned territories, which included numerous national minorities. The need for bond-forming, powerfully symbolic elements supporting a collectively developed national identity was soon strongly felt. Polish folk music, with particular emphasis on its regional varieties, perfectly fitted into the ideological current of patriotic and civic youth education in both state-run and private schools. Dances and songs which children learned at music and PE lessons familiarised them with the wealth of traditions, imbuing them with pride and the love of national culture. The paper quotes examples of young Jews’ experiences in this context, as they encountered Polish folksongs and dances in state-run schools: their responses to this issue and the impact of such contacts on their identities. The source material comes from pre-WWII press, in which we hear the voices of the children themselves, reporting their experiences.
</abstract>

General Music Education in a Multi-Ethnic Context, on the Example of State-Run Schools in Poland between the World Wars

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The seminar on mass songs held in Nieborów, Poland in June 1950 is notable for what it did not accomplish: Amid a diversity of opinions voiced by poets, composers, and cultural officials, no firm guidelines for this seemingly new type of song emerged. What we can draw from examining the proceedings of this three-day session are an enhanced understanding of mass song as an evolving, not a static phenomenon and fresh insights into the political and logistical complexities that faced composers at this time.
</abstract>

The Mass Song Seminar at Nieborów, June 1950

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

In his concept of a composer's creative work Mieczysław Tomaszewski distinguishes the late and final phases. Edward W. Said, on the other hand, devoted his last publication to reflections on the late style in music and literature, referring to the existing body of research on the subject. What is the position, in the context of both these perspectives, of three important works for voices and instruments by Zygmunt Mycielski: <italic>Three Psalms</italic>, <italic>Liturgia sacra</italic>, and <italic>Fragments</italic> to words by Juliusz Słowacki, written in the last few years of the composer's life? The author discusses these works and attempts to answer that question in her conclusion.
</abstract>

<italic>Three Psalms, Liturgia sacra, Fragments</italic>: the Last Works in Zygmunt Mycielski's Oeuvre<xref ref-type="fn" rid="j_muso-2022-0004_fn_001">1</xref>

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

Collections of silent film music constitute valuable sources for historical research on the musical practice in the silent film era. The musical prints preserved in the Mirskey Collection were previously used by the author to reconstruct a score for the movie <italic>A Kiss for Cinderella</italic> (1925, dir. Herbert Brenon). This article describes the historical context considered during the reconstruction and discusses the workflow applied by Nek Mirskey (Bronisław Mirski) as a musical director of movie theatres. A comparative analysis of sheet music from the Mirskey Collection accompanied by handwritten notes, original cue sheet compiled by James Bradford for the Paramount Pictures, and a digitised copy of the film, have led to conclusions that are applicable not only to Mirskey's methods of compiling scores, but also to the more general rules for the development of musical accompaniments to silent films in the 1920s.
</abstract>

<italic>A Kiss for Cinderella</italic> (1925) The Importance of Historical Accuracy in Reconstructing Scores to Silent Films Based on the Mirskey Collection

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

Cooperation between the Institute of Musicology of the University of Warsaw and ‘Jestem’ Foundation began in 2013. The Foundation aims to support adults (especially elderly people) with chronic or terminal illnesses. The so-called ‘hour on beauty’, the Foundation's innovation introduced as part of the schedule of activities for patients, takes the form of weekly meetings with interesting persons (journalists, actors, travellers, etc.), and in the last several years – also with students of musicology. Cooperation involves regular facultative classes at which teams of musicology students prepare educational-therapeutic projects subsequently implemented at the Foundation's seat as part of the ‘hour on beauty’. The paper presents the model of cooperation worked out over the years and examples of original projects implemented by musicology students. The diversity of topics has been discussed here along with effective methods of patient activation (such as task-oriented listening, joint singing, and improvisation using everyday objects). The Foundation's work fills a gap in the Polish health care system resulting from the National Health Fund (NFZ) only financing stationary and home-based hospices but not designating any resources for day-care hospices targeting those oncological patients who need not be permanently hospitalised. The Foundation strives to prevent their exclusion and to improve the quality of their lives as well as their well-being. The benefits of the cooperation are invaluable. There is no doubt that this project (innovative on the Polish scale) reveals a new and potentially surprising function of musicology in the contemporary world.
</abstract>

How to ‘Discover the Beauty of Life’ in / against the Disease? Musicology in the Therapy for the Elderly with Oncological Illnesses

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The article is a polemic with the views formulated in 2020 by Philip A. Ewell in the <italic>Journal of the Society for Music Theory</italic>. His text is a critique of European music theory, mainly as represented in the writings by Heinrich Schenker. Ewell's main claim is that European music theory is based on racist concepts.
</abstract>

‘The Whiteness’ of Music Analysis. A Gloss on Philip Ewell's Lamentation over Schenker

AHEAD OF PRINT

Volume 19 (2022): Issue 1 (December 2022)

Volume 18 (2021): Issue 1 (December 2021) Pasticcio. Ways of arranging attractive operas

Volume 17 (2020): Issue 1 (December 2020)

Volume 16 (2019): Issue 1 (December 2019) Women-Composers in Poland

Volume 15 (2018): Issue 1 (December 2018) Deconstructing the Myth of Polishness in Music

Volume 14 (2017): Issue 1 (December 2017) ‘Warsaw Autumn’ International Festival of Contemporary Music

Volume 13 (2016): Issue 1 (December 2016) [Polish] Musicology Today

Volume 12 (2015): Issue 1 (December 2015) The Musical Languages of Contemporary Polish Composers: Self-Reflections

Volume 11 (2014): Issue 1 (December 2014) Oskar Kolberg

Volume 10 (2013): Issue 1 (December 2013) Musical Historiography in Poland. New Sources – New Methodologies

Musicology Today

 ISSN - 1734-1663eISSN - 2353-5733  Musicology Today is a double-blind peer reviewed journal published since 2004 by the Institute of Musicology, University of Warsaw and the Union of Polish Composers, Poland.  The main objective of Musicology Today is to provide an intellectual platform for international scholars and to promote interdisciplinary studies in musicology. We publish articles in the fields of historical musicology, ethnomusicology, music theory, and other sub-disciplines of musicology. The journal is a forum for research in all areas of music scholarship, seeking to reflect the breadth and diversity of approaches and topics. Musicology Today distinctly promotes studies on Central and Eastern European music and aims to become a leading musicological journal in this part of the world. Special issues devoted to important topics within Central and Eastern European musicology are occasionally published.  Why read Musicology Today?   Musicology Today is a valuable source of information from different branches of musicology providing a wide array of high-quality original articles;  The journal is a platform for exchanging ideas among international scholars with a particular focus on musical culture in Central and Eastern Europe;  The articles cover a wide spectrum of scholarly activity, including works of young scholars;  The articles are published after a double-blind peer review provided by international experts on the subject and the Scientific Committee;  Musicology Today strives for high-resolution publishing quality.   Why submit your research to Musicology Today?   Musicology Today invites scholars to submit articles in all branches of musicology, including historical musicology, ethnomusicology, and music theory. We especially encourage submissions from scholars of Central and Eastern Europe;  The articles are published after double-blind peer review provided by subject experts;  The articles of both Polish and foreign authors are always up-to-date, original, have never been printed before in other academic publications, and reflect high academic standards;  Online indexing guarantees the worldwide distribution and promotion of the authors’ academic achievements;  Free language assistance is provided for authors from non-English speaking countries;  The editors provide a fast route through the publication process and full access to DeGruyter e-technology.   Polish Government Financial SupportCo-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund – a special purpose state fund.  Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.  Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process.   PREVIOUS ISSUESmusicologytoday.hist.plwww.imuz.uw.edu.pl/index.php/pl/2013-03-09-17-43-16/musicology-today

Musicology Today

Volume 19 (2022): Issue 1 (December 2022)

Introduction

The Imagosphere of Myroslav Skoryk's Opera Moses¹

General Music Education in a Multi-Ethnic Context, on the Example of State-Run Schools in Poland between the World Wars

The Mass Song Seminar at Nieborów, June 1950

Three Psalms, Liturgia sacra, Fragments: the Last Works in Zygmunt Mycielski's Oeuvre¹

A Kiss for Cinderella (1925) The Importance of Historical Accuracy in Reconstructing Scores to Silent Films Based on the Mirskey Collection

How to ‘Discover the Beauty of Life’ in / against the Disease? Musicology in the Therapy for the Elderly with Oncological Illnesses

‘The Whiteness’ of Music Analysis. A Gloss on Philip Ewell's Lamentation over Schenker

Search

All Volumes and Issues in this Journal