Cantatas

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

The essay aims at reconstructing the cultural reception of the sacred vocal repertoire by J.S. Bach in Italy during the second half of the twentieth century. The investigation moves from a close exam of performances of Passions, Cantatas and the Mass in B minor in two cardinal institutions in the Italian musical world: the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, and the Società del Quartetto in Milan (including its special experience efficaciously called Settimane Bach). The results emerge from diverse dimensions of the phenomenon: on the one side, the different identity of the two institutions in terms of artistical interest and public of election are intertwined with the broader economic and cultural contexts of Rome and Milan. On the other side, discourses coming from the musicological debate and arguments aroused within music criticism permits to clarify how speeches around Bach and his sacred music were developed and popularized. Finally, the reception of Bach’s sacred works has been deeply influenced by the progressive involvement of music in the liturgy and the ecumenical openings of Catholic legislation towards the Lutheran world. Two appendices provide a list all the performances of Bach’s sacred vocal repertoire in the two institutions under exam, with reference to the performers and the concert venues.

Widely regarded as the most prestigious composition prize for young French composers, the Prix de Rome competition (1803-1968) has over the centuries become synonymous with academicism and conservatism. The diatribes of former
laureates such as Hector Berlioz and Claude Debussy, as well as the sensationalised ‘Ravel scandal’, have helped to perpetuate this unfavourable image of the award. As a long-running institution, the competition inevitably underwent periods of
stagnation and renewal, yet a paucity of studies devoted to examining the Prix de Rome as an institution has led to the common view of it being hidebound and immutable.

The current study identifies the period 1831-1854 as an important period of renewal within the history of the Prix de Rome. Following an experimental phase in the early decades of the nineteenth century during which the composition prize served as an appendix to the Prix de Rome in the visual arts, it began to establish its own identity and assert its importance as it responded to the new aesthetics of the Romantic movement. In particular, the dramatic cantata prescribed for the final
round of the competition followed closely the developments in the genre of grand opéra – both in the choice of libretto subjects and in the musical style. An analysis of the winning cantatas from 1831 to 1854 demonstrates not only the evolution of an institution, but also provides clues to the contents of the compositional curriculum at the Paris Conservatoire and the qualities most valued in French compositional practice. Drawing on a range of previously unseen archival materials, press reviews, and other secondary sources, this thesis raises questions about the values and aesthetics of the academician-jury, the inherent tensions between the aspects of science and art in composition, and re-evaluates the meaning of academicism in the context of a state-run institution.

Libreto del CD-USB: Música Catedralicia de Cuba. Villancicos y repertorio litúrgico de Esteban Salas (La Habana, 1725-Santiago de Cuba, 1803). Sellos discográficos Colibrí y La Ceiba, grabado en La Habana en 2015-2016. Dirección general, investigación, transcripciones y conducción, Miriam Escudero. Intérpretes: Camerata Vocale Sine Nomine que dirige Leonor Suárez, Coro de Cámara Exaudi que dirige María Felicia Pérez y Orquesta del Instituto Superior de Arte adjunta al Lyceum Mozartiano de La Habana. Dirección General José Antonio Méndez Padrón.

La colección «Documentos Sonoros del Patrimonio Musical Cubano» forma parte de las iniciativas de preservación y gestión que acomete el Gabinete de Patrimonio Musical Esteban Salas, de la Dirección de Patrimonio Cultural de la Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad de La Habana, con el propósito de completar el proceso de restauración de la obra musical: desde la localización de la partitura hasta su interpretación y difusión a través del concierto y la grabación. Cada soporte de esta colección contiene el registro sonoro de obras inéditas del patrimonio musical de Cuba acompañado de materiales audiovisuales didácticos para la enseñanza.

La «Gazzetta di Pesaro» è uno dei più longevi periodici dello Stato Pontificio, essendo documentata la sua esistenza dal 1760 al 1809. Comprende una grande quantità di notizie musicali riguardanti in primo luogo le Marche settentrionali e la Romagna, e quindi Roma, l’Italia e i principali centri europei fino a Madrid, Londra e San Pietroburgo.
La prima parte del Quaderno comprende Introduzione, Appendici e Indici; la seconda (originariamente in CD ROM) comprende Sigle e abbreviazioni, Indice generale, Spoglio delle notizie musicali.

Peu d'instruments nous sont parvenus de Joseph Anton Moser (1731-1792), facteur d'orgues et d'instruments à clavier originaire de Bischofszell, établi à Fribourg et fondateur d'une dynastie de facteurs suisses de l'importance des Scherrer, Speisegger et Bossart. De ce fait, la découverte d'un orgue positif de c. 1767 attribuable à Moser est une révélation. Cet instrument, seul orgue positif connu de ce facteur, a été décoré par le sculpteur ornemaniste fribourgeois Domenico Martinetti, auteur également du décor de l'orgue Potier à Yverdon (1767), dont Moser a réalisé la menuiserie du buffet. Avec l'orgue de l'église de St. Stephan BE (1778), il s'agit du seul instrument de Moser conservé presque intégralement. Par son esthétique visuelle et sa disposition sonore, il constitue une synthèse originale, unique parmi les positifs, des influences non seulement suisses orientales et allemandes méridionales, de Manderscheidt et de Bihler, mais aussi françaises (alsaciennes), des Silbermann et de Potier. C'est donc une oeuvre-clé pour la facture d'orgues en Suisse au 18ème siècle.

Notas musicológicas para el CD Espacios sonoros en la Catedral de Jaén. Juan Manuel de la Puente (1692-1753). Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla y Coro Vandalia, Enrico Onofri (dir.). Proyecto Atalaya “Recuperación de Patrimonio Musical Andaluz”, OBS Prometeo, OBS007, Sevilla, 2012, pp. 12-23 (español)

Enescu, Cantata L'Aurore pentru cor de femei și orchestră (Firca I.271), compusă la 2 ianuarie 1898.

Traducere de Octavia Anahid Dinulescu din
https://enescueliade.com/2022/06/21/enescu-on-the-bords-du-gange-premiere-of-aurore-cantata-1898-in-bucharest/

Widely regarded as the most prestigious composition prize for young French composers, the Prix de Rome competition (1803-1968) has over the centuries become synonymous with academicism and conservatism. The diatribes of former
laureates such as Hector Berlioz and Claude Debussy, as well as the sensationalised ‘Ravel scandal’, have helped to perpetuate this unfavourable image of the award. As a long-running institution, the competition inevitably underwent periods of stagnation and renewal, yet a paucity of studies devoted to examining the Prix de Rome as an institution has led to the common view of it being hidebound and immutable.

The current study identifies the period 1831-1854 as an important period of renewal within the history of the Prix de Rome. Following an experimental phase in the early decades of the nineteenth century during which the composition prize served as an appendix to the Prix de Rome in the visual arts, it began to establish its own identity and assert its importance as it responded to the new aesthetics of the Romantic movement. In particular, the dramatic cantata prescribed for the final round of the competition followed closely the developments in the genre of grand opéra – both in the choice of libretto subjects and in the musical style. An analysis of the winning cantatas from 1831 to 1854 demonstrates not only the evolution of an institution, but also provides clues to the contents of the compositional curriculum at the Paris Conservatoire and the qualities most valued in French compositional practice. Drawing on a range of previously unseen archival materials, press reviews, and other secondary sources, this thesis raises questions about the values and aesthetics of the academician-jury, the inherent tensions between the aspects of science and art in composition, and re-evaluates the meaning of academicism in the context of a state-run institution.

First and foremost, my thanks go to my advisor, David Yearsley, and the minor members of my special committee, Annette Richards and Neal Zaslaw. Without their guidance and unfailing support, this project could not have come to fruition. Additional thanks to Benjamin Piekut and Andrew Hicks, for their generous assistance. My sincere gratitude furthermore to the entire faculty and staff of the Cornell music department and the Cornell music library. I am deeply grateful to the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) for funding my trip to Darmstadt in 2012, and in Darmstadt, I owe a debt of gratitude to Ursula Kramer (Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz and President of the Christoph-Graupner-Gesellschaft), Silvia Uhlemann (Universitäts-und Landesbibliothek, Darmstadt), Rainer Maaß (Hessisches Staatsarchiv, Darmstadt) and Beate Sorg. I'm very grateful to Christoph Großpietsch for taking the time to meet with me, and discuss Graupner, in Salzburg in September 2013. anks to Kim Patrick Clow for all of his help over the years and Brian Clark at Prima la Musica. I'm thankful to Dianne McMullen for her help with chorales and to Mark Peters and Markus Rathey for their patient consultation, particularly about matters of translation. Many additional translation questions were addressed by Martin Küster, Matthias Röder and Dietmar Friesenegger; any remaining errors are, iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS v of course, my own. e generous Sage Fellowship and tuition remission from the Cornell Graduate School allowed me to study at Cornell; my appreciation as well for their travel and research funding. I am grateful to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada for awarding me a Doctoral Fellowship (2011-12). My thanks as well to the Society for Eighteenth-Century Music, especially

Libreto del CD-DVD: Música Catedralicia de Cuba. Villancicos de Navidad de Juan Paris (Cataluña, ca. 1759-Santiago de Cuba, 1845). Sellos discográficos Colibrí y La Ceiba, grabado en La Habana en 2013. Dirección general, Miriam Escudero; investigación, transcripciones y conducción, Claudia Fallarero. Intérpretes: Camerata Vocale Sine Nomine que dirige Leonor Suárez y Orquesta del Instituto Superior de Arte adjunta al Lyceum Mozartiano de La Habana. Dirección General José Antonio Méndez Padrón.
La colección «Documentos Sonoros del Patrimonio Musical Cubano» forma parte de las iniciativas de preservación y gestión que acomete el Gabinete de Patrimonio Musical Esteban Salas, de la Dirección de Patrimonio Cultural de la Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad de La Habana, con el propósito de completar el proceso de restauración de la obra musical: desde la localización de la partitura hasta su interpretación y difusión a través del concierto y la grabación. Cada soporte de esta colección contiene el registro sonoro de obras inéditas del patrimonio musical de Cuba acompañado de materiales audiovisuales didácticos para la enseñanza.

A paradoxical feature of the lament as a poetical and musical genre is the imbalance between the supposedly spontaneous expression of emotional turmoil and the artificial dimension of its artistic representation. Embedded in the lament since antiquity, such tension becomes particularly prominent in the early modern period, when the development of the 'lamenting mode' in poetry and vocal music facilitated experimentation in both domains. After reconsidering the rhetorical status of the lament, this essay explores the ways in which one specific lament-Olimpia's from Ariosto's Orlando furiosomoves across mediums and genres. More precisely, by focusing on the transition from ottava rima to the free-verse recitative style of seventeenth-century lamenti and cantatas, the article argues that the formal instability intrinsic to the lament exposes the limitations of any attempt to represent the utterance of a lamenting character as well as the expressive potential conveyed by its quintessentially performative nature.

This article examines nine sacred cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach which address the subject of exile and religious identity. The biblical or general theological background of the text of each selected cantata, as well as the way in which Bach set the text to music, is discussed. We can learn from Bach that, first, there should be a legitimate space to express fear and insecurity about the arrival of foreigners. Second, believers who are in exile can associate their Christian identity with the life of Jesus while inviting unbelievers to find their identity in Jesus. Third, both suffering and hospitality are true features of Christian discipleship. Fourth, Bach’s interpretation of exile as a divine punishment is not the final message. The motif of exile as punishment is transformed by a Christological interpretation. Finally, the end of exile can be celebrated. In exile, believers dare to hope and to believe; at the end of the exile, believers celebrate without forgetting their past suffering. Both testify to a sound religious identity.

En este documento se analizan dos cantatas sudamericanas compuestas durante la década de 1960. La Cantata Laxatón del grupo argentino Les Luthiers (1965) y la Cantata Santa María de Iquique del chileno Luis Advis (1969) son ejemplos de músicas nuevas que apelaron a sus audiencias con elementos de diversa procedencia. Se propone revisar el concepto de “género musical” como una herramienta que se utiliza para dar cuenta del potencial comunicativo y programático en estas dos obras. La hipótesis es que estas músicas pusieron en tensión el concepto de género musical al recurrir sus creadores al humor, a la parodia y a la crítica política junto con la utilización de elementos del campo académico y del campo popular.

Juan Paris, maestro de capilla de la Catedral de Santiago de Cuba (1805-1845). Villancicos de Navidad, de la musicóloga MSc. Claudia Fallarero, es el libro que da inicio a la colección «Patrimonio Musical Cubano», dedicada a la preservación, estudio y difusión de los documentos —manuscritos e impresos— que contienen música compuesta para actos civiles y religiosos en la sociedad cubana durante los siglos XVIII al XX; asimismo constituye un resultado del proyecto de investigación del Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de la Música Cubana (Cidmuc), titulado El patrimonio histórico-musical conservado en las catedrales e iglesias de Cuba, adscrito al programa ramal Estudio y preservación del Patrimonio Cultural tangible e intangible  del Ministerio de Cultura. Este volumen contiene un breve estudio biográfico y contextual del compositor Juan Paris (Cataluña, ca. 1759-Santiago de Cuba, 1845), quien se dedicó a servir la música de la Catedral de Santiago de Cuba durante cuarenta años y contribuyó a mantener vigente en Cuba la tradición compositiva del villancico, representada en el siglo XVIII por su antecesor, Esteban Salas. Luego de una minuciosa labor de revisión, estudio y transcripción, se reproducen  las ocho primeras obras de este autor, pues no hay constancia alguna de que fueran impresas con anterioridad. Se trata de dos ciclos completos de villancicos de Navidad, uno compuesto en 1805, año en el que tomó posesión como maestro de capilla, y otro en 1807. La colección «Patrimonio Musical Cubano», que coordinan las doctoras Miriam Escudero y María Antonia Virgili, forma parte del proyecto editorial que lidera el Cidmuc, en el que también intervienen la Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad de La Habana y la Universidad de Valladolid, España.

En el marco de sus afinidades estéticas, de colaboración e intercambio intelectual
con los músicos que formaron parte de su círculo de amistades, el principal objetivo de
esta comunicación es presentar el papel decisivo de Pierre Souvtchinsky en la Poética
musical (1939) de Igor Stravinsky, y sus contribuciones a la Cantata Op.74 (1937) de
Serguei Prokofiev. Se expone además su vinculación con otros dos proyectos, la obra
Perséfone (1933) y la catalogación de los archivos personales de Stravinsky. A pesar de
que finalmente no se concretó su participación en ellos muestran aspectos esenciales de
sus conexiones con el compositor.
Conceptos clave: Souvtchinsky, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Poética musical, Cantata Op. 74.

In the small landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, the hofkapellmeister had to furnish all family festivities, e.g. marriages, funerals, birthdays, als well as political or religious functions with musical framework. For the landgrave‘s ceremonies, Christoph Graupner (hofkapellmeister 1709-1760) used to write church cantatas for the mandatory service, plus often some secular music for entertainment. For these ceremonies, Councillor Johann Jacob (von) Wieger turned out to be probably one of the most important authors of textbooks.

Carmina Burana, literally “Songs from Beuern,” is named after the village where the manuscript was found. The songbook consists of nearly 250 poems, on subjects ranging from sex and gambling to crusades and corruption. Compiled in the thirteenth century in South Tyrol, a German-speaking region of Italy, it is the largest surviving collection of secular Medieval Latin verse and provides insights into the vibrant social, spiritual, and intellectual life of the Middle Ages. The multilingual codex includes works by leading Latin poets such as the Archpoet, Walter of Châtillon, and the canonist Peter of Blois, as well as stanzas by German lyric poets. More than half these poems are preserved nowhere else.

A selection from Carmina Burana first appeared in Victorian England in 1884 under the provocative title Wine, Women and Song. The title Carmina Burana remains fixed in the popular imagination today, conjured vividly by Carl Orff’s famous cantata—no Medieval Latin lyrics are better known throughout the world. This new presentation of the medieval classic in its entirety makes the anthology accessible in two volumes to Latin lovers and English readers alike.

Programma di sala per i concerti del 6 e 7 novembre 2015 organizzati dal Centro di Musica Antica Pietà de' Turchini in collaborazione con l'Opera Pia del Purgatorio ad Arco. Esecuzione di musiche di Francesco Feo, Gennaro e Gaetano Manna presso la Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco di Napoli. 

Silvia Frigato, soprano
Ensemble Talenti Vulcanici
Iskrena Yordanova, primo violino
Emanuele Cardi, organo e direzione
Trascrizione e revisione delle partiture: Giacomo Sances ed Emanuele Cardi
Consulenza musicologica e ideazione del progetto: Paologiovanni Maione e Giacomo Sances
Introduzione di Giacomo Sances

Folklore and high culture in the 19th century – the example of the cantata

Based on sources stored in Oskar Kolberg’s archive, the author shows various phenomena taking place in the musical culture of the 19th century. Her goal is to analyse folk songs and find among them occasional works close to cantatas. The author resorts to several examples in order to present the relations between folklore and high culture.

Publishing house: Poznańskie Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk

Full scholarships for soloist baroque violinists, baroque singers, and chamber-music ensembles (2 vn and Bc)

Early-Music Seminars Egida Sartori and Laura Alvini
Director: Pedro Memelsdorff
"Antonio Caldara in Venice and Vignanello"
Trio sonatas and chamber music

Master-classes by Amandine Beyer
Venice, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, 1-5 February 2020

Deadline for applications: 18 December 2019

Juan Paris, maestro de capilla de la Catedral de Santiago de Cuba (1805-1845). Villancicos de Navidad (libro segundo), de la musicóloga MSc. Claudia Fallarero Valdivia, es el tercer volumen de la colección «Patrimonio Musical Cubano», dedicada a la preservación, estudio y difusión de los documentos —manuscritos e impresos— que contienen música compuesta para actos civiles y religiosos en la sociedad cubana durante los siglos XVIII al XX; asimismo, constituye un resultado del proyecto de investigación El patrimonio histórico-musical conservado en las Catedrales e Iglesias de Cuba, adscrito al programa ramal Estudio y preservación del Patrimonio Cultural tangible e intangible del Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de la Música Cubana (Cidmuc).
Se trata del segundo libro dedicado a la creación de villancicos de Navidad de Juan Paris (Cataluña, ca. 1759-Santiago de Cuba, 1845), maestro de capilla de la Catedral de Santiago de Cuba entre 1805 y 1845. En esta ocasión, acompañadas de un breve estudio contextualizado, su autora publica las obras que compuso Paris coincidentes con el período de la Guerra de Independencia española (1808-1814). A partir de una minuciosa labor de revisión y transcripción, se reproducen las partituras de ocho obras que estaban inéditas: siete villancicos de Navidad y un himno patriótico, que constituye el más antiguo documento musical de una composición no religiosa que se localiza en Cuba.
La colección «Patrimonio Musical Cubano», que coordinan la Dra. Miriam Escudero y la Dra. María Antonia Virgili, forma parte del proyecto editorial que lidera el Cidmuc, en el que también intervienen la Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad de La Habana y la Universidad de Valladolid, España.

Przebogate niegdyś zbiory prywatnej kolekcji książkowej Radziwiłłów z Nieświeża znane są obecnie dzięki kilku zachowanym inwentarzom, które zawierają informacje także o zbiorach muzycznych książnicy. W dziale muzycznym biblioteki gromadzono przeważnie pozycje będące w użyciu przez kolejnych przedstawicieli radziwiłłowskiego rodupodręczniki gry na instrumentach, rozprawy teoretyczno-praktyczne dotyczące muzyki, zeszyty z układami choreograficznymi popularnych tańców, liczne libretta operowe oraz libretta kantat. Tym ostatnim chciałabym poświęcić nieco uwagi.

La admisión de Francisco Viñas (*Barcelona, 1698; †Calahorra, 1784) como maestro de capilla de la catedral de Jaca en 1722 supuso el inicio del mayor cambio estilístico desarrollado en la música en la seo altoaragonesa durante la primera mitad del siglo XVIII. Durante su magisterio florecieron en la catedral jaquesa nuevos rasgos estilísticos influenciados por innovadoras técnicas de composición que habían comenzado a llegar a España procedentes de Italia. Francisco Viñas es el autor de las primeras composiciones registradas en la catedral de Jaca con presencia de violines y oboes, así como de nuevas tipologías y secciones en las obras en lengua romance (cantadas, recitados, arias, oberturas...). En esa catedral, en la que permaneció casi diez años, se conserva el 80% de la producción musical de Francisco Viñas, localizada actualmente en seis ciudades de España.

The admission of Francisco Viñas (*Barcelona, 1698; †Calahorra, 1784) as a chapel master at Jaca Cathedral in 1722 marked the beginning of the greatest stylistic change developed in music in that cathedral during the first half of 18th century. During his teaching, new stylistic features influenced by innovative compositional techniques that had begun to arrive in Spain from Italy flourished at Jaca Cathedral. Francisco Viñas is the author of the first compositions located in the Cathedral of Jaca with the presence of violins and oboes, as well as new typologies and sections in the works in Romance language (cantatas, recitatives, arias, overtures...). In that cathedral, where he stayed almost ten years, 80% of the musical production of Francisco Viñas, currently located in six cities of Spain, is preserved.

La admisión de Francisco Viñas (*Barcelona, 1698; †Calahorra, 1784) como maestro de capilla de la catedral de Jaca en 1722 supuso el inicio del mayor cambio estilístico desarrollado en la música en la seo altoaragonesa durante la primera mitad del siglo XVIII. Durante su magisterio florecieron en la catedral jaquesa nuevos rasgos estilísticos influenciados por innovadoras técnicas de composición que habían comenzado a llegar a España procedentes de Italia. Francisco Viñas es el autor de las primeras composiciones registradas en la catedral de Jaca con presencia de violines y oboes, así como de nuevas tipologías y secciones en las obras en lengua romance (cantadas, recitados, arias, oberturas...). En esa catedral, en la que permaneció casi diez años, se conserva el 80% de la producción musical de Francisco Viñas, localizada actualmente en seis ciudades de España.

Les deux cantates sacrées de ce volume devaient servir d’entracte à une tragédie en latin inspirée d’un passage de la Genèse, Benjamin captif, représentée en public au collège jésuite Louis-le-Grand en 1714. Les livrets, sans narrateur et sans doute écrits par un père jésuite, sont intégralement confiés aux personnages éponymes dont on suit les pensées et les émois. Outre leur caractère sacré, la forme musicale de ces pièces est, elle aussi, originale avec de fréquents retours mélodiques, d’importantes sections instrumentales et un long air central dont la forme est particulièrement soignée.

Écrites pour une voix de dessus, les partitions manuscrites mentionnent des dessus de flûtes et de violons, au pluriel, laissant toute latitude aux musiciens quant à leur nombre. Les interprètes pourront envisager l’instrumentation attestée dans les cantates françaises avec symphonie des années 1710 en privilégiant une basse continue à deux instruments (généralement clavecin et viole), renforcée par une ou plusieurs basses de violon dans les pages instrumentales. Un tel dispositif s’accommode d’une alternance petit choeur-grand choeur pour les instruments de dessus : flûtes et violons en tutti pour les passages instrumentaux, solistes quand ils accompagnent la voix. Malgré le contexte prestigieux de la création, les interprètes de la création n’ont pu être identifiés : les jésuites pouvaient faire appel aux meilleurs musiciens et danseurs de leur temps. Il n’est toutefois pas exclu que les enfants qui déclamaient la tragédie aient exécuté ces rôles, le compositeur aurait alors utilisé un nombre de motifs restreint souvent répétés peut-être pour en faciliter l’apprentissage.

https://boutique.cmbv.fr/fr/benjamin-joseph?v=papier

Despite the increasing loss of papal influence in the 17th century, baroque Rome continued to be the central stage for the self-representation of the great European powers. Due to the pope's position as head of the Catholic Church, numerous sovereigns maintained ambassadors before the Holy See who demonstrated the status and continuity of the catholic dynasties by organising festivals. In the elaborately decorated national churches services were celebrated with polychoral music performances, bell-ringing, drums and trumpets invited the Roman people to the public squares where festival machines were erected, which in the evenings served as stages for serenata performances and firework display. In my thesis I analyse the festivals as complex multimedia events which longed to communicate symbolically or concretely articulated messages and to emotionally manipulate the public. Often the visual and auditory media were not overlaid arbitrarily but were used in relation to each other with the aim of increasing aesthetic effect and intensifying the semantic messages. Through the examination of individual testimonies of concrete festival events, the perception and reception by the public is discussed and the international festival culture interpreted as a communicative space, which not only was used by protagonists in Rome to exchange political positions and intensify loyalties and hostilities, but which also constituted an object of discourse in European court public.

In the first half of the 18th century, court music was one of the instruments of power , used within the system of courtly representation. The ceremonies not only formed the general set-up but provided all determining factors for any musical performance. In the small landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, the hofkapellmeister had to furnish all family festivities, e.g. marriages, funerals, birthdays, als well as political or religious functions with musical framework. Between 1709 and 1760, Christoph Graupner was hofkapellmeister in Darmstadt, until his increasing blindness in 1754, he created a prolific oeuvre which can be seen as a mirror of the social circumstances in this residence.
For the landgrave‘s ceremonies, Graupner used to write church cantatas for the mandatory service, plus often some secular music for entertainment. The genre of the cantata – new and highly fashionable at the time – dominates  Graupner‘s oeuvre, but there are also operas, especially in the first decade of his service. 83 panegyrical works (57 spirital and 24 secular cantatas, 2 stage works) were analysed in their composital circumstances. New insights could be gained, like datings, assignments and classifications, also some textbooks, that had been considered lost could be identified. Councillor Johann Jacob (von) Wieger turned out to be probably one of the most important authors of textbooks.
It has become clear that court representation suffered decline at the end of the age of enlightenment, which affected the court music in Darmstadt as well as in other residences. For Graupner, it was inevitable to submit under the hierarchical structures, but there is also evidence that he tried to create a stand-off for himself in a latent way: on the one hand by writing musical subtexts that can be regarded as critical meaning, on the other hand by turning to church music and thereby to a religious claim of christian virtues, and by accomplishing his work to „the glory of God“, which meant a personal justification, superior of all worldly calamities.

La admisión de Francisco Viñas (*Barcelona, 1698; †Calahorra, 1784) como maestro de capilla de la catedral de Jaca en 1722 supuso el inicio del mayor cambio estilístico desarrollado en la música en la seo altoaragonesa durante la primera mitad del siglo XVIII. Durante su magisterio florecieron en la catedral jaquesa nuevos rasgos estilísticos influenciados por innovadoras técnicas de composición que habían comenzado a llegar a España procedentes de Italia. Francisco Viñas es el autor de las primeras composiciones registradas en la catedral de Jaca con presencia de violines y oboes, así como de nuevas tipologías y secciones en las obras en lengua romance (cantadas, recitados, arias, oberturas...). En esa catedral, en la que permaneció casi diez años, se conserva el 80% de la producción musical de Francisco Viñas, localizada actualmente en seis ciudades de España.