"MediMuses" project report (original) (raw)

G. Sergi, Mediterranean sound cultures in the music of Area

During the seventies the Area's musical story stands out for the complex interrelation with the coeval cultural context. Although addressed to the Italian panorama, the Area's music represents an admirable merging of Mediterranean cultures elements. The aim of the study is to answer relevant questions: which are these elements? In which ways are they re-elaborated? Which are the musical results of this interaction? The process of re-elaboration occurs on three different levels. The first is semantic, related to the contents of the verbal text, as it happens in Luglio, agosto, settembre (nero), a song about the Palestinian people events. The second operates on the purely sound dimension, as it occurs in Cometa rossa with its Greek lyrics. The third level is the musical one, influenced for instance by Bulgarian folk songs or Balkan dances (Il bandito del deserto), as well as Iberian sonorities (Gerontocrazia). The recognition of these peculiarities is essential to understand the phenomenon. An in-depth literary-musical analysis represents the starting point to identify the connections with Mediterranean musical cultures, pointing out the geography of sound that they draw.

La porta d’Oriente: musical traditions of the Eastern Mediterranean

“I may certainly venture to say that the Turkish Music for metre and proportion of words is more perfect than any European, but withal so hard to be understand, that in the spacious court of Constantinople, where resides the greatest Court in the World, among so many Musicians and Lovers of Music, you will scarce find above three or four, who thoroughly understand the grounds of this Art…” Dimitrie Cantemir, History of the Ottoman Empire , ca. 1700 The above observation which Dimitrie Cantemir – hostage to the Sublime Porte, composer, ethnographer, historian and polyglot - has left for posterity regarding Turkish music, exonerates us from having to make even a minimal attempt to explain this rich, esoteric and complex repertoire. We rely on today’s musicians - all expert in the musical traditions of the eastern Mediterranean - to enlighten us with their own words, and above all, with their performance of the music itself. We offer instead, in the notes of this programme, some words on the charismatic figure of Dimitrie Cantemir, whose music opens our concert tonight, and then a taramosalata of documentary and visual records left by travellers who visited the eastern Mediterranean, from early modern times until the 20th century. We will quote writings about music from accounts left by ambassadors, artists, Christian slaves employed in the Seraglio, musical theorists and intrepid travellers; we will reproduce images from travel books and compilations of engravings of the costumes of exotic lands. We found, with joy, a number of rare and valuable early modern travel books in our own library, collected lovingly by Bernard and Mary Berenson. But as the programme notes for this concert slowly took shape, we realized that the documentation reproduced should not be limited to that from early modern times alone, for the sources held in the Biblioteca Berenson could offer a great deal more. So we have also drawn on accounts published in the last century by the intrepid travellers to the eastern Mediterranean of the Berensons’ own times: Gertrude Bell, Freya Stark, Rebecca West and Patrick Leigh Fermor. The last three were treasured friends of Berenson and guests at I Tatti, so it is not surprising that there should be a great many of their books in our library. Some have autograph dedications to the Berensons; some have annotations on the frontespiece that tell us when and where they were read; others were given to the library by Nicky Mariano. The serendipitous discovery of this entrancing treasure-trove of travel books during the preparation for today’s concert has offered us yet another occasion to celebrate the splendid library compiled by Bernard and Mary Berenson, and in particular - within the context of this event - their close engagement with the cultures of the near-Eastern civilisations. It has proved fundamental for the compilation of the notes and the illustrations for today’s concert (although, of course, we also needed to look elsewhere: above all, at the magnificent collection of early modern travel books in the Biblioteca Marciana, to whose staff we are deeply indebted for their assistance). We take the greatest of pleasure in reproducing in this booklet some documentation about the great travellers of the 20th century from the Berenson Archives: a delightful photograph of Gertrude Bell; an anecdote about Berenson and Rebecca West; excerpts from letters from Freya Stark and Patrick Leigh Fermor; and photographs of the Berenson on their travels in the Middle East. We conclude the taramosalata compiled for today’s concert by citing Mary Berenson’s "A modern pilgrimage", an account of their tour in Palestine and Syria, which we consider the ideal conclusion for our celebration of the intrepid travellers whose writings enlighten us today. Buon appetito!

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL UNITY IN MEDITERRANEAN MUSIC

Fernand Braudel's theory of the geographical, cultural and historical unity of the Mediterranean World is also suitable for music. Scales/Modes/Makams are the most important element in Mediterranean music. The Phrygian mode and the Kürdi makam 1 are common musical scales in Mediterranean countries which can be called TransMediterraneanizm. They are the exchange, interdependence and transformation of musical practices. This mode's exotic structure might be one of the reasons why it is preferred in Mediterranean societies. Some timbres charm people or communities. Its harmonic attractiveness is the result of its similarity with major tonality and the course of progression. It influences not only the composer but also the listener. This is because the mode has its own friendly and gloomy character.

Popular Music and the Mediterranean: Reflecting About Concepts

The Idea of the Mediterranean – Filbrary Series #38

Historians, anthropologists, sociologists, and other scholars who have approached the Mediterranean as a geographical, cultural, and political concept have shown that the idea of “the Mediterranean” is less straightforward than it seems. Similarly, “popular music” is an obvious category only to those who have never been asked to clarify what they mean by that term. As a result, the idea of a Mediterranean (popular) music, a concept that is peacefully accepted by musicians, audiences, critics, DJs, and radio hosts in many countries, presents a serious challenge for musicologists and ethnomusicologists as well as scholars of jazz and popular music. However, contemplating the interaction between two rather fuzzy concepts such as “the Mediterranean” and “popular music,” i.e., the idea of Mediterranean music accepted in many communities, may give useful hints regarding the way to approach these and other clouds of meaning in contemporary society. This article is a comparative overview of popular music in various Mediterranean countries, highlighting differences, common traits, and influences.