Orient in Music - call for papers
International Conference Orient in Music – Music of the Orient
Łódź (Poland), Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music, Department of Music Theory
10-11.03.2016
Call for papers
OM, a fundamental meditation sound present in the cultures of Buddhism, is a syllable full of philosophical and transcendental meanings. The category of Orient, as contrasted, antithetical and complementary to the Occident (West) and its culture, appears to be one of the most interesting and long lasting issues discussed in the humanities throughout the centuries. European fascination with oriental cultures has found multifaceted manifestations in science, art, fashion and beliefs.
Music, being an important element of the cultural communication, has always been well suited for transitions and inspirations. The relationship between Orient and Western music seems to compound a wide and fascinating scope of problems, a field of various multidimensional influences which brings an opportunity not only to study particular questions but also search for universal and fundamental values. The main aim of the proposed conference is to outline a range of the relationship between Western music and oriental cultures, the idea that could arouse interest mainly in both groups of researchers: ethnomusicologists and historians (or theoreticians) of music. However, the scope of musicological knowledge can be interestingly broadened by taking into account other perspectives, such as sociological, philosophical and others.
Call for papers
20-minute papers or longer panels of a few speakers (up to 60 minutes) are expected on any aspect connected to the conference theme, including (although not limited to) the following areas:
1. Orient as a musical category
a) terminological/geographical frames and ranges of the musical Orient
b) the Orient and the Occident: musical correspondences
c) the Orient in musicology and other humanities
2. Music of the Orient
a) musical cultures of the Orient
b) music of the Orient: idioms and styles
b) ethnomusicological research regarding oriental cultures
3. The Orient as perceived musically
a) images of the Orient in Western music
b) oriental inspirations and stylizations in Western music
c) oriental elements in Western music (classical, popular, folk)
4. Musical orientalism from theoretical perspective
a) the Orient in musicological research
b) methodology of oriental studies in theory of music and musicology
c) category of the musical Orient from colonial and postcolonial perspectives.
The language of the conference is English. Each submission should include the following information: author(s) name(s), academic affiliation(s), e-mail address, title of presentation, abstract (300 words max.), a short CV. All proposals must be submitted by 1 October 2015 to Prof. Marta Szoka (Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.) or Małgorzata Grajter, Ph.D. (Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.). Final decisions will be announced to speakers by 1 November 2015.
During the conference, an extensive program of mid-day and evening concerts on the 10th and 11th March 2016 (as well as a performance of Carl Maria von Weber’s opera Abu Hassan on the evening preceding the conference, i.e. on the 9th March 2016) is arranged (with a free admission for all participants) – the events will be announced in the build-up to the conference. There will be no conference fee. The organizers could only provide the information about travel opportunities and accommodation in Łódź. After the conference, selected papers will be published in a miscellany.