Editorial

Musicology (Musicología) represents an attempt to fill a gap that is observed in Greece and concerns the development of discussion between scholars on music theory and on music as praxis. There have been from time to time several attempts for musicological periodicals to appear. Those attempts – even though they remained isolated and they were not always accepted the way they deserved – are very important not only in terms of the essential issues they dealt with, but in terms of the history as well: they constitute our “tradition” of reflection on music, a tradition on which we may lean trying to bring to fruition the hope for resuming it. The load of the undertaken work is pretty heavy considering that there have been in Greece periodicals like Musical Life of Manolis Kalomoiris, Dimitris Mitropoulos and Marios Varvoglis.
Flush and development of institutions, periodicals and musical life – as appeared in the ’20s and ’30s thanks to several important persons – were interrupted due to historical reasons in a country that suffered from political instability and continuous struggle for national and social survival. Thus, maybe the only uninterrupted form of word on music remained the critique published in newspapers.
Musicology (Musicología) – initiated by a group of musicologists and researchers of music and in collaboration with Odysseas publishers – makes its appearance today. The initiators – based on certain objective facts – feel that there is a hope for a contemporary Greek society and education to develop, counting not only on the initiative and work of particular persons, but also on the establishment of institutions with stable functions for musical life (institutions for the spread of music, conservatories, research institutes, institutes for higher musical education, cultured audience). This attempt is undertaken with the hope to promote the development of musicology in our country and to contribute for the contemporary needs of musical education and its cultural context to be realized.
By coincidence, Musicology appears on the centennial of the foundation of Vierteljahresschrift für Musikwissenschaft by the historian of music, professor at the University of Vienna, Guido Adler, and on the centennial of the establishment of the term “Musikwissenschaft” (“musicology”, i.e. “science for music”) in the academic context. The appearance of Musicology (Musicología) coincides also with the year 1985 that is dedicated to music – an expression of the spirit “higher than every knowledge and philosophy” (Beethoven). It is the duty of every serious text on music – regardless of the method adopted or the concrete issue it deals with, regardless of its complexity or simplicity – to scrutinize the relation of this enthusiastic and rather “romantic” confession with reality. This is why the title Musicology – Review of Theory and Praxis of Music implies the discourse of scholars about the object, as well as the attempt to identify this type of discourse with a general consideration of music as a phenomenon and as the practical reality of live music – of the art of music.
Composers, musicians, students of music, educated amateurs, are the vehicles of musical communication and modulate the relation between music science and musical life. Musicology (Musicología) applies to them, with the ambition to constitute a fruitful forum for scholars, musicians and researchers in an international cultural context that facilitates the exchange of ideas. Musicology is also oriented towards the research on Greek music creation and on its specific multicultural identity. Thus, Musicology represents an attempt to constitute a forum that will promote discussion between Greek musicologists as well.

Musicology intends to publish original papers and translations on:

  1. Aesthetics of music
  2. Psychology of music
  3. Contemporary music theory
  4. Aesthetic-technical analysis of musical works (including Greek works of art music)
  5. The history of music institutions
  6. Music politics

Musicology also intends to publish:

  1. Relevant book reviews
  2. Record reviews
  3. Information about archives and music libraries

  4. Reprints of important relevant texts, written by senior Greek authors

Obviously, Musicology (Musicología) is interested in a pluralistic presentation of views, trends and methodologies, on the basis of a common discussion and of the common interest about the development of music education and research in our country. It is an intention of the initiators to contribute to the formation of prerequisites for music education on a higher level and to help the music departments in Greek universities that are to be established.

It is our hope that this attempt will be accepted and supported by musicians, scholars and educated audience, as an essential contribution to the development of musicology, according to the most progressed models of the international musicological thought and literature.

© Musicology