Editorial

The papers that appear in this double issue of Musicology (Musicología) are grouped in two sections:

1. The first section includes a tribute to France, French music and musical life. This section covers the major part of the content. It concerns French aesthetics of music and the French stirring spirit for social and musical reformation that has certain sociological implications.
2. The second section includes papers on Greek music. Two texts are published that concern Greek folk musical culture. In addition, Musicology contributes to the research on Greek art music with a paper about Nikolaos Mantzaros that provides new – unknown up to date – information.

The section-tribute to France includes the reformation project created by the French Ministry of Culture and implemented ten years ago. The publication of this paper – like the publication of all other papers in this issue – goes beyond the need to provide information about music education and musical life in France. Musicology feels for some time past the necessity and obligation to contribute to the attempts for a reformation in these fields and to the discussion about it in Greece, providing reliable information that interests first of all music specialists and professionals. Apart from that, this information is addressed to a wider range of people – for example the parents and all citizens that are interested in the long-term evolution and development of the cultural potential in Greece.

The discussion about musical reformation will be continued in the pages of Musicology. The editorial staff intends to present concepts and theses useful in criticizing the conditions that determine musical education and musical life in Greece and in formulating proposals and suggestions that concern the prerequisites for research, education and quality of musical life in our country. The French project published in this issue includes several noteworthy points:

1. The decision to establish a Coordination Center for Pedagogic Research.
2. The link between research and teaching.
3. The attempt to create an environment of amateurs that will be open to music and from which music professionals will emerge.
4. The attempt to decentralize musical life.

The latter is especially noteworthy and associated with the difficult problem of creating relevant infrastructure. It is obvious that without relevant infrastructure decentralizing cultural life is impossible. It remains an unrealized project that has a negative impact on the development of the cultural center as well. The French experience may be helpful in order not only to comprehend surface similarities and differences. The “noise pollution” in Greece – for example – is not only a consequence of contemporary technical civilization – as everywhere else. This problem is associated with the lack of infrastructure that facilitates the formation of responsible professional groups and relevant professional practice of higher level in the context of contemporary social life. Thus, first we have to deal with this problem and indeed along with the problem of contemporary mass culture (in Greece problems are dealt with in an accumulative way – so to speak – due to historical retardation of development). This way, we may construct a relevant approach of the issues of pluralism and democracy in Greek music politics.

© Musicology