Editorial

The paper by Ioannis Papathanassiou and Nikolaos Boukas presents the diachronic tradition of the hymn Επί σοι χαίρει Κεχαριτωμένη. The research concerns a study of the musical sources available and reaches original conclusions about detecting the oldest manuscript source that contains the poetic and melodic text and about the later sources.

George Fitsioris introduces with his paper certain theoretical issues about Schenkerian theory and its evolution in various music-theoretical trends in USA. The writer refers exemplarily to Schenker’s fundamental notions and principles encapsulated in the conception about the structural rhythm of tonal works. The originality of this paper for Greek musicology – as well as the originality of all papers written by G. Fitsioris – consists in its specific systematic and at the same time lively style.

George Zervos’ original paper about Webern and the aesthetic-philosophical dimensions of the concept of variation in his work represents a tribute to Schönberg (1874-1951) and his School. In the same sense Musicology (Musicologia) publishes the paper by Ion Zottos on a hardly known in Greece disciple of Schönberg and pupil of Webern, Humphrey Searle. This paper sheds some light on unknown biographical information and aesthetic dimensions of his work, in comparison with the influences of Schönberg’s School.

Finally, Minas Alexiadis in his paper treats some theoretical issues and issues concerning the interpretation of jazz music. The author makes a comparative reference to various definitions of jazz given by theoreticians; he also refers to the improvisation as an intrinsic feature of this music.

The Book Reviews of Musicology (Musicologia) present an important essay, the Aesthetics of Music by Carl Dahlhaus that made an epoch in musicology on an international level, representing an expression of the spirit of the ’70s and recently translated in Greek. Markos Tsetsos, who treats in an objective and critical way the methodological problems posed in theoretical and aesthetic-philosophical literature, wrote this review. There is also a review by Katy Romanou of the unique for Greece A Method of Musicological Research by professor Apostolos Kostios. In this book the problems concerning music-historical research and archive management of the sources are treated in an exemplary way.

Musicology (Musicologia) feels that this is the right place to announce an important event for musicology in Greece that took place on April 26^th, 2001. In Athens Concert Hall a lecture was given by Ludwig Finscher – the prominent musicologist, who currently is General Editor of the Second Edition of the encyclopedia Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart (MGG). This edition of MGG incorporates a wider range of topics and embraces a broader methodological orientation, including historical-sociological and generally contemporary dimensions of musicological research. Significant space is allocated to entries concerning music in modern Greece and written by Greek musicologists. The lecture mentioned above is published in this issue of Musicology (Musicologia) thanks to the kind permission granted by the Music Library Lilian Voudouri. The lecture under the title Composition after Beethoven. A Contribution to the History of the Symphony from Beethoven to Schumann represents a contribution to the historical research on 19^th century and on the aesthetic and ideological interpretation on musical works as well. The originality of this paper emerges from a specific for the German scholarship tradition dialectical exposition of historic and aesthetic processes. The wisdom of professor Finscher’s treatment and his enchantment as a lecturer will remain unforgettable to his listeners. Let us remind that Musicology (Musicologia) in issue 9/1997 published a review of the commemorative volume on Ludwig Finscher (1995), appeared on the occasion of his sixtieth anniversary. This volume consists of 84 contributions by musicologists that cover a wide range of topics from early Middle Ages to date. L. Finscher – a par excellence representative of the historic and historic-sociological and aesthetic trend in musicology – contributed for the boundaries of the discipline to be opened towards contemporary directions. As it is written in the preface of this volume, “to fathom all the musical and historic-cultural events Finscher has worked upon is hardly feasible, even with the present number of contributions”. For his outstanding work and personality and for his contribution to Greek musicology, the Athens University Department of Musical Studies awarded Ludwig Finscher an honorary Doctor’s degree, on February 28^th, 2002.

Musicology (Musicologia) would like also to announce that in collaboration with the Athens Goethe Institut held the first international three-day Conference dedicated to crucial issues concerning scholarship and the contemporary social functions of music. General topic of the Conference was The Value of Music Today. Music between Humanism and Commercialization and the sessions were held on 25-27 February 2002 in Athens Goethe Institut. The Conference concluded with a concert from the series “Musics of the World” organized by the Union of Greek Composers. The topics included sociological, aesthetic, historical and epistemological dimensions of the main issue. 26 contributors participated in the Conference, among them the honorary members of Musicology (Musicologia), professors Ludwig Finscher and Constantin Floros (for more details, see the Conference program). Musicology (Musicologia) is planning other international conferences, intending to encourage musicological discussion in Greece.