Team 1: Italian Opera in Central Europe
7-9 May 1999, Braunschweig University, Germany
According to the programme of march 1999 four main subjects were scheduled to be discussed :
1. interrelation and common subjects with other groups
2. planning of activities of 2000 and 2001
3. discussion of the Oxford conference and preparation of the publication
4. bibliography and work list.
The workshop started with a discussion of problems of administrational tasks as well as strategies and organisation of the single team’s research. One central subject was the question of the volumes to be published, in particular the editorial procedures, languages of the volumes and editing of musical examples.
The workshop went on with a discussion of subjects shared by more than one group. The subjects, that may have relationships to teams 2 (Opera orchestras in 18th- and 19th century Europe), 3 (The concert and its publics in Europe) and 4 (The circulation of music: from elite to mass production) respectively and that could therefore serve as a link between the groups, are the concepts of "impresario" and "public" (group 3), as well as the phenomenon of "aria collections published after the performance of an opera" (group 4). Another common subjects, that concerns group 1 and 2, is relation of "court orchestra and court opera". A subject shared by all groups is also the concept of "institution".
With particular emphasis the conference on travelling musicians, actually planned by Dr. H.-E. Bödeker and Dr. Chr. Meyer for September 1999 in Göttingen, was discussed. The problem was to determine to which extent the conference would interfere with the single group’s programme. Although the subject of the Göttingen conference has some connection to group 1 themes, it does not totally match those ideas already developed in previous meetings. Group 1 therefore sees the opportunity to treat them separately under the label of "circulations" (see below).
There are three great thematic fields for the remaining conferences of autumn 2000 (in or nearby Vienna) and 2001 (time and place have yet to be fixed) : "italianità", "opera themes and genres" and "circulation". The thematic field "circulation" has been postponed to the last conference in order to make sure that the results of the related conference of Göttingen 1999 can be incorporated. It will then be treated together with the subjects "opera themes and genres". That means that "italianità" will be the main subject of the Vienna conference in 2000. A grid of single topics within the wider concept of "italianità", that range from Italian language and literature to Italian style of singing, has also been discussed at Braunschweig, but the exact programme has still to be elaborated within the next months.
The main topic of the Braunschweig meeting was the discussion of the conference "European Baroque Opera: Institutions and Ceremonies" that was held in Oxford in November 1998 and the first volume of the publications that will be based on the this conference. The single papers given at the conference have been separately discussed and evaluated, as well as the overall plan for the volume. In order to complete the thematic range of the volume some additional articles will be commissioned from authors who did not participate in the conference. According to the title of the Oxford conference the volume will have two parts, the first on "institutions" - organisational structure and different cases of establishment of Italian opera in various northern European countries - the second on "ceremonies", their courtly and political implications and representation on the opera stage.
The first volume will be an entirely monolingual publication in English. Coordination and editing of the volume will be done by Dr Melania Bucciarelli.
As a result of the Braunschweig meeting one can state that the remaining activities of group 1 have now been scheduled till to the end of the whole project. The subjects and themes to be treated in the future workshops are fixed, and the outlines of the first volume are clearly visible.
The meeting was held in Braunschweig/Wolfenbüttel, both cities related to early history of Italian opera in Germany. The workshop started on Friday, 7 May, 9.00 a.m., and ended on Sunday 9 May 1999, 12.00. The group had a visit to Wolfenbüttel on Saturday afternoon to see the exhibition and to hear a concert at the Herzog-August-Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel.
Participants : Dr. Melania Bucciarelli, Dr. Norbert Dubowy, Prof. Giovanna Gronda, Prof. Niels Martin Jensen, Dr. Christian Meyer, PD Dr. Dorothea Schröder, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Herbert Seifert, Dr. Andrea Sommer-Mathis, Prof. Dr. Reinhard Strohm, Dr. Alina Zórawska-Witkowska.
Summarized from the scientific report submitted by Dr. Norbert Dubowy (June 1999).
