Required Dichotomies in the Romanian (Music) History – Regarding Antique and Medieval Eras Cover Image

Required Dichotomies in the Romanian (Music) History – Regarding Antique and Medieval Eras
Required Dichotomies in the Romanian (Music) History – Regarding Antique and Medieval Eras

Author(s): Carmen Chelaru
Subject(s): Music
Published by: Editura ARTES
Keywords: Dacians; Slavs; folklore; Byzantine; history

Summary/Abstract: History recounts subjective facts and thoughts that nevertheless must be approached impartially. Two important historians, Neagu Djuvara and Lucian Boia discuss this topic in a new perspective, far from sympathies and antipathies, as well as manipulations of any kind. So, they provide a valuable example that may also be applied to the history of arts, including the Romanian musical art. The study provides a synthetic view on the history of music in the Carpatho-Danubian territory over three periods – pre-Roman, Daco-Roman, and Middle Ages. Although there is little material evidence about Thracians, Getae and Dacians, a lot has been said and written on this issue. As long as we lack sufficient internal and plausible evidence, we may just make suppositions concerning the music of these ancestors. Folklore was the oldest musical branch that had preceded the formation of the Romanian language. It is difficult though to establish whether traditional artistic productions belonged to the Getae-Dacian layer or to the Latin one. Two branches may be identified in the early local medieval music: the traditional and the religious one. The first did not evolve differently compared to the previous period. The religious music developed according to the social organization and ethnic statements. The genuine Middle Ages brought with it the existence of three important musical branches: folklore, religious and court music. This writing does not seek to be original but rather aims to provide an objective image referring at information and documents found by famous historians and historians of music.

  • Issue Year: 2016
  • Issue No: 16
  • Page Range: 9-44
  • Page Count: 36
  • Language: English