Fa­s­cic­le 12: Mu­si­co­lo­gy

Between Western classical music and popular culture

Deadline: 15.03.2023

The Editorial Board of Roczniki Humanistyczne, Fascicle 12: Musicology, is seeking contributions of high academic quality for the forthcoming (2023) issue: Between Western classical music and popular culture.

The type of music termed both ‘artistic’ and ‘classical’ has been linked with popular culture for centuries. However, it was only at the end of the 18th century, and later the 19th, that there arose any reflection on popular culture itself, and it was the 20th century which provided the tools that made possible the emergence of systematic studies of both popular culture and music. Currently, research into this area of culture is being carried out on a large scale the world over, although the perspectives from which they are being made are constantly shifting, resulting in changes in the perception of this very area of culture.

One such paradigmatic change in the research on popular culture is in its equal treatment and connection with so-called high culture. These interactions take place in various areas and to varying intensity. The relationships between these two artistic spheres are complex and often very close, if not always obvious. These interactions are gradually becoming the subject of more and more extensive research, as demonstrated by the book published in October 2022, namely Twentieth-Century Music in the West: An Introduction by Tom Perchard, Stephen Graham, Tim Rutherford-Johnson and Holly Rogers, or Współczesna kultura muzyczna a popkultura: spotkania, dialogi, konfrontacje [Contemporary music and pop culture: meetings, dialogues, confrontations] edited by Ewa Kowalska-Zając (2021), although, of course, this topic has appeared before, for example in the thematic issue of the journal “Musurgia” – Le “savant” et le “populaire” (IX/1, 2002).

We especially, although not exclusively, encourage papers in the following area(s):

  • "classical" genres and popular culture (musicals, rock operas, oratorios, cantatas, etc.) and vice versa;
  • artistic techniques typical of "classical" music in the context of popular culture and vice versa (cyclicality, concept-albums, intertextuality, works on poetic texts, instruments, suites with film music, etc.);
  • the experience of "classical" artists in the field of popular culture and vice versa;
  • the functioning of classical music themes in popular culture and vice versa (quotations and paraphrases in songs, music in advertising, film music, popular songs in opera, covers and transcriptions, etc.);
  • genres and other possibilities which are located on the border between these two areas and which integrate them;
  • the functioning of stars and virtuosos in culture, and their reception;
  • the methodology used to study "classical" music in research on popular culture and vice versa;
  • research on the interactions of these areas of culture in theoretical and aesthetic approaches.

We accept only unpublished papers of high academic quality, reserving the right to preselect articles in terms of both subject matter and editorial content. Contributions, which should follow the MLA citation style and not exceed 30,000 characters in length (including abstract and references), should be submitted via the Open Journal System.

Preferred languages: English, French, Polish.

Deadline for submission: 15th March 2023.

Address for correspondence:
Dr. Habil. Małgorzata Gamrat (gamrat@kul.pl)

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