Conference Agenda

A recent enquiry about a puzzling retroconversion catalogue record has led to the suprising and intriguing re-discovery of a full-size paper replica piano keyboard made for Archduchess Sophie of Austria by woman composer, Teodozja Papara (1797-1873) and formerly held in the personal imperial library of Austrian Empress Elisabeth (1837–1898), known as ‘Sisi’. ​ The keyboard is beautifully presented, made of paper pasted onto card board with inside folds covered in silk brocade fabric and outside red velvet with gold tooling. The full size keyboard includes notes on notation and theory in German and Polish with some Italian. There are manuscript annotations with some hand-colouring. This item is interesting in many aspects: it was created by woman composer in Lemberg (Lwòw, Lviv) which at varying times was part of Austria-Hungary, Poland and Ukraine. Papara composed mainly piano works including tutors. The replica paper piano keyboard was part of a piano school she wrote and a more complete copy is held in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna. The composer registered several patents relating to the paper piano keyboard. Research into this fascinating keyboard includes the provenance history and the use of such paper keyboard. While the keyboard was created for Archduchess Sophie who was in her early 50s at the time and less likely to have used this herself for study, it could very well have been a presentation copy which was then taken into the imperial personal library of Sisi and may have been used by her daughters.

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This poster presents a study of phrase rhythm in Brahms’s late piano pieces, Opp. 116–119, focusing on the ways phrase-rhythmic design shapes temporal continuity and formal direction. Recent works, including Brahms and the Shaping of Time (2021), have drawn renewed attention to Brahms’s sensitivity to metric and temporal nuance. This study turns to the specific phrase-rhythmic procedures through which that nuance is articulated.

Across these pieces, regular four- and eight-measure units often remain audible, but Brahms repeatedly modifies their force through expansion, truncation, delayed completion, and the juxtaposition of contrasting phrase-rhythmic patterns. These procedures mark sectional boundaries, redirect momentum, and affect the listener’s sense of formal function as it emerges over time.

The poster presents selected examples from Opp. 116–119 to show how phrase rhythm operates as a compositional resource in Brahms’s late style, contributing both to expressive pacing and to structural coherence.

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Despite themes being a foundational unit of musical organisation and experience, critical study of thematic process has become increasingly marginalised. English composer and conductor Edward Elgar (1857-1934) associated themes with characters, landscapes, moods, and places; 'Elgar's Themes' is an interdisciplinary project employing cutting-edge digital methods to revitalise the analysis of musical themes via an online thematic catalogue. Connecting historical modes of understanding with the opportunities enabled by a fully digital environment will support a new understanding of theme as linked data, using this to integrate analysis and interpretation. Our tripartite collaboration combines: (i) a new Elgar Thematic Catalogue; (ii) a new musicology of themes and resulting ontology, building upon and connecting digital resources, including the catalogue; and (iii) production of 'digital companions', which will present case studies and explore digital sources according to the thematic ontology, repurposing data drawn from our catalogue and musicology. Across all three areas we are working towards sustainable solutions for the scholarship, data, and services we create. This includes the design of a thematic catalogue as the cornerstone of our digital architecture and data network, alongside integration of tools and services including MEI and the RISM API. We have used case studies to identify and prioritise functional requirements, realised in our first prototype digital companion.

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Gaetano Giani-Luporini (1936–2022) was a prominent composer from Lucca, Tuscany, active in the second half of the 20th century. He was also engaged as a painter and poet, and served as Director of the Conservatorio “Luigi Boccherini” in Lucca.

Since November 2024, his personal collection has been held in the Library of the Lucca Conservatorio; it has been donated by the composer’s widow, Professor Giovanna Morelli. It consists of musical materials such as autograph manuscripts, miscellaneous music material, full scores, vocal scores and incidental music for the stage works of Carmelo Bene. Moreover, the collection includes texts such as letters, historical essays, concert programs and notes.

Gaetano Giani-Luporini’s personal collection represents a valuable resource for musicologist and artistic researchers; it’s among the few personal collections donated to a public library soon after the composer’s death, at least in the Italian institutional landscape. Moreover, the Library of Conservatorio of Lucca also already holds the personal collection of the composer Gaetano Luporini (1865-1948), Giani-Luporini’s grandfather. The coexistence of these two family archives, combined with the activities of “Centro Studi Gaetano Giani-Luporini”, gives us the rare opportunities to research and reconstruct a detailed history of the Luporini family.

As part of my PhD in Library Science and Music Bibliography, since last year I have been engaged in arranging and cataloging the collection in the OPAC SBN (National Library System), as well as in digitizing the materials to enable research and encourage musicians and scholars to study and perform them.

Gaetano Giani-Luporini (1936–2022) war ein bedeutender Komponist aus Lucca in der Toskana, der in der zweiten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts tätig war. Darüber hinaus war er auch als Maler und Dichter aktiv und bekleidete das Amt des Direktors des Konservatoriums "Luigi Boccherini“ in Lucca.

Seit November 2024 wird sein persönlicher Nachlass in der Bibliothek des Konservatoriums von Lucca aufbewahrt. Er wurde von der Witwe des Komponisten, Professorin Giovanna Morelli, gestiftet. Er umfasst musikalische Materialien wie Autographen, diverses Notenmaterial, Partituren, Klavierauszüge sowie Bühnenmusik zu den Theaterwerken von Carmelo Bene. Darüber hinaus enthält der Bestand schriftliche Dokumente wie Briefe, historische Essays, Konzertprogramme und Notizen.

Der persönliche Nachlass Gaetano Giani-Luporinis stellt eine wertvolle Ressource für die musikwissenschaftliche und künstlerische Forschung dar. Er gehört – zumindest im italienischen institutionellen Kontext – zu den wenigen Nachlässen, die kurz nach dem Tod des Komponisten einer öffentlichen Bibliothek übergeben wurden. Zudem verwahrt die Bibliothek des Konservatoriums von Lucca bereits den persönlichen Nachlass des Komponisten Gaetano Luporini (1865-1948), des Großvaters Giani-Luporinis. Das Nebeneinander dieser beiden Familienarchive ermöglicht in Verbindung mit den Aktivitäten des „Centro Studi Gaetano Giani-Luporini“ die seltene Gelegenheit, eine detaillierte Geschichte der Familie Luporini zu erforschen und zu rekonstruieren.

Im Rahmen meines Promotionsstudiums in Bibliothekswissenschaft und Musikbibliographie bin ich seit dem vergangenen Jahr mit der Ordnung und Katalogisierung des Bestandes im OPAC SBN (Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale) befasst sowie mit der Digitalisierung der Materialien, um die Forschung zu ermöglichen und Musikerinnen und Musiker sowie Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler zur Untersuchung und Aufführung dieser Werke anzuregen.

Le Lac de Côme is a piano nocturne composed in 1870 by Marie Cécile Galos (Paris, 1821 – Bordeaux, 1903). Since its publication, the piece has enjoyed wide dissemination both in France and internationally. Yet, Galos herself remained largely unknown until the 21st century. Approximately thirty solo piano pieces and two works for piano and voice are preserved in the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the British Library, most of which are digitally accessible. Considering the prominence of her best-known nocturne, the near-erasure of her identity—together with the scarcity, and frequent inconsistency, of the information available online—is striking.

This communication will present ongoing research undertaken within a PhD aimed at recovering the figure of Marie Cécile Galos—who, although celebrated in her own time, remains obscured today—and establishing a well-documented biography, alongside a critical and contextualized edition of her compositions.

Archival materials consulted at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Archives Municipales of Bordeaux and Angoulême, and the Dépôt Légal include civil records that make it possible to reconstruct her genealogy and demonstrate her belonging to an affluent family with significant influence in both Parisian and Bordelais political circles. Furthermore, press sources such as La Gironde reported positively on her music, while multiple editions issued by publishers in France, Germany, and England confirm its international reception. Additional evidence derives from piano-roll recordings of Le Lac de Côme held at the Museu de la Música de Barcelona and the Pianola Museum in Amsterdam, further attesting to the work’s broad diffusion.

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The São Paulo Municipal Symphony Orchestra (OSM) was institutionalized by law in 1949. The institutionalization process took place throughout the entire year and involved numerous agents. Musicians, councillors, and even the mayor were among the main actors recorded in the City Council Minutes on which this research is based. This poster aims to discuss the City Council Minutes not only as primary sources for uncovering historical and political processes, but also as documentary practices that shape the heritage of musical institutions.

By examining the City Council Minutes, the research identified a total of 25 sessions in which the process of institutionalizing the Orchestra was under discussion. Through these records, it was possible to observe not only how many councillors were involved (24), but also the degree to which they engaged in the debates through speeches, votes, and arguments. The entire database is publicly available through the São Paulo City Council Memory Center website.

Minutes constitute a rich type of document for understanding institutional musical heritage. They reveal how public debates framed and negotiated musical institutions, while also assembling a complex network of agents who shaped how music should be performed and which musical practices were considered worthy of political discussion. In this sense, these documents expose the political arrangements that structure and legitimize certain musical practices over others. City Council Minutes, therefore, can be understood as key supports for reflecting on policies of musical memory.

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This poster presents an arts-based research project grounded in a/r/tography and
performance studies, exploring contemporary compositional practices through the
performance of solo flute works by composers residing in Thessaloniki. Emerging from
the artistic and academic environment of the Department of Music Studies at Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki, the research reflects the interconnected roles of artist,
researcher, and educator within contemporary music practice and performance.
The poster outlines the conceptual framework and methodological approach of
a/r/tographic research, focusing on works by Thessaloniki-based composers: Lapidakis,
Papageorgiou, Tsougras, Sakallieros, who represent diverse generations, as well as
compositional approaches and directions. Through reflective artistic practice, the poster
demonstrates how performance can function as a site of inquiry, generating knowledge
about interpretation, embodiment, collaboration, and cultural context.
Drawing on a/r/tography as a living inquiry methodology, the poster emphasizes
the dynamic relationship between creative practice and research. Artistic experience is
considered both as process and outcome, while embodied performance and reflective
artistic practice operate as ways of interpreting and understanding contemporary music
within broader socio-cultural and academic discourse.
The poster highlights how arts-based research can contribute to interdisciplinary
dialogue within performance, interpretation and the meanings of contemporary music.

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Repatriation, while generally understood as the return to one’s home country, specifically involves the restitution of human remains, sacred objects, and cultural materials that were removed without permission. Over the past two to three decades, as Indigenous peoples have gained greater sovereignty, the concept has expanded to encompass a critical aspect of restorative cultural justice, reconnecting source communities with their cultural heritage and supporting cultural revitalization.

In the context of sound, repatriation includes the delivery of digital copies of archival recordings or, as Seeger (2019) notes, the return of music to communities from which it had been removed due to imbalances of external power, often resulting from colonial and institutional control.

This study examines three selected sound repatriation projects, employing a comparative methodology to analyze effective practices, address legal and ethical challenges, and explore the educational potential of repatriated materials. By returning control over access, contextual interpretation, and ownership to source communities, digital repatriation helps reduce colonial influence in archives and museums (Gray 2018, Krupa & Grimm 2021).

Integrating repatriated music into education can enrich the music curriculum, fostering cultural diversity, promoting critical thinking about power and representation, and challenging ideological biases that have historically shaped music education (Regelski 2021). It also enables source communities to participate actively in shaping how their cultural materials are presented and interpreted. Sound repatriation represents not only a form of cultural justice but also a practical strategy for decolonizing archival practices, strengthening community engagement, and encouraging socially conscious approaches to teaching and learning in music.

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This poster explores and sheds new light on the unfinished compositions of Michele Puccini, the father of the renowned opera composer Giacomo Puccini.

Michele Puccini (1813–1864), the fourth composer of the long-standing musical dynasty and choirmaster in Lucca, devoted most of his work to church and liturgical music and to the preservation of the musical heritage in Lucca. He also composed two operas, a complete one, Giambattista Cattani, and the unfinished Antonio Foscarini. Nine fragments of the latter are preserved at the Musical Library of the Conservatorio Luigi Boccherini in Lucca in the Fondo Puccini, which constitutes the part of the Puccini family music collection donated by Giacomo Puccini in 1891.

These fragments were long considered to belong to a unified set of nine musical sketches. However, a cataloguing study has revealed that only four of them are actually related to Antonio Foscarini, while the remaining five constitute drafts of a yet unknown operatic work.

After presenting the historical context and the Fondo Puccini, the contribution will finally shows the preliminary results of a current study that aims to enlighten the influence of the Puccini dynasty on the young Giacomo.

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In academic year 2024-2025 Italian Conservatories and Arts Academy start to deliver Ph.D. courses as AFAM I cicle (=XLI cicle, University): the third cicle will start in academic year 2026-2027.
In this frame seventeen Italian Conservatories organized the joint Ph.D. course of national interest “Artistic Research on Musical Heritage”, leader Institution the Conservatory of musica ‘A. Steffani’, Castelfranco Veneto (Treviso).

The Ph.D. course includes ten interconnected curricula devoted to different areas of interest: three of them are focused on music sources valorisation: Bibliography and Library Information science (Bbm), Protection of music heritage (Tpm), Music history and musical philology (Sfm). New technologies is the focus of Immersive Technologies Applied to Music (Tim), Sound creative arts (Acs), New musical languages (Nlm) curricula. Music interpretation and performing arts (Imap), Music pedagogy and teaching (Pdm), Music therapy and neuroscience (Mtn), Performance &Audience (Pau) cover different areas.

The first part of the poster describes the “Music Bibliography and Information science” curriculum (Bbm): its aims and features within Digital Humanities, the role of Supervisors, opportunities to study abroad for incoming and outcoming students, the relationships with other curricula, as well as relationships with co-funding sponsor organizations as RILM, Ente Luglio Musicale Trapanese.

The second part presents projects of Ph. D. doctoral students, at their second year, here quoted as delegates authors of the poster. Handouts will be given.

“Artistic Research on Musical Heritage”: https://conscfv.it/conservatorio/dottorati/. General coordinator: prof. Paolo Troncon. Library and Information science curriculum coordinator: Federica Riva.

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