National Conservatory Research Articles

Traditional Music of Kazakhstan in the Second Half of the 20th Century: Using the Example of Folk Song Art in the Northern Region of Kazakhstan

The historical development of folk music lays the foundations for modern compositions, the study of previous experience can help to qualitatively develop the modern musical sphere, emphasizing the uniqueness of traditional art. The main purpose of this study is to identify and analyse the characteristic features of the music of Kazakhstan, as well as to generalize the available knowledge. In the presented work, archive materials of several ethnographic expeditions of the folklore laboratory Kurmangazy Kazakh National Conservatory in the Torgai-Kostanay region, made from 1975 to 1989, are considered. It is taken into account that many widespread traditional musical cultures, representing a single integral, within themselves will have several ramifications. In this regard, Kazakh traditional music is not an isolated case, as it is currently divided into the following folk-professional schools: Sary-Arka, Jetysu, Kyzylorda and Western Kazakhstan. The name of each listed tradition is associated with territorial identification. For several years in Kazakhstani musicology, up to the present day, many researchers have been engaged in the study of the above-mentioned regional traditions. The works of the second half of the XX century were analysed, as well as the main differences and aspects of music writing. The paper identifies the influence of the main factors that contributed to the creation of the works, as well as a generalized analysis of the composers’ stylization. The study will provide a better understanding of the features and aspects of musical folklore, which helps to popularize and raise awareness of the subject.

Профессиональное образование в России и Китае: к вопросу о роли ценностей в трансмиссии опыта

Drawing on comprehensive historical data about the system of music education in China in the 1920—1930s, the authors focus on the relevance of professional pedagogical values for the successful transmission of professional experience. Examining axiological dimension of the intense pedagogical activity of Boris Zakharov (1887—1943), the head of the piano de­partment at the Shanghai National Conservatory in 1929—1943, we claim that there is direct continuity between the system of professional values implemented by him and the traditions of Russian piano education established by Anna Yesipova (1851—1914), one of the great pi­ano virtuosos of her day and a distinguished professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. It is demonstrated that the success of pedagogical activity of both Anna Yesipova and Boris Zakharov, as one of her students, is conditioned by the comprehensive realization of a wide range of professional pedagogical values. Attitudes, means, knowledge, qualities relevant for the educational process are shown to be subordinated to the main value — the need to provide the student with the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve maximum technical freedom for a full artistic interpretation of a musical work. A conclusion is drawn that the rich axio­logical potential inherent in the Russian piano education is one of the key prerequisites for successful cross-cultural transmission of experience in professional education.

Investigating five totalizing counters manufactured by the Alphonse Darras company of the CNAM collections in Paris

The paper reports the study of five totalizing counters preserved in the collections of the CNAM (museum of the French National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts) in Paris. These artefacts are part of a corpus of over forty counters attributed to the Darras company founded by engineer Alphonse Darras (1860-1936). In the framework of the LacCA project at Haute Ecole Arc, Neuchâtel (Switzerland), dedicated to the characterization of lacquered copper-alloys, our attention was drawn to the different aspects of the object’s coatings. Lacquers were frequently applied to technical objects to both protect them from corrosion and provide an esthetical appearance. Five totalizing counters showing various typologies and surface colours were chosen from the set and explored by a non-invasive multi analytical approach. The comparative study – investigating lacquering processes and materials - contributes to the historical study of these artefacts.

Research on the development of piano performance teaching in China

The establishment of Shanghai National Conservatory of music in 1927 marked the establishment of piano performance in China. With the development of the motherland, Chinese piano art has grown up all the way, showing unique musical cultural phenomena and Piano cultural highlights closely related to the social environment in different historical stages. The author believes that the development of Chinese piano art is mainly reflected in three aspects: teaching, creation and performance. The pioneers of China's early piano education not only trained the first batch of piano players for the Chinese music world, but also continued their teaching ideas, teaching styles and teaching methods on their students from generation to generation, which has had a positive and far-reaching impact on today's Piano Teaching in China. By sorting out and analyzing the historical development stages of Chinese piano performance teaching theory, the author can observe the current situation of Chinese piano performance teaching with a more critical perspective, thus enlightening us to explore and think about Chinese piano performance teaching in the new era, so as to promote the deeper and broader development of the research on piano performance teaching theory, And try to change the problem that piano performance teaching only stays at the level of language description and experience summary to a certain extent, and seek a development path for the improvement of piano teachers' scientific research ability.

Victoires de Wajdi Mouawad: de la défenestration à l’espoir collectif

Victoires of Wajdi Mouawad : when defenestration becomes a collective hope Victoire, a student at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art, committed suicide when she was only twenty-four years old. This death, inspired by Greek tragedies, reveals a gesture that is both heroic and symptomatic of an era. In his play, Wajdi Mouawad questions the depth of the deadly gesture of suicide as well as fate of death. By analyzing the funeral rites evoked in the play, we will see how Victoire's friends engage in a process of idealizing death, making Victoire a modern heroine. The gesture of death transforms into that of a gesture of hope, leading them towards a surge of life itself.

Prospects for distance learning in Kazakhstani universities in the context of active digitalization due to the COVID–19 pandemic

During the COVID–19 pandemic, the Kazakhstani education system completely switched to online education. The so-called digitalization has embraced all spheres of social and economic life. Online learning has come to be seen as an alternative to traditional one. The restructuring of the education system took place with the help of digital technologies, which contributed to an increase in its competitiveness. Technological advances in Artificial Intelligence have become part of everyday life. The use of online learning technologies has helped to preserve the educational infrastructure. At the same time, learning from home and, as a result, unequal conditions in access to the Internet affected the quality of education, academic integrity, and motivation. The research aims to analyze the effects of distance learning on students and understand whether blended learning will become an effective education paradigm in the post-academic era. An extensive literature review of articles based on Elsevier, Science Direct and Google Scholar databases using keywords such as “digital technologies in education”, “blended learning”, “learning in the context of the COVID–19 pandemic” was carried out. A comparative analysis of the results of quantitative research among students of the Kurmangazy Kazakh National Conservatory, Turan University and Al-Farabi KazNU is conducted. The research results demonstrate the attitude of students towards e-learning. There is a request for the introduction of blended learning, regardless of the educational programs.

Colonialism, Cosmopolitanism, and Nationalism: The Performativity of Western Music Endeavours in Interwar Shanghai

AbstractThis article examines the meaning of Western music performances in interwar Shanghai through the theoretical framework of performativity that originated in John Austin's speech act and Judith Butler's notion of identity as performed. The early concerts of the Shanghai Municipal Orchestra (SMO), I suggest, were an assertion of settler sovereignty in a treaty port such as Shanghai. Therefore, Chinese musicians performing Western music – propagated through the establishment of the National Conservatory of Music by Chinese elites in Shanghai's French Settlement in 1927 – was the embodiment of three contradictory ideals: colonialism, nationalism, and cosmopolitanism. Zooming in on four SMO concerts that featured Chinese musicians in 1929, I argue that they were sites of identity and power negotiation, the SMO and the Chinese musicians asserting quite distinct performative utterances. On the one hand, the performing Chinese body enacted the cosmopolitan outlook that the Municipal Council was eager to project, not only for the sake of ideology but also to increase SMO's concert revenue by appealing to the increasing number of Chinese concert attendees. On the other hand, it meant national glory to Chinese residents in Shanghai, marking Chinese musicians participating in a global musical network. Lastly, this study draws attention to the diverse geographies of Western music in the twentieth century and its coeval development beyond the West, testifying to the timely need for a global music history in which the musicking of Western music in so many Asian cities should be interwoven into its narrative.

An integrated approach to the training of specialists in the field of contemporary music: based on the experience of the Paris Higher National Conservatory of Music and Dance

An integrated approach to the training of specialists in the field of contemporary music: based on the experience of the Paris Higher National Conservatory of Music and Dance

Between the Local, the Global, and the Aid Economy in Palestine: The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music (ESNCM) at the Christmas Concert for Life and Peace in Bethlehem

Between the Local, the Global, and the Aid Economy in Palestine: The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music (ESNCM) at the Christmas Concert for Life and Peace in Bethlehem

Миллий маданий концепт тушунчаси

Лингвокультурологиянинг асосий бирлиги маданий концептдир. Маданий концепт бу ментал бирлик бўлиб, онгдаги ментал ва психик ресурслар бирликларини ифодалашга ҳизмат қилувчи, ҳамда инсон тажрибаси ва билимларини акс эттирувчи информацион тузилма (Е.С.Кубрякова), маданиятнинг асосий бирлиги (В.И.Карасик), инсон онгидаги маданиятнинг ҳужайраси (Ю.С.Степанов). Концептга бўлган лисоний-маданий ёндашув концептни маданиятнинг таянч бирлиги сифатида қабул қилишни тақозо этади ва маълум бир маданият учун муҳим бўлган тушунчаларни ўзида акс эттиради.
 Концептнинг тузилиши мураккаб. Ю.С.Степанов концептнинг уч таркибий қатламини ажратади: (1) асосий, бош белги; (2) қўшимча, ёки бир неча кўшимча, “пассив" белгилар: (3) ташқи, лисоний шаклда акс эттириладиган, одатда, умуман эътиборга олинмайдиган ички шаклни. Олимларнинг кўпчилиги (С.Г. Воркачев, В.И. Карасик, Маслова В.А.), концептнинг мураккаб тузилма эканлигини қайд этишади ва уни асосини куйидагилар ташкил этади деб таъкидлайдилар: 1) маъно; 2) образ; 3) қадриявий.
 Концепт тузилишидаги конституентлар концепт майдонини ёки концептосферани ҳосил қилади. Миллий концептосфера - бу конкрет миллат учун характерли ҳисобланган концептларнинг йиғиндисидир, Концепт ўзида концептуал бўлак, элементларни тақдим этади. Унинг элементлари конкрет коммуникатив жараёнларда ўзларини намоён килади.
 Fire/Water концептларининг лексик сатҳда вербаллашувини таҳлил қилиш натижасида биз қуйилагиларни аниқладик:
 1) Fire/Water концепти лексик сатҳда лексик бирликлар, синонимлар ва антонимлар, қўшма сўзларда орқали ифодаланади;
 2) ‘Fire’ концептининг ядровий концептуал маънолари қўйидагилардан ташкил топади: а) олов – иссиқлик ва ёритиш қуроли; б) олов – офат, улим, халокат, синов, азоб, ҳавф; в) олов – ёнғин; г) олов – хис туйғу;
 ‘Water’ концептининг ядровий концептуал маънолари қўйидагилардан ташкил топади: а) сув – таъмсиз, рангсиз ва хидсиз суюқлик; б) сув – водород ва кислороддан ташкил топган; в) сув – ичимлик суви ва сув таъминотини амалга оширувчи система; г) сув – индустрияда қўлланувчи модда.
 3) ўрганилган барча тил бирликларда асосан олов концептининг иккита концептуал маъноси ифодаланади: а) олов – ёнғин; б) олов – уруш қўроли, отиш қўроли. Сув концепти эса асосан а) бефойда ва б) сув – офат маъноларини ўзида мужассам этади.
 ‘Fire’ концептининг фразеологик бирликларда вербаллашувини таҳлил қилиш натижасида fire компонентли фразеологик бирликларда асосан Fire концептининг образлилик ва қадриявий қисмлари ўз ифодасини топишини кўриш мумкин. Ижобий эстетик баҳо қўйидаги концепуал белгиларда ўз аксини топган: олов бу 1) ижобий ҳис туйғулар (севги, дўстлик, ёктириш); 2) интилувчанлик, тиришқоқлик; 3) мотивация қўроли. Салбий эстетик баҳо вайронагарчилик, ёнғин, уруш тушунчаларини ифодаловчи тил бирикмаларинингконцептуал белгиларида ўз аксини топган. Олов бу 1) ёнғин, офат, халокат; 2) уруш ва отишқўроли; 3) салбий хис-туйғулар: жаҳлдорлик; 4) қийин синов, азоб; 5) вақт танқислиги; 6) танқид қўроли ва хк.
 ‘Water’ компонентли фразеологик бирликларда, сув 1) ҳаётдаги турли вазиятларни ифодаловчи хосса; 2) бошқа суюқликларга нисбатан фойдасиз ва арзон; 3) муқаддас суюқлик сифатида изоҳланади. Шу билан бирга, сув ва олов вайронагарчилик, табиий офат каби концептуал белгиларни ўз семантикасида акс этади.
 Шундай қилиб, инглиз лингвомаданиятида олов асосан салбий буёқдорликга эга бўлиб, вайронагарчилик, азоб, уруш, ёнғин каби тушунчалар билан боғлиқ. Бу оловнинг табиий офат эканлиги, чўғ олганда уни тўхтатиб бўлмаслиги, уруш қўроллари асосан ўтга алоқадорлиги (ўқ, снаряд, пушка, бомба) билан боғлиқ. Олов тушунчасининг инсон хис-туйғулари билан боғлиқ эканлиги, кишининг физиологик хусусиятлари билан боғлиқ (инсоннинг жаҳли чиққанда, уялганда, севиб қолганда қизариши, бадан хароратининг кўтарилиши ва ҳк.).

Centro Regionale di Castanicoltura: dieci anni di attività in Piemonte

To improve the R&D strategies in chestnut cultivation and to further develop the chestnut industry, the University of Torino, Dept. of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, with the financial support of the Piemonte Region, established in 2005 the Chestnut Regional Centre, located in Chiusa Pesio (Cuneo Province, North Western Italy). The Piemonte Region supported the institution of the Centre with human resources and structures (nurseries, land to realize the arboretum). The main activity of the Centre is the research, on several fields, including chestnut germplasm, advanced propagation techniques, optimization of cultural prac-tices, pest and diseases management, extension service activities. In the Centre, a germplasm collection of chestnut genetic variability has been established on a 3 ha surface. Main local and national cultivars are included, with several European varieties from Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland and other accessions from U.S.A., China, and Japan. The collection is in progress and will be completed in the next years. A newsletter published in English and Italian informs researchers, technicians and growers periodically. The Centre aims to become a national conservatory of the chestnut biodiversity and a reference center for research activities on Castanea species

Más allá de la Orquestra Geração: El retrato de Manuela, una joven que soñaba con ser clarinetista profesional

This article offers an analysis of the journey of a young clarinetist who, after finishing her path at Orquestra Geracao, decided to join the National Conservatory, with the dream of building a professional career in the music world. Created from Manuela's sociological portrait, this analysis stands in the crossing between Lahire's dispositional theory and an idea of education that emerges from Dewey's Pragmatism as well as from some authors connected with Critical Pedagogy. The portrait is therefore read in a triangle that defines itself from these two lines, and is analyzed through the concept of “sustainability” (Mota & Figueiredo, 2012). This discussion raises some problematic questions about the transitional moment that certain young musicians may cross when they leave the project Orquestra Geracao to join other formal educational contexts connected with music education. In the end, some possible directions to overcome the problems that have emerged in the discussion section will be presented.

Kūrybos komunikacija teatre: dailininko atvejis (1920–1940)

Partnership, cooperation problems are most commonly faced by the representatives of collective art – the creators of theatrical art, who bring together a creative team, in order to produce one common message to the audience. This message is a performance. Creators, who belong to different fields, work together to achieve one goal and, by influencing each other, carry out the functions of a team. One of the most prominent witness of creative unification – is the experience of novice stage designer in Lithuanian theatre of the 3rd decade of the 20th century. One of the co-authors of theatrical performance – the theatre artist – ought to join the cre­ative process, not only to initiate, but also to revise the creative idea, to coordinate it with other play-makers.The forming theatre experienced that organised communication and dialogue between creators begins only when all the staff gather together and distribute the roles. Since communication is a series of steps that start with the formation of a group, at the outset there was a stage of selecting play co-authors. On the one hand, the theatre looked for recognised artists, authorities, who could be trusted, on the other hand – it searched for theatrical personalities. The initial situ­ation of creative communication between artists in newly established theatre was also strengthened by personal connections.However, professional background was still the most important when searching for theatre artists. Theatre artists Vladas Didžiokas, Jonas Gregorauskas Adomas Varnas, Barbora Didžiokienė, Vilius Joman­tas and Adomas Galdikas, who started to work in Lithuanian theatre in the 3rd decade, had learned the elements of theatrical art in Russian and Lithuanian art schools. In the 4th decade of the 20th century, the artists have gained education in Paris art schools. In 1929–1933, Antanas Gudaitis, Stasys Usinskas stud­ied at the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts. The teacher of these artists was the famous Russian stage designer Alexandra Ekster.Not only communication between group members in general is important when exploring the skills of communication of an artist in theatre. The process of communication helps to understand theatre, where there is no continuous communal creation. Here, we can clearly see the distribution of work in several stages, where communication takes place at differ­ent levels.Early theatrical performances of the 3rd decade of the 20th century prove that there was no knowledge of the process of creative communication at the begin­ning of Lithuanian professional theatre formation and that the only basis was personal experience. Creative response between creators and transition from the independent creative stage to the second stage of col­lective work appear only at the end of the 3rd decade of the 20th century.

O Lugar da Dança no Sistema Educativo Português

With this reflection, it is our intention to outline the path of vocational training and dance education in the Portuguese educational system, both in terms of public education (primary and secondary) and in the private education level (vocational and professional). We will analyse the differences between generic and specialized artistic education, with regard to dance in the educational system, and we will highlight the research led by Faculty of Human Kinetics in the dance field, and in theformal, non-formal and informal education levels. It is concluded that dance education in Portugal grew exponentially in the last decade, with the exception of higher education. In the vocational education, the Escola de Danca do Conservatorio Nacional [School of Dance of the National Conservatory] is the main reference. In the specialized artistic education, the in-service training of teachers remains fragile, and in general education, the initial training of the dance teacher remains insufficient. It is clear the need to change the dance conceptions and educational/training representations in general education, by increasing the supply of dance courses and artistic curricular units, and also by expanding the schools with specialized artistic education into the educational system

Music and Ideology: Musical School in Rezekne after World War II

The aim of the article is to reflect the processes and problems of musical education renewal, which the teachers of Rezekne Secondary Music School faced under the circumstances of sovietisation, by evaluating to what extent the old elite (pre-war elite of National Conservatory) could adapt to the new circumstances and to what extent it was allowed by the regime. The article is based on the historical analysis of a discourse by evaluating the texts of documents available in the archives and identifying the dominant circumstances under which they have been created. In order to evaluate the principles of ideology influence and formation of social reality, the author compares the texts of the documents and conclusions found there with the opinions of representatives from various scientific areas on the features of musical life in that period of time. During the research, the author established that, on the one hand, the external factors and those, which are subjected to ideology, characterize the activity of the school; however, on the other hand, there are also the internal, as well as determined and retained factors of traditional requirements of music acquisition.

Seminar on Music Spirituality and Islam ( Kuala Lumpur , 12 December 2012 )

On 12 December 2012, IAIS Malaysia jointly organised the “Seminar on Music Spirituality and Islam” with the National University of Singapore’s Department of Malay Studies and the University Scholars Programme and the Department of Museum, Malaysia. The seminar carried two presentations, by Raja Zulkarnain Raja Mohd Yusof (The National Conservatory of Arts) and Professor Mohd Anis Md Nor (Cultural Centre, University of Malaya). It also featured two performances by Masoud Ariankhoo, who recited the Mathnavi, and Abdullah Shatri, who performed the taqsim al-‘ud.

“How many thousands of a lazy millionaire are tantamount to these hundred forints?” Clara Schumann’s donation to the National Conservatory in Pest

Clara Schumann gave her first Pest concerts in February 1856. A survey of the enthusiastic reviews reveals that she was received as the foremost representative of “classic art,” whose performances gave the Hungarian public—until then mostly admiring exhibitionist virtuosos—an entirely new idea about what music was capable of. The moral superiority of Clara seemed also confirmed by her generous donation to the future National Conservatory, which was initially commented on in the most flattering terms in the press. In early March, however, the Pester Lloyd aired that the generous donation may not have been absolutely voluntary, an anonymous go-between having forcefully talked the pianist into financially supporting the institution. Induced by the recent discovery of Clara Schumann’s original deed of foundation (acquired in July 2011 by the Music Collection of the National Széchényi Library) this article seeks to reconstruct the story in some detail by rehearsing the press debate surrounding the donation, exploring the financial situation of the Music Society of Pest-Buda in the 1850s, scrutinizing the minutes of its board meetings, as well as comparing Clara Schumann’s contribution with those given by other traveling musicians.

Swing Along: The Musical Life of Will Marion Cook (review)

Reviewed by: Swing Along: The Musical Life of Will Marion Cook David Krasner Marva Griffin Carter. Swing Along: The Musical Life of Will Marion Cook. New York: Oxford UP, 2008. 184 pp. $27.95. Will Marion Cook (née William Mercer, 1869–1944) was a musician and composer best known for his work in black musicals. A student of the violin at the Oberlin Conservatory, tutored by Heinrich Jocobson at the Berlin Hochschule for Musik, and a protégé of Antonin Dvořák and John White at the National Conservatory of Music, Cook was eminently prepared for a career as a concert performer and opera composer. Because he was African American, however, the scant opportunities available at the time were in musical theatre. His talents were hardly wasted, though, as he composed some of the most enduring songs and lyrics for black and white musicals. Writing music with the great poet Paul Laurence Dunbar as lyricist, and teaming up with the superb musical performers Ernest Hogan, Bob Cole, George Walker, and Bert Williams, Cook arranged orchestration and wrote lyrics and songs for the best musicals of his generation. Influenced by Tin Pan Alley songs and show tunes, Cook made an essential contribution to popular music in American consciousness. Marva Griffin Carter’s book shines a long overdue light on the career of this great composer. Cook worked in several media: art songs, love songs, and spirituals, and as Carter notes, his musical styles included “a diverse range of pseudo-Africanisms, a nostalgic plantation song, tender ballads, waltzes, recitatives and operatic ensembles” (67). He was also masterful at writing the popular “coon song,” the derogatory tunes by white writers that were turned into generally positive representations once written by African Americans. Cook’s most famous song, “Swing Along,” written for Williams and Walker, is a powerful work reflecting the conditions of African Americans moving (“swinging along”) amidst a thicket of racism. During his most productive decade, 1898–1908, he composed outstanding music for shows such as Clorindy, the Origin of the Cakewalk (1898), In Dahomey (1903), and The Southerner (1904). In his later years Cook produced choral works, especially his Southern Syncopated Orchestra. Cook’s genius was owing to what Carter calls “his use of highly syncopated, chromatic melodies and extended song forms” (118). Despite his talent, he was a recalcitrant figure in show business. Carter notes that George Walker once said of him: “If Will Marion Cook was a white man I reckon he would pass as eccentric, [End Page 285] but, being as he’s a negro, he’s sure enough plum crazy” (91). Carter quotes Cook admitting that his failure to acquire success “was not because of color; rather, because of uncontrolled passions, too violent a resentment against real of fancied wrongs; too large and too visible a chip on each shoulder and to be sure I missed nothing, another chip on my woolly head” (110). Nevertheless, Cook had numerous admirers. His wife Abbie Mitchell, despite divorcing him, remained supportive of his musical career. He also had a tremendous influence on many important African American musicians, mentoring Eubie Blake, James Reese Europe, and Duke Ellington, among others. The book is essentially an unreconstructed reprint of the author’s 1988 dissertation and the shortcoming of such republication is glaring. There are little to no references to the dozens of works on African American musical theatre that have emerged during the past two decades. The author seems unaware, for example, of several new biographies of Cook’s collaborator, Bert Williams, only referencing the outdated biographies by Mabel Rowland (1923) and Ann Charters (1970). Additionally, many accounts of Cook’s experiences noted in this book are stated with insufficient examination. The author says, for instance, that Cook “could not have chosen a more gifted mentor than Bob Cole to teach him the tricks of the theatrical trade” (37), then says that there was “discord between Cole and Cook” (57) that ended their relationship. But no explanation as to the substance of the discord is provided. The author says that “Cook was widely known as an advocate of Republican principles and an outspoken anti-New Dealer” (109), but then says that Cook...

Genetic diversity in Tunisian olive accessions and their relatedness with other Mediterranean olive genotypes

Eighty-four olive accessions obtained from the National Conservatory of Boughrara-Sfax (Tunisia), previously evaluated for morphological traits, were analysed with 47 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. They were compared with other olive genotypes originated from Eastern or Western Mediterranean. The highest and lowest similarities between genotypes, estimated by simple matching algorithm, were 0.98 and 0.40, respectively. A dendrogram based on Ward's method and a factorial correspondence analysis (FCA) showed that most of Tunisian accessions are closely related to olive genotypes originating from the Eastern Mediterranean and some are clustering with genotypes originated from the Western Mediterranean. These findings suggested multiple and complex origin of Tunisian olive. A comparative study between a previous morphological analysis and current RAPD assay was carried out and discussed.

From the New World: Victor Herbert and His Second Cello Concerto

Among his instrumental music, Victor Herbert's Second Cello Concerto, op. 30 (1894) in particular deserves greater attention, not only because it has become standard repertoire but because of its historical importance as a stimulus to Antonín Dvořák. An analysis of the piece reveals a subtly crafted composition that brilliantly exploits the resources of the cello—Herbert's own instrument—and that builds upon the composer's earlier work for cello and orchestra. The work also exhibits that stylistic amalgam of Irish, German, and American elements that characterize Herbert's operetta scores. Scholars have long appreciated the fact that the piece helped inspire Dvořák to attempt a cello concerto of his own (1895). But Herbert, as has been suggested in the case of George W. Chadwick, might have influenced Dvořák's “American” music more generally. In turn, Dvořák's music—in particular, his “New World” Symphony—seems to have left its mark on Herbert's Second Concerto. In short, Herbert and Dvořák—colleagues at New York's National Conservatory in the early 1890s—engaged in a sort of musical dialogue, one that reflected differing ideas concerning nationalism and American music.