Neoclassical Reverberations of Discovering Antiquity 

Archivio di Stato di Torino

Torino, 6–10 October 2014

With the discoveries of Herculaneum and Pompeii, the eighteenth century marked the birth of modern archaeological methods. The newly discovered Roman sites became a leading attraction for intellectuals travelling in Italy on the Grand Tour, and equally admired by royalty, young British students, or artists and musicians. On the other hand, Napoleon’s Egyptian Campaign inspired the fashion of Egyptomania, which could be in its different forms traced back to antiquity. These new opportunities for the study of Mediterranean antiquity and the general fascination with it, made the ancient artistic vocabulary fashionable throughout Europe, and it was reflected in the most diverse aspects of nineteenth-century life, ranging from the decoration of public buildings and artistic and architectural styles, to fashion, furniture, and opera libretti. The conference aims to examine the influences and reflections of this new knowledge of antiquity on visual arts as related to music.

Proposals for papers on the following topics are invited:

• Music in neoclassical visual art
• The impact of archaeological explorations at Pompeii and  Herculaneum
• New visions of ancient musical life and myths
• Public buildings decorated in the ancient Roman style
• Music of ancient Egypt and North Africa as seen by Western artists
• Antiquity in operatic scenography
• Musical impressions by artists on Grand Tours
• Free papers will be also considered

 Abstracts of 200–300 words may be submitted before 1 May 2014 to:

Zdravko Blažeković
Research Center for Music Iconography
City University of New York, The Graduate Center
365 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016-4309
zblazekovic@gc.cuny.edu

and

Cristina Santarelli
Istituto per i beni musicali in Piemonte
Via Anton Giulio Barrili 7
10134 Torino
cristina.santarelli@tin.it