Call for papers

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: September 1st, 2011.

PLACE: Tiranë, Albania.

LANGUAGE: English.

THEMES

1. Multipart music practices as creative processes

How can creative processes in multipart music making be recognized? How do the acts of performance, interpretation and local discourse give shape to them? How can individual, collective and collaborative dimensions, which are so essential for multipart music practices, be defined in this context? How and to what extent do they determine transmission processes?

Dealing with these and other questions emerging from the elaboration of diverse investigation tools, the aim is to initiate a discussion on local and global understandings of musical creativity, exploring various methodologies and theoretical approaches.

2. Multipart music in religious practices

This theme provides an opportunity for elaboration on sources related to discussions and statements about multipart music, mainly from a theological perspective in the past and the present. Presentations related to multipart music in different religious practices which highlight the diversity of the roles, powers, symbolism, meanings and values given to multipart music in specific cultures and their religious rituals are especially welcome. Mutual influences between religious and secular music practices as part of transformation processes are also of significance for the discussion.

3. Multipart music awarded

In public discussions, the awards given at public presentations of local music and dance (such as at folklore festivals) are often connected not only with the performers, but also with a ‘ranking’ of local repertoires. Multipart music repertoires are significant in this context because of their remarkable influence on the establishment of local cultural distinctiveness. Similar situations are apparent in the cases of inclusion of a number of multipart music repertoires in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Some of the questions to be discussed in this context are: What does an award mean for the performers and the communities practising the repertoire? What does it mean for communities who practice other repertoires? Does an award influence everyday practice? What is the role of the ethnomusicologists in this context?


Dear colleagues,
we are pleased to announce the Second Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Multipart Music that will take place in Tiranë, Albania in April 22-29, 2012.

We invite proposals for individual presentations, panels and round tables. They are to be sent by email before September 1st, 2011.

The text should be pasted into the body of the email and also sent as a Microsoft Word document or Rich Text Format (RTF) attachment to ensure access. Please label all communications clearly with your full contact details.

Please note that participants are limited to a single presentation.

The Program Committee reserves the right to accept those proposals that, in their opinion, fit best into the scheme of the symposium, and that can be accommodated within the time frame of the symposium.

Please indicate clearly your preferred format. If members have any questions about the program, or the suitability of a proposal, please contact the Program Chair and ask for assistance. Colleagues are advised to bring alternative modes of presentation delivery if using PowerPoint, DVD, and so on in case of unexpected technical difficulties on the day of presentation.

Research papers should be based on original research that addresses the conference theme and should not have already been presented. Papers should be designed and presented to take no more than 20 minutes, including audio-visuals.

Students, who feel that they are not yet in the position to present a full-length paper, are welcome to give short presentations (10 minutes) of their project, in order to get feedback.

Individual Presentations

Accepted presentations of individual members will be grouped by the Program Committee into sessions of one and a half hours. Each presentation will be allotted 20 minutes inclusive of all illustrations, audio-visual media or movement examples, plus 10 minutes for questions and discussion.

Please submit an abstract not extending 300 words outlining the content, argument and conclusion, its relation to one of the symposium themes. Please include the type of illustrations to be used in the presentation, such as slides, DVD, video (including format), and so on.

Panels

We encourage presentations in the form of panels.

Proposals may be submitted for panels consisting of at least three presenters. The structure is at the discretion of the coordinator. The proposal must explain the overall purpose, the role of the individual participants, and signal the commitment of all participants to attend the conference. Each panel proposal will be accepted or rejected as a whole.

Submit a short summary (not extending 300 words) of the panel overview, and an individual paper proposal, as described under “Individual Presentations” above, for each presenter. All of the proposals for a panel should be sent together. Proposals should address one or more aspects of the established themes of this meeting.

Roundtables

We also encourage presentations in the form of roundtables: sessions that are entirely planned, coordinated, and prepared by a group of people, one of whom is the responsible coordinator. The aim is to generate discussion between members of the roundtable who present questions, issues, and/or material for about 5 minutes on the pre-selected unifying theme of the roundtable. The following discussion, at the convener’s discretion, may open into more general discussion with the audience.

The total length of a roundtable will be one and a half hours inclusive of all discussions.

Proposals may be submitted for a roundtable consisting of up to 10 presenters, and the structure is at the discretion of the convener who will chair the event. The proposal must explain the overall purpose, the role of the individual participants, and signal the commitment of all participants to attend the symposium. Each roundtable proposal will be accepted or rejected as a whole.

MEMBERSHIP

Please note that the Program Committee will only consider proposals by current members of the ICTM in good standing for 2012. Please contact Ardian Ahmedaja at ahmedaja@mdw.ac.at for membership in the Study Group. Members may join and submit a proposal at the same time. Membership applications are available at the ICTM website. For membership questions, contact the ICTM Secretariat at secretariat@ictmusic.org

Where to send the proposals?

Ardian Ahmedaja
Institut für Volksmusikforschung und Ethnomusikologie
Anton von Weber Platz 1
1030 Wien
Tel: + 711 55-4284
Fax: + 711 55-4299
email: ahmedaja@mdw.ac.at

Program committee

Ardian Ahmedaja (Austria)
Ignazio Macchiarella (Italy)
Zhanna Pärtlas (Estonia)
Ankica Petrović (Croatia)

The committee can not consider proposals received after the deadline of September 1st, 2011. Notification for acceptance or rejection will be announced by November 1st, 2011.

If you have a deadline for funding applications for travel, accommodation, and so on, please notify the Program Committee of your deadline date.

Looking forward to seeing you in Albania!