Two orients in Rudolf Bruci's opera Gilgamesh
The theme of this article is the ancient Orient as imagined by the Serbian composer Rudolf Bruci (1917-2002). The finale of his monumental opera Gilgamesh (1986; libretto by Arsa Milošević), makes display of heterogeneous musical material based on different oriental scales. The modernity of the oper...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts - Institute of Musicology of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
2005-01-01
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| Series: | Muzikologija |
| Online Access: | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1450-9814/2005/1450-98140505153R.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818206503822163968 |
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| author | Radović Branka |
| author_facet | Radović Branka |
| author_sort | Radović Branka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The theme of this article is the ancient Orient as imagined by the Serbian composer Rudolf Bruci (1917-2002). The finale of his monumental opera Gilgamesh (1986; libretto by Arsa Milošević), makes display of heterogeneous musical material based on different oriental scales. The modernity of the opera is affirmed through the usage of varied techniques of 20th century composition. It is hard to explain why Bruci introduced the well-known medieval church melody "Ninja sili nebesniye" ("Now the celestial powers") into the finale of his opera. The melody was signed by kir Stephan the Serb and has been preserved in a 15th century manuscript. The quotation of "Ninja sili" in the finale of Gilgamesh could be interpreted as an attempt at bridging the many centuries that divide the ancient times that gave birth to the Assyrian myth and our contemporary world, by making reference to the heritage of medieval Serbia when that state was a part of the Byzantine world stretching from the middle East to the Balkans. That compositional gesture of Rudolf Bruci seems to have the meaning of questioning the historical and cultural place and identity of the Serbs through the centuries. If that is correctly interpreted, the composer thus gave his own contribution to the often discussed question of the Serbian belonging to both the East and the West. The "two Orients" in the title of the article are an allusion to the pagan and the Christian Orients, but they can also provoke a discussion of the contemporary divisions between the East and the West. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T04:14:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f2da086156104205b2aafe2ffcb60912 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1450-9814 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T04:14:04Z |
| publishDate | 2005-01-01 |
| publisher | Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts - Institute of Musicology of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Muzikologija |
| spelling | doaj.art-f2da086156104205b2aafe2ffcb609122022-12-22T00:38:32ZengSerbian Academy of Sciences and Arts - Institute of Musicology of Serbian Academy of Sciences and ArtsMuzikologija1450-98142005-01-012005515316510.2298/MUZ0505153RTwo orients in Rudolf Bruci's opera GilgameshRadović BrankaThe theme of this article is the ancient Orient as imagined by the Serbian composer Rudolf Bruci (1917-2002). The finale of his monumental opera Gilgamesh (1986; libretto by Arsa Milošević), makes display of heterogeneous musical material based on different oriental scales. The modernity of the opera is affirmed through the usage of varied techniques of 20th century composition. It is hard to explain why Bruci introduced the well-known medieval church melody "Ninja sili nebesniye" ("Now the celestial powers") into the finale of his opera. The melody was signed by kir Stephan the Serb and has been preserved in a 15th century manuscript. The quotation of "Ninja sili" in the finale of Gilgamesh could be interpreted as an attempt at bridging the many centuries that divide the ancient times that gave birth to the Assyrian myth and our contemporary world, by making reference to the heritage of medieval Serbia when that state was a part of the Byzantine world stretching from the middle East to the Balkans. That compositional gesture of Rudolf Bruci seems to have the meaning of questioning the historical and cultural place and identity of the Serbs through the centuries. If that is correctly interpreted, the composer thus gave his own contribution to the often discussed question of the Serbian belonging to both the East and the West. The "two Orients" in the title of the article are an allusion to the pagan and the Christian Orients, but they can also provoke a discussion of the contemporary divisions between the East and the West.http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1450-9814/2005/1450-98140505153R.pdf |
| spellingShingle | Radović Branka Two orients in Rudolf Bruci's opera Gilgamesh Muzikologija |
| title | Two orients in Rudolf Bruci's opera Gilgamesh |
| title_full | Two orients in Rudolf Bruci's opera Gilgamesh |
| title_fullStr | Two orients in Rudolf Bruci's opera Gilgamesh |
| title_full_unstemmed | Two orients in Rudolf Bruci's opera Gilgamesh |
| title_short | Two orients in Rudolf Bruci's opera Gilgamesh |
| title_sort | two orients in rudolf bruci s opera gilgamesh |
| url | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1450-9814/2005/1450-98140505153R.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT radovicbranka twoorientsinrudolfbrucisoperagilgamesh |