Musicologica

Journal of the Department of Musicology

Musicologica 1/2026

english

Department of Musicology · Faculty of Arts · Comenius University Bratislava
ISSN 1337-9070

Contents

  1. Issues in the Reconstruction of Juraj Družecký’s Opera Mechmet — Jana Kubáň
  2. 1900: African American Ways to Opera: Scott Joplin and Harry Lawrence Freeman — Luca Cerchiari
  3. Anthropological assumptions and aesthetics norms — Peter Michalovič
  4. The Use of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies in Teaching Music Theory at Elementary Art Schools — Eva Makovíni & Ivan Šiller

Issues in the Reconstruction of Juraj Družecký’s Opera Mechmet

Jana Kubáň · 17.06.2026

Abstract

The present study focuses on several problematic areas encountered during the reconstruction of the surviving operatic autograph Mechmet by Juraj Družecký. It examines the particular characteristics of the period musical notation used in the score, addresses ambiguities in its harmonic and rhythmic structure, and discusses the transcription of the German text from the original vocal parts. These issues are considered in relation to their transfer into the Sibelius notation software.

Keywords

 

Musicologica · Musicologica 1/2026ISSN 1337-9070

1900: African American Ways to Opera: Scott Joplin and Harry Lawrence Freeman

Luca Cerchiari · 01.06.2026

Abstract

African American musicians of past centuries were often unfairly considered “illiterate,” despite their immense talent and their creation of fundamental modern genres such as blues, jazz, and spiritual music. Their musical literacy developed largely thanks to the national education reforms introduced by President Abraham Lincoln after the Civil War. Within just a few years, Black singers, instrumentalists, and composers appeared who could master the forms of European classical music. Antonín Dvořák strongly believed that African American and Native American music could serve as the national foundation of American art music. During the nineteenth century, the United States experienced a passionate love for French, Italian, and German opera. Two of the first African American opera composers were Scott Joplin and Harry Lawrence Freeman, the latter nicknamed “the Black Wagner.” Scott Joplin became famous for his elegant piano rags such as Maple Leaf Rag and The Entertainer. His opera Treemonisha combines European operatic writing with African American folk traditions and themes of education and liberation. Harry Lawrence Freeman’s opera Voodoo was performed on Broadway in 1928 and broadcast on the radio. Both Joplin and Freeman contributed significantly to the birth of African American classical and theatrical music in the United States.

Keywords

 

Musicologica · Musicologica 1/2026ISSN 1337-9070

Anthropological assumptions and aesthetics norms

Peter Michalovič · 27.05.2026

Abstract

In Jan Mukařovský's study Aesthetic Function, Norm, and Value as Social Facts, we encounter the term "anthropological prerequisites, which refers to anthropological principles, i.e., something that is part of human nature. This something belongs to nature and could be considered the natural basis of aesthetic norms. Anthropological principles include, for example, the regular rhythm of blood circulation or breathing, right angles, symmetry, viewing angles, color complementarity, etc., in short, something related to human physicality. However, according to Mukařovský, aesthetic norms are a social, ergo cultural fact, which contradicts the claim that they are constituted on the basis of anthropological principles inherent to humans as a species. On the one hand, anthropological principles and aesthetic norms are autonomous, one belonging to nature and the other to culture. On the other hand, it must be said that there is nevertheless interaction between them. In other words, in some cultures and historical stages of art development, certain anthropological principles, such as the regular rhythm of blood circulation, may be consciously or unconsciously used in the process of constituting aesthetic norms. In other cultures and historical stages of art development, we encounter the fact that the constitution of certain aesthetic norms deliberately violates anthropological principles, and this violation is determined by the presumed aesthetic effect of the work of art. The aim of the paper entitled Anthropological Assumptions and Aesthetic Norms is to examine some of the modalities of the relationship between anthropological principles and aesthetic norms.

Keywords

 

Musicologica · Musicologica 1/2026ISSN 1337-9070

The Use of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies in Teaching Music Theory at Elementary Art Schools

Eva Makovíni & Ivan Šiller · 24.02.2026

Abstract

This review study focuses on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies into music education at elementary art schools. The aim of article is to analyze the impact of technological trends on the pedagogical process and to assess their relevance for the Slovak context. The methodology is based on a critical analysis of international and domestic professional literature published between 2020 and 2025. The study provides an overview of the positive impacts and potential threats that the integration of technology into music education brings. The findings confirm that digital tools increase student motivation and enable personalized teaching with immediate feedback. At the same time, the study identifies risks such as mechanical knowledge acquisition and a decline in authentic creativity among students. It highlights the need for a balanced approach in which technology complements but does not replace the active teaching process. The results imply the need for local empirical research in pedagogical practice.

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Musicologica · Musicologica 1/2026ISSN 1337-9070

Editor-in-Chief: Yvetta Kajanová


Editorial Staff: Mgr. Zuzana Ben Lassoued, PhD., Mgr. Monika Dorna, PhD., Mgr. Lea Duffell


Editorial Board:

Prof. Stéphane Audard, PhD., Sorbonne Université, Paris Conservatory, Paris Cité University, Iremus-CNRS, Paris, France

Ass. Prof. Jana Bartová, PhD., Department of Musicology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

Mgr. Jana Belišová, PhD., Department of Musicology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

Mgr. Jan Blüml, PhD., Faculty of Arts, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic

Prof. Luca Cerchiari, PhD., IULM-University of Languages and Communication, Milan, Italy

Mgr. Ondřej Daniel, PhD., Institute of World History, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Pragues, Czech Republic

Prof. Peter Frost Fadness, Faculty of Performing Arts, Deparment for jazz, Dance, PPU and Music Production, University of Stavanger, Norway

Prof. PhDr. Marta Hulková, PhD., emeritus researcher, Department of Musicology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

Prof. Yvetta Kajanová, PhD., Department of Musicology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

Ass. Prof. Stefano Marino, Universita di Bologna, Department of the Arts, Italy

Petr Dorůžka, Czech National Radio, Prague, Czech Republic,  member of The World Music Charts Europe panel

Dr. Kinga Povedák, PhD. MTA-SZTE ‘Convivence’ Religious Pluralism Research Group (ELKH), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary, University of Szeged, Departments of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology), Hungary

Ass. Prof. Rüdiger Ritter, PhD. Technical University of Chemnitz, Institute for Cultural and Area Studies of East Central Europe

Prof. PhDr. Lubomír Spurný, PhD., Department of Musicology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Ass. Prof. Igor Pietraszewski, PhD., Institute of Sociology, University of Wroclaw, Poland

Ass. Prof. Marina Toffetti, Universita degli studi di Padova, Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali, Italy

Ass. Prof. Dr. Marcus Zagorski, PhD., Department of Musicology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

Dr. Julijana Zhabeva Papazova, PhD., Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Faculty of Music, Skopje, Macedonia

Ass. Prof. Mgr. Vladimír Zvara, PhD., Department of Musicology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

 

Publisher: Department of Musicology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University, Bratislava

 

Musicologica.eu © 2025 by  Yvetta Kajanová is licensed under CC BY 4.0 

Musicologica · Musicologica 1/2026 · ISSN 1337-9070