By identifying the canonical elements in the actor's training, the actor acquires a correct and harmonious expression of the body, perfects the scenic application of natural movements, educates and forms the basic skills and aptitudes of plastic qualities and body expression of non-verbal communication. At the same time, he understands and knows his own body as an instrument in the artistic creations acquired through the ability to create choreographic compositions specific to musical theatre performance. Body language must be deciphered, like the text we decipher in order to understand and communicate the message we need to convey. ...

The American poetess Amy Lowell (1874-1925) had a special admiration for the famous actress Eleonora Duse (1858-1924). In 1902 she remained enchanted by the staging of d’Annunzio’s plays in the United States, and had also a brief meet with her. It was the turning-point in her life: in fact, after this moment, she started her poetic production. After twenty years, when her literary carerre was at the highest level, she published some poems during the last American tour of the artist. She posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1926 with the collection What’s o’clock, which cointains a long poem for Duse. This paper analyzes Lowell’s poetic texts inspired by Duse (written in 1902, 1923, and 1924), considering the difficulties of their personal contact and the theatrical ambitions of the American poetess. ...

The present paper starts from my personal experience of field research, together with the researcher and professor Ioan Bocsa in the area of the Apuseni Mountains in Alba County, namely of the repertoire of harvest songs in the area. This activity materialized in the publication of the volume “Traditional vocal music from the Apuseni Mountains”, author Ioan Bocşa, where some of the melodies proposed for analysis in this paper are published, as I wished to complete the stylistic conclusions, by consulting other literary sources that contain pieces collected from the researched area. ...

The means of expression in the art of acting differ from those in other performing arts. I wanted to write this study on comic relief in order to present a different approach to dramatic analysis, a different angle on comic mechanics, a different understanding of the relations between author, director, actor, and spectator. These relations often lack a basic understanding of comic mechanics, an analysis of comic phonetics, a unified perception of the means of expression in comic rhetoric, and the result is, most often, that the last person in the chain (the spectator) is on the losing side. Over time, I have had the occasion to observe work on texts from several perspectives – as an author, as a director, as an actor – and the product analysis that reached me as I also placed myself in the position of a spectator led to certain conclusions. This four-sided perspective has given me the chance to understand, from its very beginnings (the text) how a comic mechanism is born and developed, down to its last phase – perception by the receptor (the public). ...

I have always wondered how we could formulate an approximate definition of the Art of Acting and how we could integrate into the capacity for understanding of people outside our field of work this maxim about what we actors do: „Do we learn how to lie? Or do we learn to commit to lying?” Fortunately, I have not yet reached such a definition; I am still trying out possibilities. From my perspective, I would opt for the second choice, which somewhat approaches the type of acting discussed by Meisner – “living truthfully under imaginary circumstances”. The circumstance derived from the text, the dramaturgical constraint, puts us in the condition of a different identity; first of all, we have to answer to another name (that of the character) and perhaps to a different past or possible future, to events that have happened or will happen. This “will happen”, this future becomes another aspect of committing – something that we as human identities (actors) expect, but of which we must feign ignorance in acting. The conscious commitment to this essentially becomes, through recurring, conscious exercise, one of the means of the Art of Acting. ...

This paper presents principles, methods of working with vowels and correlated results through the tropisms of vocal phonation in active melodotherapy. The subtle aspects of vowels presented by traditional philosophies and the evidence of modern science on vowel phonation are reviewed. Research on vocalic tropisms is described, using an emission method that combines vocalic phonation with relaxation and creative visualization, as well as the methodology for correlating the data. The results confirm the existence of preferentially activated body areas upon emission of each pure vowel, as well as the existence of residual effects, after treatment, concerning mood and attentional state. ...

The purpose of the paper is to analyze the premises of the appearance of the musical on the Romanian scene, as well as to bring to light the first attempts to create the national musical. The origin of the theatrical-musical genres of entertainment is, like all other forms of theatre, in the period of syncretism of the arts, being found in performances of the genres of comic opera, operetta, revue theatre, etc. The first examples of Romanian musicals appeared in the 1970s. In a wide variety of examples from world drama, literary bases of authors are used: O.Wilde with the play Salome, L. de Vega with the play The Gardener's Dog, G. B. Shaw with Pygmalion, W. Shakespeare with Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream, R.B. Sheridan with Rivalries and so on. The Romanian literature is represented by Chirițele, Piatra din casa, Sânziana and Pepelea, after plays by V.Alecsandri, O noapte furtunoasă, O soacră by I. L. Caragiale, Trei crai de la Răsărit, by B.P.Hașdeu, Titanic Vals, Fulgi de nea by T. Mușatescu and others. American musicals are presented on Romanian stages in the second half of the 20th century with examples such as The Phantom of the Opera by A.L.Webber, Cabaret by R. Burns, Chicago by John Kander, West Side Story by L. Bernstein, etc. As far as local composers are concerned, we can say that an entire plethora is formed that contributes to the development of the musical genre: Edmond Deda, Henry Mălineanu, Gherase Dendrino, Mihail Sebastian, Temistocle Popa, Nicu Alifantis, Răzvan Alexandru Diaconu, Dan Ștefănică, Endre Sarosy, Sorin Chifiriuc, Liviu Cavassi, Ada Milea, Anca Hanu, Roman Vlad, Camelia Dăscălescu, Marius Țeicu, Dumitru Lupu, etc. ...

Opera performance has become a sophisticated environment, where direction and scenography are points of attraction for spectators who lack sufficient musical knowledge. We see performers who are increasingly well prepared from a technical point of view, but the simple opera lover also expects a performance to match. The shaping of a character’s image involves intensive study before going on stage, which largely involves physical and emotional aspects. In this sense, a good result stems from body awareness, by building an effective posture and facial expressiveness. Exercises aimed at developing bodily expressiveness provide a foundation on which the performer can build and create the synergy between all the elements involved in the construction of a truthful character. ...

The high frequency of final modal cadences in Romanian folk songs imposes – for a correct interpretation of tonal-modal structures – a new principle, according to which the true tonal-modal structure of Romanian folk songs is not always determined by the final note. This fact thus contradicts the general validity of the medieval principle according to which the mode or tone of a melody is given by its finishing note, which is considered by some local musicologists as an absolute principle. On the other hand, modal cadences on a note other than the fundamental of the basic mode also reveal - finally - the true modal dominance of entire series of structures. The notes that are here imposed as the main tonal pillars of the cadence are not found in the relations 1 - 5, 5 -1, 1 - 4, 4 - 1, as in music based on the Western concept, but in: 1 - 2, 2 - 1, 1 - 6, 6 -1. ...

The aim of the present paper is to analyse the influence Indonesian music (mainly from Java and Bali) had on the compositional technique of French composer Claude Debussy. First encountered by the composer at the Exposition Universelle of 1889, the originality of the gamelan, its instruments, timbres, and complex structure fascinated Debussy, who would often recall this music and refer to it later in his life. The analysis of certain musical works composed after this musical encounter and the comparison with previous compositions revealed that the gamelan inspired Debussy to explore new techniques of music composition and introduce novel sounds and structures in his works. The present study mentions several features that are particular for gamelan music and analyses the manner in which Debussy employs these in his compositions. Throughout this study the authors also seek to find an answer to the question whether Debussy employed these gamelan influences because he aimed for innovation in sound and composition, or because he desired to create a deeper connection between gamelan evocations and the images or concepts depicted in his music, revealing their hidden meaning through particular musical structures. ...

Located in a rural area, the Topalu Museum cannot be compared in size or grandeur to the great museums of the world, not even in terms of predictability, but it certainly has their importance due to the national cultural essence that it stores in each work of art in part. It is a museum that represents us as a people, being a fragment of the history and culture of our country, which increases even more the amazement of those who cross its threshold and discover a collection of great sophistication, a real visual treasure. On August 27, 1960, Dr. Gheorghe D. Vintilă donated 228 paintings, graphics and sculptures from the modern and contemporary period to his hometown, Topalu. Inaugurated a day later, the collection, named since then as ”museum”, was exhibited in the home of the Vintilă family and has remained inside the donor's parents' house until today. The prestige that the museum acquired since its opening led Dr. Gheorghe Vintilă to make, in 1969, a new donation to the Constanta Art Museum consisting of 47 reference works by Romanian artists, which made the two museums to be stylistically similar. The similarity was noted in the exhibitions that followed either the path of the bright Dobrogean lands or the fascinating Balcic, or that of some representative artists of the modern and contemporary period. ...

The quality of the evaluation process administered in the context of evaluations, exams and national competitions is a desiderate that can be achieved by systematically monitoring the compliance with the norms, principles, assumed values and by developing optimized evaluation practices for each of the components of the process. In order to develop the professional skills of teachers in the role of teacher-evaluators, we must take into account the normative and legislative guidelines, the deontological elements of evaluation, principles and evaluative practices in national exams and competitions. In this specific context, the main components targeted in monitoring the quality assurance of the evaluation process are the identification of ways, strategies, techniques, procedures to reduce the subjectivity of the human factor in evaluation and scoring with the aim of increasing the quality of the evaluation decision, for the benefit of the candidates. ...

The Second Sonata by V. Verhola, created in 1972, continues the line of expressive musical images, declared in the composer's first similar opus – Sonata-Rhapsody for violin and piano. It is written in the form of a two-part cycle. The first part is structured in sonata form, where the exposition is divided into two sections: the main and bridge themes sound in the first section, while the secondary and closing themes appear in the second one. The main and bridge themes have a philosophical and reflective character, the secondary and closing parts embody dance images. The second part carries the function of the Finale and has a pronounced Moldovan National character. The music language surprisingly combines features of concert and chamber music. The creation rightfully holds the proper place in the teaching program of the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts of the Republic of Moldova and can be recommended for stage performances by concert pianists and violinists. ...

The present work refers to the problem of identity, cultural memory and the recurrence of these aspects in contemporary art, also aiming at the implications of the postcolonial issue. The presentation of some cultural personalities whose studies had a decisive effect on the general perception of the existence, inevitable consequences and reconfiguration, in various forms and manifestations, of the segregationist phenomenon, aims to expose a scientific perspective with a defining role in highlighting, awareness and assuming fundamental aspects of the subject in contemporaneity. The identification of cultural barriers generated by the certainty of hybridity, as an inherent consequence of the resistance to colonial influences, but also of the assimilation process that occurred over time, as coextensive factors of postcolonialism, constitute aspects of the discourse of emancipation of national identity that interfere with imperial standardization. ...

At the beginning of the 20th century, more precisely starting in 1913, just a few years before the Great Union of 1918, a song was circulating in all Romanian territories, reminiscing of the daring attempt of the first Romanian aviator, Aurel Vlaicu, to fly across the Carpathians with an aircraft of his own build. The song soon became well known and close to people’s hearts, for two main reasons: first, because the young aviator died in this attempt, and secondly, because the whole event touched upon the old wish to see Transylvania united with the Romanian Kingdom. In this paper, we analyze comparatively melodic variants from several musical collections, in order to identify shared elements and differences, both from a musical and from a literary standpoint. The finding of a variant recorded in 2017 during a field research carried out in the Land of the “Pădureni” (Forest Dwellers) in Hunedoara County ascertains once again how deep of an impact this historical event had upon the collective mind of the Romanian people. ...

This article explores the historical evolution of piano technique, performance challenges, and expressive demands in a diachronic perspective. Chapter 1 traces the development of technique from the Baroque to the Modern era. Chapter 2 focuses on technical and interpretative challenges, including mastering complex passages and conveying artistic intentions. Chapter 3 discusses expressive challenges and the importance of physical and mental well-being. The study emphasizes the significance of understanding historical context and technique, navigating challenges, and delivering captivating performances. By exploring the interplay of technique, mechanics, and expression, pianists can excel in their craft across different eras. ...

Birth, marriage and death are the most important moments in a person's life, being considered rites of passage. These have their roots deeply embedded in the tradition that is preserved and transmitted over time by mankind. Within two of these rites, marriage and death, we find both different but also similar elements that blend harmoniously with each other. Thus, with regard to the bridal musical repertoire, some existing thematic motifs were also identified in the laments for the young dead, who were not wed during their lifetime. ...

Vector ornamentation in design refers to creating decorative elements, independent, secondary, tertiary or connecting motifs, forming patterns, ornamental borders, quadrants or patterns in specialized software. These vector ornaments have applicability in various areas and on different types of materials. Creating vector design also requires knowledge of compositional principles. The versatility of their design and various implementation methods in different fields and applicability on different materials make the subject under research complex. ...

Documentaries, as any other film genre, rely on the conflict between a protagonist and the antagonistic forces in order to have a story. With the desire to make a better film, a documentary filmmaker might be tempted to seek for drama within the life of the subject with the cost of hurting him. This could raise ethical problems, especially due to the vulnerability that one has when is exposed on screen, which could transform forced questions during an interview into a traumatic experience. In this study, the author finds in existing literature links between the process of making a documentary to the one of psychoanalysis, and uses them in order to understand how filmmakers might protect their subjects while collaborating on building the story of the film. ...

The ear (listening) also has a history, which is, perhaps, less interesting than the musical work, its author or the orchestra, but is a very important element of musical communication. For those who listen to music, it is not something fixed in a score, it is therefore not a scriptural fact, it is not like a recorded record or a programme, but like an ‘uncertain event’, an extemporaneous fact that can come to us through musical instruments. The music listener is also a historical product of music, which has always been listened to either functionally or as an accompaniment to other social events. Music is a temporal art that does not develop in space, it is not based on simultaneity but on succession. Music must be listened to with concentration, with our mental auditory means focused towards a full reception of the music. Nowadays, in the presence of the revolution caused by the exponential growth of digital media and the Internet, there is still no scholar who feels the need or has the ability to reflect on how much today's technologies have changed our relationship with music. ...

In the sphere of chamber sonorities, the German Lieder for voice, piano and horn from the beginning of the 19th century are occupying a special place. These lieder are complex, are bringing together three different, seemingly contrasting instruments, and the sound that results produces a memorable impression on the audience. In Romania, these lieder are not as well known as they are in Germany or in other Western European countries. In Germany there is also a long tradition in the construction of brass instruments and their interpretive study. Another German tradition is that of amateur brass bands, which are present in every town or village at the community events. In this way, the presence of the horn in German vocal-chamber works, as well as their large number, can be explained. I believe that the lieder for voice, piano and horn deserve to be brought to the attention of the Romanian public, due to their musical qualities and innovative elements. ...

Generaly, my personal interest for this theme and for the predominant representative has not only manifested itself in terms of understanding a musical language existing in the thematic form, at the basis of a cinematographic action, but also in terms of discovering and better understanding the action of the entire film in which John Williams found himself as a conductor, pianist, composer, who was to define his musical personality at the end of the 20th century. E.T.:The - Extra-Terrestrial is one of Steven Spielberg's best-known and best-loved films, and is considered his most personal film, with many aspects of his childhood. The story is captivating and brings together a considerable number of spectacular characters and situations. With aliens having long been an attraction, not only for the composer but also for moviegoers. In addition, John Williams wrote one of the most successful scores for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the soundtrack is full of memorable themes and textures that underline all of the film's defining characteristics. The personal approach refers strictly to the structure of the musical themes, elements of language and musical syntax. ...

Tang dynasty is recognised as the classic era with the highest quality and greatest quantity of poems in the history of ancient Chinese literature. Friendship-themed Tang poems make up a huge proportion of these poems, and when combined with music, they take on an even more remarkable artistic value. However, it is a great pity that no scholarly work has been done to date in Chinese and English scholarship to study the artistic characteristics of friendship-themed Tang poems set to music from a genre perspective. This article uses a typological approach to focus on the category of friendship theme in Tang poems set to music, revealing their importance, historical background, cultural value, musical and literary characteristics in a scientific manner, and making an effort to grasp the laws of artistic creation in the field of poems set to music, so as to realise the integration of the ancient and the modern, the East and the West, and to discuss, build and share a community of human destiny in culture and art. ...