On the multicultural and intercultural approach to interpreting singing traditions of orthodox peoples in the Balkans: The case of 'Greek' and 'Western European' school in Byzantine musicology

Abstract

The paper follows the problem of a possible realization of the concept of multiculturalism and interculturalism on the example of two scientific schools in young Byzantine musicology: 'Eastern - Greek' and 'Western' with the centre in Copenhagen. Although in a different manner, and in accordance with main directions and settings, it can be stated that both of them were ideologically oriented. The case of Greek scholars can be characterized as not coming to terms with the fact that intercultural relationships had been and still were fostered in their immediate geographic and cultural surroundings, while the Western scholars erred mostly because of the pretentiousness which reflected in their attempts to consider and judge the Orthodox musical and church tradition in an ex cathedra manner, without truly 'immersing' themselves into it.

Problem mogućeg ostvarenja koncepta multikulturalnosti i interkulturalnosti u radu je praćen na primeru dve naučne škole u mladoj vizantološkoj muzikologiji: 'istočne - grčke ' i 'zapadne' sa centrom u Kopenhagenu. Premda na različit način, a shodno glavnim usmerenjima i postavkama, za obe se može reći da su bile ideološki orijentisane. Slučaj grčkih proučavaoca se može okarakterisati kao nemirenje sa činjenicom da su se u njima neposrednom geografskom i kulturnom okruženju oduvek odvijale i da se i dalje neprestano odvijaju interkulturalne veze, dok su zapadni naučnici grešili uglavnom zbog pretencioznosti koja se ogledala u tome što su pokušali da ex catedra, bez istinskog udubljivanja u pravoslavno muzičko i crkveno predanje, o njemu promišljaju i sude.