INET-md stands out at the international conference Mozart and his Time

From January 22nd to 24th, the International Congress Mozart and His Time was held at the Ajuda National Palace, marking the 270th anniversary of the famous Austrian composer. Organized by the Department of History, Arts and Humanities of the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa, it included several presentations by members of the Historical and Cultural Studies in Music research group of INET-md.

On the first day of the meeting, Rui Vieira Nery delivered the keynote lecture entitled “Portuguese Music in the Context of the Late-Eighteenth Century Southern European Classicism,” and João Alexandre Dias, PhD student, participated in the session “Mozart Education and Influences Beyond Time” with the paper “Partimenti and Solfeggi in Portugal in the 18th and 19th Centuries: Mapping and Crossing Manuscript Sources Intended for Music Education.”

On the 24th, it was Cristina Fernandes and Maria João Albuquerque‘s turn to present their research on Mozart’s autograph manuscripts held at the Ajuda National Palace, highlighting the “scene” and aria “Popoli di Tessaglia! Io non chiedo, eterni Dei” (K. 316/300b), composed in 1778-1779 for soprano Aloysia Weber. The presentation focused on the study of this source within the context of the material history of the Mozartian output (from an archival and paleographic perspective) and as evidence of the composer’s creative process. They also discussed its probable origin and possible ways of entering the collection of the Portuguese royal family, which also includes an autograph fragment of a Minuet and a letter from Mozart to his sister Nannerl.

The conference program also included a concert by the Ludovice Ensemble, conducted by Fernando Miguel Jalôto. Entitled “Europe Discovers Mozart”, the musical program evoked the first tour of the young Mozart and his sister Nannerl through works composed during the trip, in Paris, London and The Hague, as well on their return to Salzburg, between 1763 and 1771. Besides Miguel Jalôto (harpsichord and artistic director), other musicians, members of the GI EHCM of INET-md, were part of Ludovice Ensemble, namely Diana Vinagre (cello) and César Nogueira (violin).