Symphonic paths: plot, networks and institutional arrangements around the creation of the São Paulo municipal symphonic orchestra (1913-1949)

• Grant number: 24/02251-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Arts - Music
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Augusto Castagna
• Grantee: Breno Ampáro Alvares Freire
• Host Institution: Instituto de Artes (IA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The research proposal presented here aims to shed light on untold stories about the São Paulo symphonic music scene in the first decades of the 20th century. In that regard, it seeks, through the comparison of documentary sources, such as the press, program notes, statutes and official petitions, to propose an institutional history that tracks ruptures and continuities involved in the trajectory of symphonic organizations (Orquestra do Centro Musical de São Paulo; Sociedade de Concertos Sinfônicos; Sociedade Sinfônica de São Paulo; Orquestra do Departamento de Cultura) and in the process of institutionalization of the Orquestra Sinfônica Municipal de São Paulo, in 1949. In addition to proposing a critical study regarding the history of musical institutions, the research aims to use prosopography to illuminate, identify and problematize the actions of cultural managers, politicians and artists, discussing the performance and scope of the sociability networks that were created throughout their respective journeys. The project presented here seeks, through an interdisciplinary approach between musicology and history, to highlight methodological nuances in dealing with sources, as well as to bring together and encourage dialogue between the two areas. As a product of the work, it is planned to publish two articles, a book and the creation of a website/platform to make data available regarding the documentary collection used in the research. (AU)