Metamorphoses of the Musical Work: Self-Recasting and Rewriting in the Twentieth Century

In Western art music, composers have frequently recast or rewritten works that they had already thoroughly sketched or completed, thereby producing revised versions or entirely new compositions. This practice assumes diverse forms and originates from a wide range of motivations depending on the historical period, cultural context, genre and individual circumstances. It reflects the evolving conception, scope, and function of what we understand as the musical work.

The Institute of Music of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini invites proposals for a two-day conference, held in San Giorgio Island (Venice), examining this phenomenon in twentieth- and twenty-first-century music. Papers may focus on a single composer or on several, provided that each transformation discussed was executed by the same individual (or, in the case of co-authorship, by the same individuals).

Papers presented at the conference may subsequently be revised and submitted (in English) for publication in a special issue of the journal Archival Notes (https://onlinepublishing.cini.it/index. php/arno) dedicated to this topic.

• We welcome contributions that examine all the following aspects:
• • Contextual dimensions: the production, dissemination, and reception of the works;
• • Poietic dimensions: the evolution of compositional thought and technique;
• • Aesthetic dimensions: artistic goals in relation to other factors.
• Submissions must be grounded in archival materials and/or primary sources documenting compositional processes.
• Research may focus on:
• 1. Works by composers whose collections are preserved at the Institute of Music of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini (https://archivi.cini.it/istitutomusica/home.html); specific inquiries can be directed to archivimusica@cini.it;
• 2. Works by major twentieth- and twenty-first-century composers held in other institutional archives.
• Submission requirements
• • A 500-word abstract (excluding references) outlining:
• —  Objectives of the paper
• —  Works under study
• —  Current state of research
• —  Sources and data to be used
• —  Theoretical and methodological framework
• —  3–5 keywords • Bibliographic references
• • Typological and logistical list of sources
• • Short biographical note, including references to three publications relevant to the proposed topic Conference details
• • Dates: 29–30 October 2026
• • Language: English
• • Selected participants will be hosted free of charge from 28–31 October (3 nights); travel expenses are the responsibility of participants
• Deadlines
• • Proposal submission: 31 January 2026 (to concorsimusica@cini.it)
• • Notification of acceptance: 31 March 2026
• • Submission of revised papers for the special issue of Archival Notes: 31 January 2027