DOI: 10.4149/SH_2021_3_1

The contribution focuses on a piano piece which, despite its considerable compositional quality, is not frequently presented on Slovak concert stages. The study offers a detailed view on the Piano Suite through analysis of its particular movements – Dance, Humoresque, Lullaby, March – framed with an opening and closing commentary. In this work Alexander Albrecht turns away from impressionistic and neoromantic tendencies and proffers it with a distinctive artistic utterance which at the time – in 1924 – was a pioneering feat.
With the help of music analysis we pointed to the composer’s compositional principles, piano stylization and musical language distinctive for this particular piece. We took the opportunity to observe its form, harmonic principles, motivic-thematic work and music expression of its respective movements. This “modern” suite reveals a rich source of composer’s inspirations by progressive compositional devices noticeable in each of its movements – tritone chords, usage of unconventional intervals etc. Each movement abounds with its own peculiar ideas, mood, originality in the tangle of rich inventiveness.
Albrecht’s Piano Suite has been recorded by two Slovak pianists – Daniela Varínska and Magdaléna Bajuszová. We believe that the music analysis offered by the study will contribute to the endeavour to revive and preserve the heritage of the Slovak music.

Keywords
Alexander Albrecht; piano music; Piano Suite

DOI: 10.4149/SH_2021_3_2

The study focuses on the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar written by the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and librettist Tim Rice. In its first part the study deals with the circumstances of the origination of the work. The second part discusses the psychological description of its characters. It interprets the results of a comparison of characters of the original Biblical story with the rock opera libretto. In its closing part the contribution brings a brief description of the musical language of the work and the musical expressive means of its main characters.

Keywords
Jesus Christ Superstar; rock opera; main characters; psychological typology; musical characteristics

DOI: 10.4149/SH_2021_3_3

This study deals with the acoustics of sacred objects (namely synagogues) which have been transformed to concert halls, or their original function has been expanded to embrace this purpose. It explains the reasons and process of transformation of sacred objects into concert halls. It accentuates the importance of the auditorium acoustics research within the preservation and maintenance of intangible cultural heritage. The author describes a specific method of measurement of acoustic attributes in closed spaces for concert purposes. He summarizes a wider social, urban, cultural and historical context of the construction of the studied objects. The study documents the architecture of the objects and its influence on their acoustic attributes. The author dedicates an increased attention to specific measurements in particular researched objects and to the evaluation of measured data. Finally it offers recommendations concerning an appropriate choice of music production in each particular object.

Keywords
auditorium acoustics research; acoustic measurements; acoustic profile; intangible cultural heritage; concert hall; synagogue

DOI: 10.4149/SH_2021_3_4

DOI: 10.4149/SH_2021_3_5

[The contribution is available only in Slovak language in the printed version of the revue.