There was a time when tonality reigned majestically over the European musical scene, elevating its followers to the status of demiurges, praised and honored for eternity. However, the great musical schism of the 20th century marked the irreversible divorce between European art music and the tonal system. This reality became increasingly apparent during the Darmstadt Courses or Ferienkurse für Neue Musik (Summer Courses for New Music), the true source of institutional serialism, aimed at revitalizing the musical language considered “classical.” From 1946 onwards, the doctrine of the Second Viennese School truly came into its own, delineated and championed by a lineage of composers, ranging from Arnold Schönberg, Alban Berg and Anton Webern to Pierre Boulez, the proponent of the strictest serialist orthodoxy, not to mention Karlheinz Stockhausen, Luigi Nono and Gilbert Amy. This trajectory reflects the musical metamorphosis and paradigm shifts, illustrating a remarkable transition from the late 16th-century late Renaissance music, the cradle of the tonal system, to post-war aspirations and the establishment of IRCAM, a contemporary stronghold of musical avant-garde.
Music evolves, metamorphoses, degrades, but endures. It is the responsibility of those who cherish it to ensure and embrace its continuity. The Académie des Beaux-Arts, both heir and guardian of a centuries-old artistic tradition, works to defend and illustrate France’s musical heritage. It remains as a vigilant sentinel, with keen and critical eyes and ears, avoiding falling into sterile academism or pointing to the new “north” of music. However, it positions itself as a bridge between the past and the future, paying tribute to the geniuses of so-called “classical” eras while supporting and valuing contemporary musical creation. In an exclusive interview with This is Beirut, conducted in Paris, Laurent Petitgirard, the Perpetual Secretary of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, reexamines the place of “new music” within Western artistic repertoire. He shares his reflections on its evolution, subtly harmonizing tradition and innovation, tonal and atonal systems, classical and contemporary music.