PUBLICATIONS
Edited Book:
Le Concours du prix de Rome de musique (1803-1968). Eds.
Julia Lu
and Alexandre Dratwicki.
Lyon: Editions Symétrie, 2011.
Chapter in Book:
"Les livrets du prix de Rome à l'époque romantique (1831-1854)".
Le Concours du prix de Rome de musique (1803-1968).
Eds.
Julia Lu
and Alexandre Dratwicki.
Lyon: Editions Symétrie, 2011.
"Les origines du prix de Rome : genèse et fonctionnement".
Le Concours du Prix de Rome de Musique (1803-1968). Eds.
Julia Lu and Alexandre Dratwicki. Lyon:
Editions Symétrie, 2011.
"Le Prix de Rome à l'époque d'Hérold: Genèse et Fonctionnement".
Hérold en Italie. Ed. Alexandre Dratwicki. Lyon: Editions
Symétrie, 2009.
"The Prix de Rome Competition: Prophetic or Irrelevant?"
Music Research: New Directions for a New Century. Eds. Michael Ewans, Rosalind Halton and John A. Phillips. London:
Cambridge Scholars Press, 2004.
Booklet with Companion CD:
"De la mythologie à la fiction: l’évolution des livrets du prix de
Rome".
Camille Saint-Saëns et le prix de
Rome. Flemish Radio
Choir and Brussels Philharmonic, cond.
Hervé Niquet. Glossa, 2011.
Thesis Topic:
The Prix de Rome in the Age of
Romanticism (1831-1854):
Thesis Abstract:
Widely
regarded as the most prestigious composition prize for young French
composers, the Prix de Rome competition (1803-1968) has over the
centuries become synonymous with academicism and conservatism.
The diatribes of former laureates such as Hector Berlioz and
Claude Debussy, as well as the sensationalised ‘Ravel scandal’, have
helped to perpetuate this unfavourable image of the award.
As a long-running institution, the competition inevitably
underwent periods of stagnation and renewal, yet a paucity of studies
devoted to examining the Prix de Rome as an institution has led to the
common view of it being hidebound and immutable.
The current study identifies the period 1831-1854 as an important period of renewal within the history of the Prix de Rome. Following an experimental phase in the early decades of the nineteenth century during which the composition prize served as an appendix to the Prix de Rome in the visual arts, it began to establish its own identity and assert its importance as it responded to the new aesthetics of the Romantic movement. In particular, the dramatic cantata prescribed for the final round of the competition followed closely the developments in the genre of grand opéra – both in the choice of libretto subjects and in the musical style.
An analysis of the winning cantatas from 1831 to 1854
demonstrates not only the evolution of an institution, but also provides
clues to the contents of the compositional curriculum at the Paris
Conservatoire and the qualities most valued in French compositional
practice. Drawing on a range
of previously unseen archival materials, press reviews, and other
secondary sources, this thesis raises questions about the values and
aesthetics of the academician-jury, the inherent tensions between the
aspects of science and
art in composition, and re-evaluates the meaning of academicism in
the context of a state-run institution.
Thesis Topic:
The Prix de Rome Competition: Success, Failure, or Prophet?
Thesis Abstract:
The Prix
de Rome (1803-1968) was the most coveted compositional prize in France.
Winning the award promised immediate fame and fortune, even if
temporarily. The reputation of the competition, however, was far from
unblemished. Critics of the competition have questioned its
performance, and there is much scepticism today about its success.
In particular, the “lack of familiar names" from the list of Prix de
Rome laureates is often regarded as evidence of the competition's
failure. This thesis exposes the flaws in the common approach to
evaluating the success of the Prix de Rome competition. A closer
examination of the winners' (1803-1905) careers has produced unexpected
results and further analyses reveal the unrealistic expectations
fostered towards artistic competitions in general.
Since 2001, Julia's main research interest has been the Prix de Rome.
She has worked extensively on many different aspects of the competition,
including the genesis of the composition prize, the professional careers
of the Prix de Rome laureates, the structure and administration of the
competition, the evolution of the regulations, the reception history of
the competition, as well as the literary and musical styles of the Prix
de Rome cantatas. She is the co-editor (with Alexandre Dratwicki)
of a monumental volume of essays titled
Le Concours du prix de Rome de
musique (1803-1968).
Last updated 10 September 2011