O espólio de Manuel Faria na Biblioteca Geral da Universidade de Coimbra: O caso dos Due Mottetti per coro e organo. Uma performance sustentada na pesquisa musicológica

Abstract

2013 marked the 30th anniversary of the death of the priest and composer Manuel Faria (1916 – 1983). Despite previous research, little is known about his work, mainly due to the lack of a detailed study of his multi-faceted cultural heritage, found at the General Library at the University of Coimbra. This article – a study in ʻhistorically informed performanceʼ (Butt 2002) – seeks to describe the research process, the treatment and the screening of the acquis mentioned above. It provides material for the discussion of issues related to the rebuilding and editing of the Due Mottetti per coro e organo (1944), aiming to share experiences and examine special problems arising in connection with the organisation, inventorying, cataloguing, study and subsequent performance of the works of Manuel Faria. The integration of loose music pieces in larger units, characteristic of Manuel Faria's work, brought new challenges to the research, solved through the study of periodicals. The first modern performance of Due Mottetti per coro e organo took place in April 12, 2012, and raised interpretive issues, which will be further analyzed in a second phase, upon the presentation of the orchestral version Três Motetes para Coro e Orquestra (1965) in November 2014.