Already in 1969 in the Studio for Electroacoustic Music at the Czech Radio in Plzen was organized the international competition for musique concrete and electronic music with the title MUSICA NOVA. The results, released at the beginning of 1970, included prizes won by Rudolf Ruzicka (Gurges), Karel Odstrcil (Ghandi), Miroslav Hlavac (Biochronos) and Arnost Parsch (Transposizioni II). Honourable mention went to Milos Haase (Per aspera ad astra).

After a short period of hopeful development of electroacoustic music in Czechoslovakia in 60s a time of harsh stoppage under the so-called "normalization" political period followed. The production of electroacoustic music was more or less completely stopped in radio studios, the only one of them barely functioning remainded that at the Czech Radio in Plzen. Electronic and computer music was suppressed by not being performed, broadcasted on radio or TV, released on LPs, and in general discriminated.

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Recently, after 1990 came the situation, when was necessary to remedy mistakes of the last cultural development by supporting production of the electroacoustic and computer music works through competitions, which surely increased the interest especially among young composers.

The international competition for the best autonomous electroacoustic music composition "MUSICA NOVA '93" was prepared by the Society for electroacoustic music in Czech Republic in co-operation with Czech Music Foundation and Czech Radio in 1992. Applicants were invited for the 25th anniversary of founding the experimental music studio at the Czechoslovak Radio in Plzen. This competition was also held to memory of a chairman of the jury of the first contest MUSICA NOVA in 1969, professor Miloslav Kabelac (1908-1979), the founder and popularizator of the electroacoustic music in our country.

The competition's requirement for renewed MUSICA NOVA '93 was inspired by the international competition for computer music NEWCOMP (the competition held by the New England Computer Art Association), which runs in Boston (in America) and yearly has series of artistic competitions devoted exclusively to computer art. Unlike competition NEWCOMP, an entrant for MUSICA NOVA competitions concerned about realization of electroacoustic music composition for the competition, could realize his or her work before the competition has started in radio studios. For young composers was also identified a special category, in which they had a bigger prospect of obtaining prizes. Further the organizers supposed the possibility of participation of different sorts of autonomous electroacoustic music works using live electronic, jazz elements, traditional elements and voices, synthesizers etc.

As jurors of the competition were nominated significant and experienced composers of electroacoustic and computer music works, musicologists, critics and sound engineers. The honorary chairman of the competition was dr. Eduard Herzog - as the only one living from the jury of the first contest MUSICA NOVA in 1969.

The jury choosed the best work from entered compositions according to several criteria. The jurors appreciated in each of the compositions separately the aesthetical impression as a resultant artistic appeal of the whole work, structural depth by the evaluation of the quality and the treatment of chosen sounds, formal cohesion and its influence on composition as well as author's technological mastery in using electroacoustic technology. A special category for young composers was eliminated for paucity of the entrants and very low artistic level.

First prize in this first MUSICA NOVA renewed competition went to French author Jacques Lejeune (Pour Entrer et Sortir d�un Conte), the second prize went to Czech composer Radek Rejsek (Carmen Campanarum) and the third prize went to Italian author Fabio Cifariello Ciardi (Finzioni). There were two other evaluations to Austrian composer Helmut Dencker (Bruchst�cke aus 'Stylus phantasticus') and Czech composer living in Switzerland Bohdan Mikolasek (Porcelan Music). The winning works were performed on concert given by the Society for electroacoustic music and broadcasted by the Czech Radio. An extraordinary interest about results of this contest showed the Austrian society of electroacoustic music at the Institute for electroacoustic and experimental music and ordered a special concert with lecture in the cultural center Alte Schmiede in Vienna. Winning compositions have had here considerable and unhopped success.

The results of the competition clearly talked for more production of artificial electroacoustic and computer music. Non artificial electroacoustic music works has the jury in the first round disqualified for lower artistic level, notwithstanding that for position of the contest this music tolerated.

Therefore for the next year the Society for electroacoustic music announced the competition MUSICA NOVA '94 only for autonomous artificial electroacoustic music compositions and extended it about interesting multimedial project with exploitation of electroacoustic music.

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The competition as such has been taken hold and runs successfully till today. It has two categories - the of "A" for autonomous artificial electroacoustic music composition and the other of "B" for multimedial project using electroacoustic music. In 1994 66 works entered from 17 countries of the world. In 1997 58 works entered from (again) 18 countries - so you can see, the interest from the side of composers in continuous ans well balanced. Every year after finishing the competition a concert of winning works follows. The authors are invited and the prizes are given there.

Shortly about the best evaluated works and their authors - among them were such composers as Mathew Adkins from Great Britain (he won twice - in 1994 and 1996), Paul Dolden from Canada, Jonty Harrison from England, Pete Stollery - from GB, Jean-Claude Risset from France, Robert Normandeau from Canada, Howard J. Frederics from the USA, Adolfo Nunez from Spain, Marc Ainger and Charles Bestor, both from the USA, John Levack Drever from Scotland (he also won twice - in 1996 and 1997), Michael Clarke from GB.

In the category of multimedial project won during last years Juraj Duris from Slovakia, Czech composer Michal Kosut, Joran Rudi from Norway, Maurizio Squillante and Allessandro Cipriani, both from Italy, Mario Verandi from England.

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From 1996 there is a special prize for the best Czech composition (Emil Viklicky, Michal Kosut), from 1997 there is other special prize for the best work by woman composer (Junghae Lee - Japan from Switzerland).

In 1997 died Karel Odstrcil - the jury of MUSICA NOVA �97 decided to award a special prize for one of his last works of electroacoustic music Pet etap (Five steps). He was a member and chairman of the jury in all years in 90s.

The category "B" of multimedial project using electroacoustic music was for this year eliminated because of not a very large covering by works entered. However, the two categories remain - the of "A" is for tape music, the of "B" is for the music with the live elements.

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It is important to hold such a now already well known competition in a country of the former Eastern Block - because electroacoustic music is one on the necessary steps and processes in musical development of the Western culture as a whole. It has fundamental influence on the musical thinking. And that's why this competition MUSICA NOVA will help for gradual well balancing of the suppressed development not only on the level of technologies, but also on the mental level.
 

Wanda Dobrovsk� BACK