“ANCIENT LAMENTS” AND SYMBOLIC ASCENT: ALEXANDRU PAȘCANU BETWEEN THE MIORITIC ETHOS AND THE COSMIC DREAM OF AN ERA

Abstract

This paper offers an ethical-aesthetic reading of Bocete străbune (1971) by Romanian composer Alexandru Pașcanu (1920–1989), interpreted as an expression of a sublimated mioritic ethos and a symbolic resonance of the Space Age. Without directly quoting the Romanian ballad Miorița—a foundational work of Eastern European oral tradition, particularly emblematic of Romanian cultural identity, reflecting on fate and cosmic reconciliation—the composition evokes an archaic vision of death through modal structures, ritual timbres, and expressive silence. The study situates Pașcanu within a theoretical lineage that extends from Rameau to John Adams, reaffirming harmony as a form of living memory