Petrarca e i compositori fiamminghi. Convegno internazionale intorno al progetto europeo "Gli archivi digitali per la salvaguardia del patrimonio musicale europeo", 2006
The discovery of a Stabat Mater version set to music as a sequence in a late 13th-century Gradual... more The discovery of a Stabat Mater version set to music as a sequence in a late 13th-century Gradual from a Bolognese Dominican nunnery, makes it possible to advance new hypotheses about the origins and history of this renowned text. Until now there was no evidence that it was used as a sequence before the mid 15th century. The analysis of the piece highlights previously unidentified peculiarities regarding the historical and the liturgico-musical context in which it was used, whilst the comparison with the wealth of textual variants offered by its complex tradition points to concordances with later sources, mainly originating in Veneto and Emilia. As one of the earliest witnesses of this popular composition (there is only one other contemporary version, also from Bologna, but it is unnotated) there can be no doubt about its importance for textual criticism, and, inter alia , it does not favour the disputable paternity of Iacopone da Todi.
In is fairly usual for music history handbooks to introduce certain remote musical forms, documen... more In is fairly usual for music history handbooks to introduce certain remote musical forms, documented since the historical period in which they became established, with an adequate formal analytical support. What they entirely lack, often due to problems retrieving documentation, is any explanation concerning their origin and the genetic process of their evolution. Such an approach leads to a ‘sterilized’ comprehension of the musical phenomenon, by depriving it of the essential contribution of its social and cultural context. Through a couple of examples, the article shows how restoring the historical identity of musical forms that are no longer current can also reconstruct the traits that are able to convey authentic meanings to us and our descendants.
Music and singing, which are present in every form of worship in the Christian rite, have acquire... more Music and singing, which are present in every form of worship in the Christian rite, have acquired from the outset a very particular connotation, in which Jewish tradition and Neoplatonism have merged: every musical manifestation in the liturgy has as its model the perennial praise given to God from the angelic choirs. This conception, combined with the Pythagorean doctrine of the harmony of the spheres, informed throughout the Middle Ages fundamentals aspects of music theory and the aesthetic frame of reference for every sound manifestation, especially in devotional contexts (Gregorian chant, polyphony).The Neo-Platonic Judeo-Christian approach to music, which was associated with a cosmological conception based on music regulated by arithmetical relationships, informed compositional techniques and formal organization of music from the Carolingian era onwards. It is also reflected in great works of art, in architectural solutions in the sacred buildings, and found a scenic manifesta...
Besides a tendency to abstractness, inherent in the technical nature of the subject itself, a com... more Besides a tendency to abstractness, inherent in the technical nature of the subject itself, a common problem in the teaching of medieval music history is how to awaken the interest of learners in matters that are so far back in time as to have nothing in common with modern sensibility. Referring to the introduction of the staff by Guido of Arezzo in the 11 th century, the article tries to explain how, by aptly combining chronologically organized descriptions of facts with a basic study of documents (that is, by adopting the rudiments of the research methods used by expert historians), students can be encouraged to reconstruct history with a strict method. This approach also sheds light on the reasons why men and women of the past adopted certain innovations or kept certain traditions alive.
Atti Del Xiv Congresso Della Societa Internazionale Di Musicologia Trasmissione E Recezione Delle Forme Di Culture Musicale Vol 2 1990 Isbn 88 7063 075 7 Pags 130 149, 1990
Petrarca e i compositori fiamminghi. Convegno internazionale intorno al progetto europeo "Gli archivi digitali per la salvaguardia del patrimonio musicale europeo", 2006
The discovery of a Stabat Mater version set to music as a sequence in a late 13th-century Gradual... more The discovery of a Stabat Mater version set to music as a sequence in a late 13th-century Gradual from a Bolognese Dominican nunnery, makes it possible to advance new hypotheses about the origins and history of this renowned text. Until now there was no evidence that it was used as a sequence before the mid 15th century. The analysis of the piece highlights previously unidentified peculiarities regarding the historical and the liturgico-musical context in which it was used, whilst the comparison with the wealth of textual variants offered by its complex tradition points to concordances with later sources, mainly originating in Veneto and Emilia. As one of the earliest witnesses of this popular composition (there is only one other contemporary version, also from Bologna, but it is unnotated) there can be no doubt about its importance for textual criticism, and, inter alia , it does not favour the disputable paternity of Iacopone da Todi.
In is fairly usual for music history handbooks to introduce certain remote musical forms, documen... more In is fairly usual for music history handbooks to introduce certain remote musical forms, documented since the historical period in which they became established, with an adequate formal analytical support. What they entirely lack, often due to problems retrieving documentation, is any explanation concerning their origin and the genetic process of their evolution. Such an approach leads to a ‘sterilized’ comprehension of the musical phenomenon, by depriving it of the essential contribution of its social and cultural context. Through a couple of examples, the article shows how restoring the historical identity of musical forms that are no longer current can also reconstruct the traits that are able to convey authentic meanings to us and our descendants.
Music and singing, which are present in every form of worship in the Christian rite, have acquire... more Music and singing, which are present in every form of worship in the Christian rite, have acquired from the outset a very particular connotation, in which Jewish tradition and Neoplatonism have merged: every musical manifestation in the liturgy has as its model the perennial praise given to God from the angelic choirs. This conception, combined with the Pythagorean doctrine of the harmony of the spheres, informed throughout the Middle Ages fundamentals aspects of music theory and the aesthetic frame of reference for every sound manifestation, especially in devotional contexts (Gregorian chant, polyphony).The Neo-Platonic Judeo-Christian approach to music, which was associated with a cosmological conception based on music regulated by arithmetical relationships, informed compositional techniques and formal organization of music from the Carolingian era onwards. It is also reflected in great works of art, in architectural solutions in the sacred buildings, and found a scenic manifesta...
Besides a tendency to abstractness, inherent in the technical nature of the subject itself, a com... more Besides a tendency to abstractness, inherent in the technical nature of the subject itself, a common problem in the teaching of medieval music history is how to awaken the interest of learners in matters that are so far back in time as to have nothing in common with modern sensibility. Referring to the introduction of the staff by Guido of Arezzo in the 11 th century, the article tries to explain how, by aptly combining chronologically organized descriptions of facts with a basic study of documents (that is, by adopting the rudiments of the research methods used by expert historians), students can be encouraged to reconstruct history with a strict method. This approach also sheds light on the reasons why men and women of the past adopted certain innovations or kept certain traditions alive.
Atti Del Xiv Congresso Della Societa Internazionale Di Musicologia Trasmissione E Recezione Delle Forme Di Culture Musicale Vol 2 1990 Isbn 88 7063 075 7 Pags 130 149, 1990
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