IMC 2008: Sessions
Session 118: Natural World and Music in Central Europe: Imitation of Sounds and Symbolic Functions
Monday 7 July 2008, 11.15-12.45
| Sponsor: | Institute of Art, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw / Instytut Historii i Archiwistyki, Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika, Toruń |
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| Organiser: | Paweł Gancarczyk, Institute of Art, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa |
| Moderator/Chair: | Richard Byrn, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds |
| Paper 118-a | Songs of Birds in Medieval Gardens of Love: A Cultural Interpretation of Nature (Language: English) Index terms: Anthropology, Language and Literature - German, Music |
| Paper 118-b | St Martin, Geese, and Music: Presulem ephebeatum by Petrus Wilhelmi de Grudencz (Language: English) Index terms: Language and Literature - Latin, Music |
| Paper 118-c | Neighing Horses, Cackling Hens, and Czech Ears: On Reception of 15th-Century Polyphony in Bohemia (Language: English) Index terms: Manuscripts and Palaeography, Music |
| Abstract | Music as an acoustic phenomenon has always been related to the natural world. In the Middle Ages it resounded in the 'gardens of love', where one could also hear songs of birds. In their works, composers imitated sounds of animals and listeners tended to associate such musical motives with 'neighing horses' or 'cackling hens'. Not only did the sounds of the natural world inspire musicians, but they also had symbolic functions. The singing of birds symbolized ideal music, whereas gaggling of geese was associated with St Martin. |