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Crosslistings: MUSC 299 |
The meaning of allegory is literally a discourse of alternation, a "speaking otherwise" (allo agoria); it invites the reader to engage in a continual process of rereading and reinterpretation. This course will examine
some
of the proliferating meanings intended by authors and interpreted by medieval and modern readers of lyric texts and music. Many of these texts are self-referential, and all draw on a shared repertory of allegorical
figures.
Lady Reason, Fortune, Hope, Despair, and Sorrow are frequently invoked in literature throughout the later Middle Ages and part of our task will be to become familiar with these allegorical personages. Our sources will
include
a number of literary texts such as the ROMAN DE LA ROSE, as well as works by Dante, Boccaccio, Gower and Christine de Pisan.
The musical settings of lyric poetry provide another layer of complexity concerning
the role
of allegory. Naturally, the same allegorical figures abound, but musical notation, furthermore, has an allegorical significance, especially when read silently by those who commissioned chansonniers. In this course, we
will
examine the motivation that prompted the commissioning of song collections, and the continued significance for readers of the courtly love lyric. The use of composers allegory and musical intertextuality will be
examined
in relation to their contemporary social and political environments. Composers studied will include Machaut, Du Fay, Binchois, Busnoys, and Ockeghem.
COURSE FORMAT: Seminar
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA MDST Grading Mode: Graded
Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.
Last Updated on MAR-30-2006
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459