Module description
Of all the evidence on which we rely to tell the story of medieval music, the material evidence of the manuscript is perhaps the most important. This module will narrate the history of medieval music as told by the manuscripts, and over the course of the semester we will visit some of the major monuments of the tradition through facsimiles and online digital libraries. In the first instance, the goal is to introduce students to some of the major sources through which musicologists and medievalists have extrapolated the repertories of the past. Among the books and scrolls we shall encounter are some of the earliest extantchant books associated with St. Gall; troubadour and trouvère sources of the thirteenth century; and the manuscripts of Guillaume de Machaut.
In getting to know music through its material trace, this module will develop a range of practical and critical modes of thinking. On the one hand, it will encourage and develop a technical understanding of the physicality of the manuscript: how was it made? For and by whom? What is entailed in making space for musical notation? How can we establish dating and provenance from the evidence before our eyes? On the other hand, we will also wonder about what is absent: how did these objects relate to singing voices? How much of a musical performance do they 'remember', and what is left out or forgotten? What does the materiality of music communicate about the multiple meanings of any given tradition? What is the correlation between physical value and cultural prestige? These are just a few of the approaches we shall develop during the semester.
As well as making use of many excellent manuscript reproductions, this module will also include field trips to local collections, to encounter manuscripts first hand. Assignments will include a manuscript project, in which students will work with a source of their own choosing, and prepare a short response (in the form of a catalogue entry, blog post, or analysis) intended to develop critical skills for writing about the material traces of music. Students will have the chance to apply their skills to materials more closely related to their particular areas of study for a final project. This course is thus designed for students from a range of backgrounds in musicology and medieval studies.
Assessment details
Educational aims & objectives
To provide a sophisticated understanding of central issues in music and musical culture before 1700, in relation to social, political and artistic changes in the period.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate intellectual, transferable and practical skills appropriate to a Level 7 module and in particular will be able to demonstrate:
- a sophisticated, in-depth understanding of an important aspect of musical culture before 1700;
- a critical knowledge of and ability to evaluate the connections between that aspect of musical culture and contemporary political, social and artistic life;
- the ability to conduct independent research in music before 1700.