Changing Perspectives on the Guidonian Hand, or, What Is at Stake in Reconstructing the Musical Space of the Middle Ages? (A Panel Discussion)
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Special Session
Organizer Name
Stefano Mengozzi
Organizer Affiliation
Univ. of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Presider Name
Joseph Dyer
Presider Affiliation
Univ. of Massachusetts-Boston
Paper Title 1
Panelist
Presenter 1 Name
James Borders
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Univ. of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Paper Title 2
Panelist
Presenter 2 Name
Adam Bregman
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Univ. of Southern California
Paper Title 3
Panelist
Presenter 3 Name
David Cohen
Presenter 3 Affiliation
Independent Scholar
Paper Title 4
Panelist
Presenter 4 Name
Jan Herlinger
Presenter 4 Affiliation
Louisiana State Univ.
Paper Title 5
Panelist
Presenter 5 Name
Stefano Mengozzi
Start Date
13-5-2018 10:30 AM
Session Location
Bernhard 210
Description
The Guidonian Hand is often portrayed as a veritable symbol of the musical space of historical Others. With its elaborate layout of (to us) counterintuitive combinations of A-G letters and ut-la syllables, the Hand reminds us that the often-unfamiliar sounds of medieval music are rooted on conceptual foundations that seem radically at odds with those governing the “tonal” music of the modern era. Yet, the Hand may be interpreted in radically different ways, which in turn depend on the assumptions that we bring to bear on the study of medieval music. This panel discussion will provide an opportunity to confront the merit of these competing interpretations, and the validity of the assumptions underlying them.
Stefano Mengozzi
Changing Perspectives on the Guidonian Hand, or, What Is at Stake in Reconstructing the Musical Space of the Middle Ages? (A Panel Discussion)
Bernhard 210
The Guidonian Hand is often portrayed as a veritable symbol of the musical space of historical Others. With its elaborate layout of (to us) counterintuitive combinations of A-G letters and ut-la syllables, the Hand reminds us that the often-unfamiliar sounds of medieval music are rooted on conceptual foundations that seem radically at odds with those governing the “tonal” music of the modern era. Yet, the Hand may be interpreted in radically different ways, which in turn depend on the assumptions that we bring to bear on the study of medieval music. This panel discussion will provide an opportunity to confront the merit of these competing interpretations, and the validity of the assumptions underlying them.
Stefano Mengozzi