When a group of Ursuline nuns arrived in New Orleans from Rouen in 1727 it significantly changed the sacred musical landscape in the Louisiana Territory of New France. The women brought with them their commitment to education, a tradition of using music in their worship, and music similar to that performed in the Chapelle Royale of Louis XIV. Before 1727 the practice of sacred music in New Orleans was practical and simple, established by Capuchin priests in 1725 with the construction of a school and a makeshift church. The construction of the Ursulines' own permanent building in 1734 allowed the nuns to further emphasize their commitment to education through music. After the Ursulines arrived in New Orleans, the first French settlers were from wealthy and noble families that had a need and yearning for homeland familiarity and culture. In 1730 the Ursulines solidified their educational mission in New Orleans by establishing a lay confraternity with a group of French women colonists that secured a bridge of continuity between the nuns, the religious culture of France, and the members of the colony. In 1754 the sisters were given a manuscript entitled Nouvelles Poésies spirituelles et morales, copied in Paris in 1736. Now known as the Ursuline Manuscript, the collection contains music by composers active in the reign of Louis XIV. It is not known if the manuscript was prepared specifically for the nuns, but by examining the music in this manuscript--which contains well-known instrumental works turned into sacred vocal parodies--I will demonstrate that regardless of the copyist's intention, the music in the manuscript filled a need for such a document given the physical and cultural landscape in which the collection found itself. I will also discuss the importance of the manuscript and its place in the study of music history in North America, including a comparison between French and other European musical practices that were maintained in the New World in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / The objectives of this study were as follows: (1) to determine which movements in the large choral works of J. S. Bach are contrafacta; (2) to compare those movements with their prototypes; (3) to document changes which were made in the adaptation; and (4) to speculate on what reasons may have prompted these alterations. In assessing the relative value of the contrafactum and its prototype several aspects were considered: what type of parody was involved; whether the prototype was a great work of art; whether its textual content was similar to that of the later version; and whether the music fitted its new setting. The method of the composer was also considered: were there many changes or was it a mechanical transformation; even if it was'merely a "mechanical transformation," was it successful? An attempt was also made to determine whether or not there was a symbolic connection between the parody and its prototype. The conditions under which the contrafacta were written were also considered. To such questions, unequivocal answers were not always possible since clear and precise documentation was often unavailable. In many instances one could only suggest possible solutions. However, the investigation confirmed Schering's thesis that, even though Bach's borrowings were usually due to pressures of public performance, the contrafacta contain several aesthetic improvements and reveal a high degree of artistry. Indeed, they may be considered the climax in the Baroque Era of this particular compositional technique. Some of the transformations provided excellent examples of typically Bachian traits, the most common of which was textual and formalistic symbolism. Another noticeable feature was a general tendency to make the later setting more extensive and massive than the original composition. Consequently, wherever it was possible, Bach added new instrumental and vocal parts, increased the length of the later versions, augmented certain melodic intervals, and usually made the contrafacta more melismatic than their models. In the smaller Masses, however, Bach tended to simplify harmonies making the later composition more austere than its model. Although the tendency throughout the parodies was to improve the setting, the functional aspect still influenced the transformation to such a degree that a few of the parodies seem inferior to their prototypes. This was especially evident in the contrafacta sections of the Christmas Oratorio. Nevertheless, perhaps the most distinct trait in all of the contrafacta was the care with which Bach chose his models; inevitably the texts of both versions were formally similar and often a subtle symbolism in the relationship between text and music was preserved. In addition to these specific aspects, another conclusion can be drawn which is equally important--the need for further study in this area of musical research. For instance, in Bach's own works there is still much to learn from his instrumental contrafacta and those in the Cantatas. Moreover, a perusal of the literature revealed that there is a dearth of material available on the contrafactum as a recurring phenomenon in music history and as a technique employed by other composers. By filling in this gap, scholars might gain further insight into the work methods of other great masters.

In 1905, Caravaggio was resurrected as a figure of historical importance when art critic Roger Fry designated him as the harbinger of modern art. In his commentary on the artist, Fry declares that: “He was, indeed, in many senses the first modern artist; the first artist to proceed not by evolution but by revolution; the first to rely entirely on his own temperamental attitude and to defy tradition and authority.” Fry’s assertion of Caravaggio’s modernity is derived from early-modern biographies on the artist, which claim that Caravaggio self-consciously broke from the art of the past in a deliberate act of artistic revolution. The conflation of the artist’s biography with his work has remained a constant in Caravaggio scholarship since its inception. Modernity’s Caravaggio is a character with many guises – a painter, a sodomite, a pimp, a murderer, a fugitive, and a knight – all of which have molded our perception of a man who died centuries ago. Caravaggio’s modern appeal is evident in the numerous exhibitions, movies, miniseries, novels, and even a ballet, produced in celebration of the artist Fry proclaimed “one of the most interesting figures in the history of art.” This dissertation traces Caravaggio scholarship, as well as popular manifestations of the artist, through the twentieth century to present day by probing the theoretical and methodological trends that have shaped the discourse. My aim is to demonstrate that modernity’s Caravaggio is a construction derived from the most prevalent historical, aesthetic, and philosophical debates of the twentieth century.

No description available.

The musical archive of the Cathedral of Puebla, Mexico, contains an extensive body of work by José Lazo Valero (1713-1778) amid music not only by local chapelmasters but also by European masters, including Guerrero and Palestrina. However, our understanding of Pueblan cathedral music from the eighteenth century on is lacking in detailed research. José Lazo Valero served as chapelmaster at the Cathedral of Puebla from 1749 to 1778. In the archive at Puebla we find his eight Responsories for Matins on the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist, various psalms, hymns, and Masses. The present work focuses on the eight Responsories for Matins of St. John the Baptist. Through an historical contextualization and musical analysis, I trace Lazo Valero’s stylistic development through the Responsories, which were written over the course of twenty years. I discuss how the Italian style that dominated music in Spain in the eighteenth century found its way into Pueblan musical practice, and how its incorporation into composition mirrored a change in liturgical thought during the same period. The Responsories show a move from the older, Spanish polychoral style to the newer, simpler gallant style of the early Classical period. Thus, Lazo Valero’s music represents an important piece of the mosaic of colonial music, for it distinguishes him as a transitional figure between the Mexican Baroque and Classical periods.

Due to a break in its practice and pedagogy during the Classical and Romantic Eras, many misconceptions regarding the Baroque natural trumpet remain today. As newly discovered instruments and pedagogical materials have become known and disseminated, a resurgence in the performance of the natural trumpet has occurred, but its practice is still often conceived as wholly separate from modern trumpet technique. This study clarifies long-held misconceptions about the natural trumpet, describes its physical, pedagogical, and technical traits in comparison with the modern trumpet, and demonstrates that its concurrent practice with the modern trumpet is not only possible, but significantly beneficial. Qualities unique to the Baroque natural trumpet bestow upon it tremendous pedagogical potential for its simultaneous study with the modern trumpet. The possible benefits of this concurrent practice include increased embouchure strength, efficiency and endurance, the elimination of even badly entrenched negative habits, stronger fundamental abilities, and a better understanding of the performance of Baroque trumpet music. The plausibility of these pedagogical gains is evidenced by both modern and Baroque pedagogical literature, the scientific principles behind playing both types of trumpet, and the experiences of professional trumpeters who have demonstrated high levels of proficiency on both instruments.

This study seeks to present a philologically accurate and complete edition of Isabella Andreini’s collection of lyric poetry published in 1601. The collection comprises a total of 368 poems: 196 sonnets, 125 madrigals, 6 canzoni, 10 canzonette morali, 2 sestine, 2 epithalamia, 2 centoni, 3 capitoli, 9 scherzi, 4 versi funerali and 9 egloghe boscherecce. The investigation conducted on Andreini’s poems has led us to discover that the variety of metrical structures that make up her collection are perfectly in line with the trends of the century, as confirmed by both Chiabrera’s lyric poetry and the second part of Marino’s Rime. The present study highlights Isabella’s unique poetic personality and her innovative position in literary history. The interpretation of Isabella Andreini’s poetry in the entire thesis revolves around the statement of poetics she makes in the very first poem of the collection. In fact, in her proemial sonnet Andreini declares the non-autobiographical nature of the fervours expressed by her poems, thus declaring that her compositions are simply a poetic exercise. This is made clear further when she states that following her ability as an actress, she wrote in varying style a thousand pages, thus making reference to the variety of styles and metrical schemes she adopted in her poems. Using similar language, she warns the readers of the different narrating voices in the collection, stating that just as on stage she played different parts as woman and others as man, so she did in her poems. It is clear that the special feature of Andreini’s lyrical style is amenable to her talent as an actress, and it was in fact due to her acting skills that she could ably impersonate a man, or conceal the identity of the narrator in her poems, using this ‘invention’ as a key element in her creative process.

El estudio de los retablos barrocos catalanes de la provincia de Gerona permite presentar un conjunto artístico representativo de un estilo local cuya especificidad se caracteriza por la presencia de un estilo barroco moderado, con tendencia clásica procedente de períodos anteriores, fruto de una tradición artesanal corporativa, cuya transmisión con carácter familiar producirá obras de gran calidad. Las influencias artísticas italianas bajo el reinado de los Habsburgos, de Joan Caramuel con el advenimiento de la orden salomónica y de Fernando Galli-Bibiena van a ser sustituídas paulatinamente durante la primera mitad del siglo XVIII por cierto clasicismo procedente del estilo francés, que impondrá poco a poco Felipe V en el estilo arquitectural, cuyas repercusiones se encontrarán en la representación del retablo, particularmente a partir de 1721 con el retablo del altar mayor del convento de santa Clara de Vic, primera obra con un estilo depurado fabricada en pleno período salomónico. Víctima de numerosas destrucciones particularmente cuando la Guerra Cívil española de 1936, y según un inventario realizado en las diócesis de Gerona y de Vic, se considera que la producción conservada representa una cuarta parte de la producción destruída identificada merced a un inventario fotográfico y documental. La difusión de ésta última se caracteriza por una fuerte concentración de obras en los centros urbanos como los de Gerona, Vic, Olot y Figueras y una difusión mucho más esparcida pero con la misma importancia en las zonas con carácter rural. Objeto de predilección en la producción barroca catalana del momento, el retablo instrumento devocional con proyección social se convierte entonces en el reflejo de una sociedad profundamente católica con carácter tradicional cuya religiosidad popular se caracterizaba, según las zonas de difusión, por un culto marial omnipresente secundado por una iconografía de tipo hagiográfica con carácter materialista, representada en la mayor parte de los casos por la advocación de santos protectores cualquier sea la categoría a la cual pertenecía. / L'étude des retables baroques catalans de la province de Gérone permet de présenter une ensemble artistique représentatif d'un style local dont la spécificité se caractérise par la présentation d'un style baroque modéré, à tendance classique issu des périodes antérieures, fruit d'une tradition artisanale corporative, dont la transmission à caractère familial produira des αuvres de très grande qualité. Les influences artistiques italiennes sous le règne des Habsbourg, de Joan Caramuel avec l'avènement de l'ordre torse et de Fernando Galli-Bibiena vont être substituées progressivement lors de la première moitié du XVIIIème siècle par un certain classicisme issu du style français, que Philippe V imposera peu à peu dans le style architectural, dont on retrouvera les répercussions dans la représentation du retable, notamment à partir de 1721 avec le retable du maître-autel destiné au couvent de sainte Claire de Vic, première αuvre de style dépuré fabriquée en pleine période torse. Victime de nombreuses destructions notamment lors des évènements de 1936, et selon un inventaire réalisé dans les diocèses de Gérone et de Vic, on estime que la production conservée représente un quart de la production détruite identifiée grâce à un inventaire photographique et documentaire. Objet de prédilection dans la production baroque catalane du moment, le retable, instrument dévotionnel à projection sociale devient alors le reflet d'une société profondément catholique à caractère traditionnel dont la religiosité populaire se définissait, selon les zones de diffusion, par un culte marial omniprésent secondé par une iconographie de type hagiographique à caractère matérialiste. / The study of baroque catalan altarpieces in the province of Gerone allows to discover an artistic whole which is representative of an area style whose precifity is characterized by the presence of a moderate baroque style, whith a classical touch inherited from the past : it is the fruit of a traditional corporation whose knowledge that was passed down gave from to high-quality works. The artistic influences from Italy, during the reign of the Habsbourgs, of both Joan Caramuel whith the advent of the torso trend an Fernado Galli-Bibiena, will gradually evolve into a classical French style (the first part of the 18th century), while will be gradually imposed by Philip V and whose influence can be noticed in the structure itself of such an altarpiece (in particular from 1721 ouwards), with the example of the high-altar intented for Holy Claire's convent in Vic, the first clean-lined altarpeice made in the middle of the torso trend. During the 1936 events, a lot of altarpieces were destroyed and thanks to an inventory made in the provinces of Gerone and Vic, we know that the remaining ones, amount to a quarter of what was ruined, all that beain listed in files whith photographies and documents to prove it. The altarpiece, as a favourite objet d'art in the baroque catalan production of that time and as a devotional instrument indicative of a social background, became the reflection of a deeply catholic society in the Spanish tradition whose religious beliefs were conveyed, in various areas,through an omnipresent worship of the Virgin Mary, relustrated whith hagiographic and materialistic pictures.

Rather than functioning as an icon, Involuted Matter dissolves into the background of commercial construction, conceals difference at the envelope, and orchestrates a succession of alternate environments. Accepting the unifying neutrality of a larger framework this project articulates difference at the individual site. But unlike iconic projects, the real force of this thesis unfolds through the interior. Identity is formed not at the level of district, but is centered on the individual occupation of a specific place. The program for this project is a jimjilbang or Korean Bath House. The jimjilbang has the potential to become a new form of collective space not typical of the American metropolis. The bath house is simultaneously an intimate and egalitarian public venue and a private center for personal well being. Immersed in the same waters and ambient environments, clothed in matching jimjilbang attire, a plurality of classes, age groups, and social values congregate around a common program.

Diss.--Geschichtswissenschaft--Mainz--Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, 1999. / Bibliogr. p. 250-272. Index.