La version intégrale de cette thèse est disponible uniquement pour consultation individuelle à la Bibliothèque de musique de l’Université de Montréal (http://www.bib.umontreal.ca/MU). / Cette thèse aborde les problématiques épistémologiques et méthodologiques relatives à l’étude esthétique des pratiques vocales traditionnelles du Salento (sud de l’Italie). Les deux premières parties développent une réflexion épistémologique concernant d’une part le statut ontologique de l’expérience esthétique, de l’autre la pertinence d’une étude esthétique sur un terrain ethnomusicologique. La troisième et la quatrième parties exposent la recherche de terrain réalisée auprès de deux groupes socioculturels bien distincts de chanteurs du Salento : celui des paysans et celui des revivalistes. Ces deux univers en plus d’être caractérisés par deux classes d’âge différentes, s’ancrent dans deux réalités socioculturelles et économiques distinctes : d’une part le monde agro-pastoral ayant subsisté au Salento jusqu’aux années 1960 ; de l’autre la société contemporaine résultant des processus de tertiarisation, d’urbanisation et de globalisation mis en œuvre à partir de la deuxième moitié des années 1970. Le propos de cette thèse est d’expliquer en détail le fonctionnement de l’expérience esthétique de chacun des deux groupes de chanteurs vis-à-vis de leur pratique vocale. Il s’agit notamment de développer deux ethnographies différentes sur la base de caractéristiques socioculturelles et musicales propres à chaque contexte générationnel, étudiant toutes sortes de manifestations esthétiques et particulièrement les discours de nos chanteurs. Notre conclusion ouvre le champ de la comparaison des résultats obtenus au sein des deux enquêtes distinctes. Au-delà de la variété des critères, des comportements, des réactions et des facteurs qui caractérisent l’expérience esthétique des deux générations de chanteurs, nous cherchons à envisager la présence éventuelle d’une constante paradigmatique des critères esthétiques, valable aussi bien pour les chanteurs paysans anciens que pour les revivalistes. / This dissertation addresses epistemological and methodological problems related to studying the aesthetics of traditional vocal practices in Salento. In the first two sections of the dissertation, I examine from an epistemological perspective the ontological status of aesthetic experience and the relevance of studying aesthetics in ethnomusicological fieldwork. In the third and fourth sections I present the results of my fieldwork research, conducted with two distinct socio-cultural groups of Salentine singers: traditional singers and revival singers. In addition to coming from two different generations, these two groups of singers are also rooted in two distinct socio-cultural and economic milieux: in one case, the agro-pastoral world that subsisted in Salento until the 1960s; in the other case, contemporary society, which since the second half of the 1970s has been marked by urbanization, globalization, and the shift to a service economy. This dissertation explains in detail how each of the two groups of singers experience aesthetics. I develop two different investigations based on the socio-cultural and musical characteristics peculiar to each generational context, studying various kinds of aesthetic expressions and especially the singers’ discourse. In the conclusion I compare the results of the investigations I carried out with the two groups. Besides considering the variety of criteria, behaviors, reactions, and other factors that characterize the aesthetic experience of these two generations of singers, I propose that there exists a single, constant paradigm of aesthetic criteria that is valid for both traditional singers and for revival singers.

This diploma thesis will focus on the Griko dialect, which is still spoken in some areas of Apulia and which is characterized by its ambiguity between the Greek and Italian language. It thus bears the remnants of Greek culture in southern Italy. The diploma thesis will consist of a theoretical and practical part: In the first part, the cultural-historical reality that defines the dialect will be described. This will be followed by a practical analysis of selected texts, their subsequent description and analysis by a comparative method. Lastly, the work will deal with the current socio-cultural situation of the dialect and its use. Key words: griko, Southern Italy, Salento, Apulia, Greece, language, dialect, culture, text analysis, national traditions, identity, Greek, Italian, prestige, origin

The focus of this dissertation is the Franciscan church of Santa Caterina (ca.1385-1391) at Galatina in the Salento, an area of Italy characterised by the presence of Greek language and/or rite communities. Scholars have described it as an emblematically 'Latin' church, decorated with 'Giottesque' frescoes, commissioned by a ruthless and ambitious signore, built with the papacy's approval, donated to the Franciscan order and founded with the aim of providing mass in Latin for those who did not speak Greek. This dissertation argues that that view needs to be considerably nuanced, if only because the relationship between the Graeci and the Latini in late-medieval Salento is much more complex than often acknowledged. I place Santa Caterina in its context, exploring how the frescoes themselves are evidence for transculturation and how the experience of both communities must be re-centred in order to fully understand the creation and reception of the fresco programme. Before doing this, however, this PhD focuses on the history of the foundation by restoring agency to two of the three main patrons: Raimondello del Balzo Orsini (d.1406) and his wife Maria d'Enghien (d.1446). I argue that the foundation of Santa Caterina was the first sign of Raimondello's interest in south-eastern Italy, which would allow him to become the first person outside of the royal family to be crowned Prince of Taranto in 1399. I explore the possibility the church may have been built ad instar of St Catherine's on Mt Sinai, and how this may in turn explain some of its unusual architectural features. This dissertation then takes on the second phase of the church's history, during which Maria, now Queen of Naples, commissioned the extensive mural decoration. I date the fresco decoration ca.1415-23/5, discuss in detail their iconography, reconstruct lost scenes, and present - for the first time - a holistic interpretation of the mural programme.

Il mio progetto di ricerca ha avuto come focus il Salento nell’età del Ferro partendo dallo studio contestuale di un sito scoperto recentemente a Vaste, nel sud della provincia di Lecce. Si tratta di un sito inedito rivelatosi particolarmente importante perché è uno dei pochi contesti ritenuti cultuali documentati nel Salento per l’età del Ferro. Si tratta di una vasta area caratterizzata dalle presenza di buche terragne i cui depositi si sono rivelati di natura rituale. È stato uno dei pochi contesti salentini che ha restituito materiale iapigio integro. La cronologia del contesto è prima metà del VII sec. a.C. L’analisi del contesto di Vaste è stata preceduta da una schedatura dei siti dell’età del Ferro editi nel Salento. L’altra parte importante del progetto è stata l’analisi chimica tramite tecnica XRF svolta presso il CEDAD su un campione di ceramica d’importazione databile tra fine VIII e VII sec. a.C. proveniente da alcuni siti salentini (Vaste, Otranto e San Vito dei Normanni) e della Basilicata (Policoro e Torre di Satriano). Il lavoro ha permesso di stabilire i luoghi di produzione delle varie classi ceramiche analizzate. / My research project will focus on the Salento region during the Iron Age; beginning with the study of a site that was recently discovered in Vaste, in the Southern province of Lecce. Little is known or has been published about the site, but as studies of the area continue it was discovered to have been one of the few sites to be officially religious in Salento during the Iron Age. Interestingly, it is a vast area characterised by the presence of ‘earth pits’, which are earthy deposits of a ritualistic nature. It is also one of the few areas in Salento where undamaged ‘Iapygian’ artefacts have been discovered. This period chronologically dates from the 7th century B.C. Further studies for this project have been done using chemical analysis (an XRF technique done in CEDAD laboratories) on pottery samples dating from the 8th to the 7th century B.C. from various sites in Salento, such as, Vaste, Otrano and San Vito dei Normanni and sites in Basilicata, such as, Policoro and Torre di Satriano.