Prof. Graeme Boone

Prof. Graeme Boone (Ohio State University)

Prof. Graeme Boone (Ohio State University) will give a talk entitled "B molle as topos"

Abstract

A rich store of meanings informs the terms mollis and durus, which come to permeate the theorization B quadratum and B rotundum in medieval music theory and are likewise implicated in musical composition and performance.  With this understanding in mind, we consider the musical theology of Jean Gerson (1363–1429) in relation to works by Guillaume Dufay (1397–1474); taken together, these writings highlight the expressive powers of 'hard' and 'soft' in the 15th-century musical soundscape, an affectivity that has distinctive ramifications for our modeling of tonality in that era.