Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-317) and indexes.
Contents:
Acknowledgments -- About the companion website -- Introduction : Old Hispanic chant and the Visigothic context -- The Sacrificium -- Liturgy, patristic learning, and Christian formation -- From scripture to chant : Biblical exegesis and communal identity in the Sacrificia -- The melodic language -- Sounding prophecy : Words and music in the Sacrificia -- The broader Old Hispanic tradition : Aspects of melodic transmission -- Connections beyond Hispania -- Conclusion -- Appendix : Manuscripts with Sacrificia and their Sigla -- Bibliography -- General index -- Index of chants.
Summary:
"'Songs of Sacrifice' argues that liturgical music - both texts and melodies - played a central role in the cultural renewal of early Medieval Iberia. Between the seventh and eleventh centuries, Christian worship on the Iberian Peninsula was structured by rituals of great theological and musical richness, known as the Old Hispanic (or Mozarabic) rite. Much of this liturgy was produced during the seventh century, as part of a cultural and educational program led by Isidore of Seville and other bishops. After the conversion of the Visigothic rulers from Arian to Nicene Christianity at the end of the sixth century, the bishops aimed to create a society unified in the Nicene faith, built on twin pillars of church and kingdom. They initiated a project of clerical education, facilitated through a distinctive culture of textual production. The chant repertory was carefully designed to promote these aims. The creators of the chant texts reworked scripture in ways designed to teach biblical exegesis, linking both to the theological works of Isidore and others, and to Visigothic anti-Jewish discourse. The notation reveals an intricate melodic grammar that is closely tied to textual syntax and sound. Through musical rhetoric, the melodies shaped the delivery of the texts to underline words and phrases images of particular liturgical or doctrinal import. The chants thus worked toward the formation of individual Christian souls and a communal, Nicene identity. The final chapters turn to questions about the intersection between orality and writing and the relationships of the Old Hispanic chant to other Western plainsong traditions."-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.