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The Libretto as Enlightenment Text

The Libretto as Enlightenment Text

Publié le par Eloïse Lièvre (Source : C18-L)

Call for Papers for ISECS/ASECS Session : The Libretto as Enlightenment Text: A Session ISECS/ASECS Conference, Los Angeles, August 3-10, 2003

The etymology of libretto, traced from the Italian libretti, portends its transformation  as text during the Enlightenment, defining and differentiating Italian from French cultural ideals.  Culminating in a reformulation of opera itself, the restyled libretto as Enlightenment text was discussed in numerous debates by the philosophes (i.e. Rousseau's La Lettre sur la Musique francaise,  Diderot's Le Neveu de Rameau, and others) comprising the nature of the libretto,  the feasibility of French as a language for opera, and the possibility of word and tone as a single unified text.  Reflecting  Enlightenment concerns with nature and the role played by music as sign of anthropological origin,  the need for the reform of the libretto was elucidated in  works by Diderot, Rousseau, D'Alembert, and others, engendering a new musical critique.  New theories  for musical terms such as recitative, expre! ssion, and sonata  were developed foregrounding a theory of musical mimesis.   During the period surrounding the Revolution, readership of restyled libretti, aided by the proliferation of pamphlet literature,  reified through opera a new cultural consciousness.

This session will explore and interrogate the libretto's role as revolutionary genre during the Enlightenment and mise en abime of linguistic liberation, while focusing on specific ways its evolution reflected Enlightenment thought on the nature of music, text, and the individual.  Especially welcome are explorations of texts by Diderot and Rousseau, as well as topics addressing readership of libretti, influence on musical performance, and theoretical strategies challenging conventional concepts of representation.

Presentations will be limited to 10 minutes.