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Singing and Gesture: Considerations on Vocal Aesthetics in Sacred Medieval Polyphony Performance

Authors

Daniel Issa Gonçalves Independent researcher https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2549-5172

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36025/arj.v10i1.31801

Keywords:

Middle Ages, polyphony, oral tradition, early music, voice

Abstract

The early music movement is mainly based on the analysis of documentary records from the past (scores, treatises, historical accounts, etc.). However, the gaps caused by the lack of continuity of an oral tradition remain – after all, not all elements of the performance are contained in the scores. Therefore, to fill these gaps, the performer of the present needs to make certain decisions – not always according to the most objective criteria. The article discusses some of the decisions of historically informed musicians regarding the vocal technique used to perform medieval polyphony nowadays, and proposes a new hypothesis in this regard, with the help of iconography and the popular repertoire of oral tradition.

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Author Biography

Daniel Issa Gonçalves, Independent researcher

Born in São Paulo and graduated in Architecture and Urbanism at the University of São Paulo, began his musical studies in Brazil and continued them in Switzerland, graduating from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and the Musikhochschule Luzern. As a soloist singer, he performed in several countries with a repertory that ranges from medieval to contemporary. In 2019, he earned his doctorate in musicology at the Sorbonne Université.

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Published

17-05-2023

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25-05-2023 (2)
17-05-2023 (1)

How to Cite

GONÇALVES, D. I. Singing and Gesture: Considerations on Vocal Aesthetics in Sacred Medieval Polyphony Performance. Art Research Journal: Revista de Pesquisa em Artes, [S. l.], v. 10, n. 1, 2023. DOI: 10.36025/arj.v10i1.31801. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufrn.br/artresearchjournal/article/view/31801. Acesso em: 7 jul. 2024.