What did it mean for to cry in response to music?: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/medieval-music-to-chant-in-a-vale-of-tears
According to one early-medieval author, 'there are many who are moved by the sweetness of singing to bewail their sins, and who are readily brought to tears by the sweet sounds of a singer'. A thousand years later, Hector Berlioz tells how a musician was so moved during the performance of an opera that 'two streams of tears burst violently from his eyes, and he wept so hard that I was compelled to lead him out of the hall'. Tears and music have a long history together, but a show of tears means different things at different times. The purpose of this lecture is to explore the nature of a lachrymose response in the medieval experience of music.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/medieval-music-to-chant-in-a-vale-of-tears
Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 1,800 lectures free to access or download from the website.
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