The subject of Bovi's research will be to reconstruct the particular vocal style of little-known song forms of late medieval / early Renaissance Italy. Sources such as surviving music compositions of later periods, contemporary literary chronicles and court payment records give hints about a ‘lost’ style of singing, that is, ‘lost’ in the sense that music historians and singers today have no clear idea about how these performances were sung - they were normally not written down in music notation as compositions. Further hints are given by regional traditions of orally-transmitted music in areas of Italy today. By making a synthesis of modern and historical data, against a background knowledge of written medieval music, it will be possible to approach the singing styles of such fascinating song forms as aer veneziano, siciliane and giustiniane. 

Supervisor

• Prof. F.C. de Ruiter

• early middle ages
• italy
• voice