30443 - Music Archaeology

Learning outcomes

This course focusses on the main events and problems concerning the musical cultures of the ancient world, in particular of the Mediterranean sea. At end of course students acquire the methodological foundations of the discipline and how critically apply to the contextualization of texts, pictures, musical instruments and other sound objects.

Course contents

First part

Elements of the history of the discipline,

sources: different typologies,

the ways of the transmissioni of the musical knowledge,

methods and bibliographical tools.

Analysis and comments of papers about methodological problems and different perspectives of the musical archaeology written by archaeologists, philologists, musicologists, ethnomusicologists and anthropologists.

Second part

Music and materiality.

How the material world can inform us about Greek and Roman musical customs: from iconography, archaeological contexts, the instruments themselves, to how literary texts engage with material aspects of music.

Questions of interest might include:

• Do specific artists depict music(ians) in individual ways?
• Is music represented differently in varying media?
• In what contexts are instruments or depictions of music(ians) found?
• How were musical instruments manufactured?

• How do texts engage with the material presence of music(ians)?

• Are there distinctions between how music and musicians are represented in art compared to texts?
• What are the limitations of using iconographical/ archaeological evidence?

Timetable: I semester - First lesson: 2018, November 12th, Monday, 1pm.

Lessons will be held at palazzo Corradini, via Mariani, 5 - Room 2 - Ravenna, – tel.: 0544 936911 http://www.cbc.unibo.it/Beni+Culturali/default.htm

Readings/Bibliography

D. Restani, La musica del mondo antico, «La Nuova Secondaria», 9, 2018, pp. 71-73.

D. Castaldo, Musiche dell'Italia antica. Introduzione all'archeologia musicale, Bologna, Ante Quem, 2012.

Musica, in La Grande Storia: L'Antichità, Grecia, 8, a cura di U. Eco, Encyclomedia - Corriere della Sera, 2011, pp. 360-543; Roma, 13, pp. 278-383.

Etnomusicologia storica del mondo antico. Per Roberto Leydi, a cura di D. Restani , Ravenna, Longo, 2006, pp. 1-62.

Italian students which will not attend to the lessons will be required all texts of the bibliography, adding M.L. West, La musica greca antica (1992), trad. it., Milella, Lecce, 2007: Introduction, chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, Epilogo.

To foreign students will eventually proposed English texts, as M.L. West, Ancient Greek Music, Oxford, 1992, pp. 1-128, 277-end, and articles.

Foreign students which will not attend to the lessons will be required to keep in contact with the Professor by email, phone call, office appointment, etc., to chose the examination texts one month before the exams at least.

Teaching methods

Reading and analyses of texts and images. Guided visits to archaelogical collections and temporary exhibitions related to the discipline. Partecipation to seminars and conferences.

Attending students can be trained in individual research projects.

Assessment methods

The exam consists in an interview to assess the student’s critical and methodological skills. Both "Introduction" and the "Special Section" will be considered during the exam. Attending students will introduce their individual research during the last lessons. Each student will be given a source (text or image) to analyze according to the methodological guidelines provided. Particular emphasis will be given to the students ability to manage sources and bibliography in order to obtain the necessary information and to illustrate topics and issues finding connections between them.

The assessment will be based on: knowledge of the subject matter; concept analysis and synthesis; clarity of expression, proper terminology. Students who show proficiency in knowledge and critical perspective, as well as proficiency in expression and technical vocabulary will be granted the highest marks. Students who show they have studied, but in a mnemonic way, and are able of synthesis and analysis expressed adequately, will be granted of medium marks. Students who show basic knowledge, but inadequate vocabulary, will have a pass. Students who show insufficient knowledge, inadequate vocabulary and don't know appropriately the bibliography, will not pass the exam.

Teaching tools

Audiovisuals, pc, films and stereo.

Didactic tools have been prepared for the Introduction of this course: consult them.

Audiovisuals, pc, listening will be used during the lessons.

Individual tutoring may be provided for students attending the lessons.

Guided visits to archaelogical collections and temporary exhibitions related to the discipline in the project “Looking at sounds”.

Students can take 2 more CFU attending the Didactic Laboratory of Music Archaeology (MusicArcheoLab).

Responsible: prof.ssa Donatella Restani

Staff: prof. Daniela Castaldo (Università del Salento), dr. Paolo Bonora, e dr. Giovanna Casali (Università di Bologna)

In collaboration with: Laboratorio di Beni Musicali, Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Università di Bologna andDipartimento di Beni Culturali, Università del Salento

The educational project of the Music Archeology Laboratory proposes the realization of scientific projects, of an educational nature, for the enhancement and use of ancient musical goods, mainly preserved in archaeological museums or in the dedicated sections of generalist museums.

In 2018-19 the activity of the Laboratory will concern the debugging of the digital Repertoire of the ancient musical instruments /Repertorium electronicum Instrumentorum Musicorum Antiquorum (RIMANT).

Objectives:

- Complete census of the archaeological testimonies related to the Greek and Roman  musical instruments in the Italian museums (VI BC-III AD);

- collection and study of the sources and the relative bibliographical documentation;

- debugging of the database.

Started around 2013, the first census of the musical instruments of Antiquity in the Italian museums, has concerned above all the museums of the central regions, southern and Sicily. It has allowed to individualize around 50 archaeological finds, particularly boxes of resonance of ancient lyrai constituted by carapaci of turtle, fragments of aulos in bronze, wood, bone and ivory, bells and bronze cymbals, bells, rattles and bones. The results are provisional and I think that an investigation more deepened can allow to go up again to other finds.

Links to further information

http://moisasociety.org

Office hours

See the website of Donatella Restani