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Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2023

Between quotation and inspiration: the Latin literature in the fourteenth-century motet

Résumé

The fourteenth-century motet is one of the last polyphonic gen- res of the end of the Middle Ages to perpetuate the use of Latin lyric poetry. This predilection for Latin, somewhat paradoxical in comparison with the success of vernacular poetry and the promising beginnings of the seconde rhétorique, is indicative of the new status granted to the motet at the turn of the fourteenth century. Its lyrics, usually of a political or social nature, are also emphasized by the singular use of the pluritextuality. These characteristics make consequently the motet a major literary work and are reminiscent of the words of Johannes de Grocheio about the intellectual level of the genre around 1300. However, understanding the lyrics of a fourteenth-century motet is generally a complex task. The stanzas frequently have an ambiguous syntax or even Latin neologisms. But the main difficulty lies in the obscure meaning of many texts, inspired by mythological, biblical, mathematical or astronomical themes. The motet fits perfectly into the strong intertextual tradition of the Middle Ages and is based on many quotations from Latin literature. Nevertheless, the analysis of these processes has often been limited to a few motets, without ever having been subject to an in-depth study. Yet, clearly identifying the composers’ preferred sources would not only to allow a better understanding of the meaning of complex passages, but also to shed light the modalities of selection of the materia – the main poetic material according to Egidius de Murino. This paper proposes to further explore the Latin quotations and their sources in the motets of the fourteenth century, especially of French provenance – Fauvel, Ivrea and Chantilly. This approach will therefore clarify the meaning of certain lyrics in light of the literature used by composers.
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Dates et versions

hal-04231378 , version 1 (06-10-2023)

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  • HAL Id : hal-04231378 , version 1

Citer

Kévin Roger. Between quotation and inspiration: the Latin literature in the fourteenth-century motet. Medieval and Renaissance Music Conference 2023, Irene Holzer; Stefan Gasch; Veronika Giglberger; Moritz Kelber; Bernhard Lutz; Katharina Preller; Bernhold Schmid; Elisabeth Seidel; Tabea Umbreit, Jul 2023, Munich, Germany. ⟨hal-04231378⟩
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