Creative Practice and the Limits of Knowledge in Reconstructing Lost Songs from Boethius’s On the Consolation of Philosophy
Samuel Barrett
This study seeks to reconstruct the music for Boethius’s final and most widely read work, On Consolation of Philosophy. Although a handful neumations thirty-nine poems have long been known, almost complete absence surviving pitched versions melodies has hindered task reconstruction. Following systematic neumed manuscripts dating from ninth eleventh centuries identification underlying principles melodic design, it is now possible attempt informed reconstructions. Even so, leap scholarship modern performance remains substantial, involving preliminary need recreate through experimentation. Collaboration with members ensemble Sequentia over four-year period (2014–17) provided an opportunity explore ways in which creative practice might supplement scholarly knowledge, whether posing new research questions, formation exploration hypotheses, or recourse memorized practices built up sustained engagement early medieval repertories instruments. Taking recovered mid eleventh-century leaf Cambridge Songs as focus investigation, songs first book De consolatione philosophiae were newly reconstructed. debate continues surround status results obtained practice, comparison way other disciplines proceeded under similar conditions reveals acceptance experimentation mode inquiry. essay proposes that can fruitfully philology seeking lost notated traces.
The Journal of Musicology