The Mass as poetry
Kate Helsen
Every singer understands the importance of text. Those who sing early music, in particular, are constantly confronted with understanding their texts. When modern singers approach a medieval liturgical chant, comic image hooded monks mumbling dimly lit cloisters threatens to usurp any efforts at true enquiry into genre. Gunilla Iversen has dedicated her academic life facilitating that through work on (that is, sung) poetry. Perhaps best known connection Corpus Troporum project Stockholm University, Iversen’s maintains its close musicological and studies by focusing nexus ritual: meaning interpretation sung poetry church. Her new book, Laus angelica: Mass, is fifth Medieval Church Studies series published Brepols translated English William Flynn. In it, focuses specific tropes sequences found Mass books intended for celebrations throughout church year, written between 9th end 12th centuries.
Early Music