Climbing Mont Ventoux: the contest/context of scholasticism and humanism in early fifteenth-century Paduan music theory and practice
Jason Stoessel
Petrarch’s description of his ascent Mont Ventoux in 1336 provides a point departure for exploring the dynamic between old and new, logic rhetoric, absolute relative knowledge, scholasticism humanism writings on music from early fifteenth-century Padua. Early Padua was city contrasts which two intellectual traditions – one condemned by Petrarch other legacy ran alongside, often entangled with, each other: humanism. The Paduan citizens Johannes Ciconia Prosdocimo de’ Beldomandi afford insights into reception these traditions. Ciconia’s Nova musica embraces spirit proposing revolutionary understanding as grammar largely perspective some oldest authors Latin theory. Prosdocimo’s scholastic approach to musical knowledge nonetheless demonstrates an interest aesthetics listening that emphasises role emotion, especially pleasure, experience. Yet, alone most forceful exposition emotional theory expression ultimately manifests itself he composed during last decade or so life
Intellectual History Review