La voix de l’Autre. Singularités et altérités vocales dans les contacts entre Byzantins et leurs voisins occidentaux (IXe-XIIe s.)

Abstract

Even though our sources globally make it difficult to hear the voices of individuals during the mid-Byzantine period, some of them give us a few insights, notably when Byzantine authorities are confronted with Western neighbours. Indeed, Byzantine singing and liturgic practices are frequently mentioned in Latin sources. They are often associated with other aspects of what one may call a “sound landscape”, and they are presented in a positive manner. But laughter and pronunciation are vocal variations that are usually more criticized in the perception ‘Latins’ and Byzantines have of each other. Furthermore, when political and military tensions arise, variations in the tone of voice of the Other can be severely judged and condemned. Finally, very often, voices heard within the context of encounters between ‘Latins’ and ‘Greeks’ may be associated with questions of order and disorder according to Byzantine authors.