Music as Political Practice: Evoking the Sounds of Power at the Early Modern Court

IF 0.4 3区 历史学 Q1 HISTORY
E. Natour
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Seventeenth-century monarchy was performed, by ritual, by enactments, by sounds, and by visualizations. The crises of European monarchies of the 1620s and 1630s were met with splendid spectacles in which rulers and courtiers acted out idealized royal virtues and power. This article argues the case for the vital importance of music within these spectacles. Musical harmony was thought to mirror the harmony of the spheres, indicating God's plan for the universe. The ruler's ability to master or evoke musical harmony in aulic theatre could thus function as double representation of divine approval of his or her government. By comparing ballets and masques at the French Court of Louis XIII and the British Court of Charles I, music's centrality to political power in the performance of sacral kingship will be demonstrated. A focus on Britannia Triumphans (1638) and Merlaison (1635), works known for the extraordinary attention Charles I and respectively Louis XIII devoted to their performances, exemplifies how the handling of music offers valuable insights into the inner power structures of those courts. In both cases the musical performance was used to communicate and establish related political agendas.
音乐作为政治实践:唤起早期现代宫廷的权力之声
17世纪的君主制是通过仪式,通过表演,通过声音,通过想象来实现的。1620年代到1630年代,欧洲君主制的危机上演了壮观的一幕统治者和朝臣表现出理想化的王室美德和权力。这篇文章论证了音乐在这些场景中的重要性。音乐的和谐被认为反映了天体的和谐,表明了上帝对宇宙的计划。因此,统治者在宫廷戏剧中掌握或唤起音乐和谐的能力可以作为神对他或她的政府的认可的双重代表。通过比较路易十三的法国宫廷和查理一世的英国宫廷的芭蕾舞剧和假面舞会,将展示音乐在神圣王权的表现中对政治权力的核心作用。《不列颠凯旋》(1638)和《默莱松》(1635)这两部作品因查理一世和路易十三对其表演的特别关注而闻名,这两部作品体现了对音乐的处理如何为了解这些宫廷的内部权力结构提供了有价值的见解。在这两种情况下,音乐表演都被用来沟通和建立相关的政治议程。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
0.60
自引率
0.00%
发文量
37
期刊介绍: European History Quarterly has earned an international reputation as an essential resource on European history, publishing articles by eminent historians on a range of subjects from the later Middle Ages to post-1945. European History Quarterly also features review articles by leading authorities, offering a comprehensive survey of recent literature in a particular field, as well as an extensive book review section, enabling you to keep up to date with what"s being published in your field. The journal also features historiographical essays.
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