«Cercate l’antica madre»: percorsi e ricorsi delle forme musicali medievali

In is fairly usual for music history handbooks to introduce certain remote musical forms, documented since the historical period in which they became established, with an adequate formal analytical support. What they entirely lack, often due to problems retrieving documentation, is any explanation concerning their origin and the genetic process of their evolution. Such an approach leads to a ‘sterilized’ comprehension of the musical phenomenon, by depriving it of the essential contribution of its social and cultural context. Through a couple of examples, the article shows how restoring the historical identity of musical forms that are no longer current can also reconstruct the traits that are able to convey authentic meanings to us and our descendants.