Deconstructing a medieval legend Guido d'Arezzo, the Arabian influence, and the role of historical imagination /

Chami, Hicham

Deconstructing a medieval legend Guido d'Arezzo, the Arabian influence, and the role of historical imagination / [Ressource électronique] : Hicham Chami - 1 vol. (167 p.)

Master of music : Music : Graduate School of the University of Florida : 2014

Bibliogr. 148-166

Music history is replete with unchallenged legends. Some of these legends stay alive because they serve a purpose for a particular population; others bolster ideological points of view. What happens when new evidence emerges that threatens long-held beliefs? The "legend"of 11th-century monk Guido d'Arezzo and his purported "invention" of solmization perfectly demonstrates the conundrum of maintaining a legend in the face of substantial documentation of Arab influence on cultural and scientific innovations during the Middle Ages. Pioneering Arabist scholar Henry George Farmer brought these findings to light in the early 20th century, meeting resistance from Eurocentric scholars seeking to preserve the status quo. This issue is examined through the lens of "historical imagination," a concept articulated by R. G. Collingwood. How can coherent visions of the past be constructed so that "truth" can be discerned? And what is the consequence of suppressing conflicting visions ?

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