Revoicing a “choice eunuch”: the cornett and historical models of vocality
- Submitting institution
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Birmingham City University
- Unit of assessment
- 33 - Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies
- Output identifier
- 33Z_OP_D0046
- Type
- D - Journal article
- DOI
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10.1093/em/cay068
- Title of journal
- Early Music
- Article number
- -
- First page
- 561
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 4
- ISSN
- 0306-1078
- Open access status
- Compliant
- Month of publication
- -
- Year of publication
- 2018
- URL
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https://academic.oup.com/em/article-abstract/46/4/561/5233004?redirectedFrom=fulltext
- Supplementary information
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-
- Request cross-referral to
- -
- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
- -
- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
-
-
- Research group(s)
-
-
- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- Jamie Savan's article ‘Revoicing a “choice eunuch”’ asks the question: what does it mean for an instrument to imitate the human voice in the early modern period? What characteristics of the human voice were particularly admired and imitated by instrumentalists, and how was this achieved? The research involved a wide-ranging thematic survey of documented historical performance practices and pedagogies – both vocal and instrumental – looking in particular for points of convergence. This evidence was then considered in relation to extant cornetti of the period, demonstrating how vocal solmisation practices are embedded in the design and fingering systems of historical cornetti, and how this in turn facilitates transposition to accommodate different pitch standards (and different vocal ranges). The methodology employed is a synergy of historical musicology, applied organology and performance-led research, as reflected in the nature of the output: a journal article with audio examples (performed by the author) to illustrate and further extend the argument. Audio examples are hosted on the OUP website and are accessible via embedded links in the PDF article.
- Author contribution statement
- -
- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
- -