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    L'orfeo: Memory, recollection and the tragedy of choosing between seeing and hearing


    Cascelli, Antonio (2018) L'orfeo: Memory, recollection and the tragedy of choosing between seeing and hearing. Philomusica on-line, 17. pp. 273-308. ISSN 1826-9001

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    Abstract

    In the contrast between seeing and hearing at the centre of the myth of Orpheus, the duality of memory and recollection, in Aristotelian terms, emerges, allowing us to reconsider the role of Eurydice in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo. When Orpheus, in a moment of frenzy and forgetfulness, turns back towards Eurydice he chooses the visibility of the eye over the audibility of the ear. The process of active recollection of the past, which he had initiated with the canzonetta Vi ricorda o boschi ombrosi, ends with the failure of music and the inability to retain the object of his love. Conversely, Eurydice’s words – Ahi, vista troppo dolce – after Orpheus looks at her, reveals a musical connection to past moments. In this way, her singing is the embodiment of the power of music and it creates a musical memory to which Orpheus does not have access. ******************************************************** Nel contrasto fra vedere e sentire, al centro del mito di Orfeo, emerge la duplicità di memoria e ricordo, in termini aristotelici, consentendoci di riconsiderare il ruolo di Euridice ne L’Orfeo di Monteverdi. Quando Orfeo, in un momento di follia e di mancanza di memoria, si volge verso Euridice, sceglie la visibilità del vedere invece dell’audibilità del sentire. Il processo di recupero dei ricordi e della memoria, sollecitato dalla canzonetta Vi ricorda o boschi ombrosi, si conclude con l’incapacità di Orfeo di trattenere l’oggetto del proprio amore e con il fallimento della musica. Al contrario, le parole di Euridice – Ahi, vista troppo dolce – allo sguardo di Orfeo, rivelano una connessione musicale a momenti passati. In questo modo, il suo canto diventa l’espressione del potere della musica, sperimentando una memoria musicale alla quale Orfeo non ha accesso.

    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: Monteverdi; Orfeo; Euridice; Drama; Analisys; Dramma; Analisi;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Arts,Celtic Studies and Philosophy > Music
    Item ID: 11891
    Depositing User: Antonio Cascelli
    Date Deposited: 26 Nov 2019 12:07
    Journal or Publication Title: Philomusica on-line
    Publisher: Pavia University Press
    Refereed: Yes
    URI:
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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