| Review |
Aribo Scholasticus was an eleventh-century Flemish monk and music theorist whose book De musica was critical in the development of modal theory. By placing emphasis on melodic formulae as well as scales in the definition of mode, Aribo altered the way Western musicians viewed music. This book provides a close reading of the treatise and suggests that an investigation of Aribo's imagery, music theories, and methodology of presentation is critical to a nuanced understanding of not only the treatise itself but also of its conceptual and theoretical relationship to the larger world of eleventh-century musical thought. The interpretive process laid out in this study yields an understanding of Aribo's work that ultimately alters our preconceptions of what a medieval music theory text might or should have been, unveiling a rich field of interconnected meanings. This book finally settles the academic question of this early-medieval musicologist's identity, putting forth the first-ever examination of his musical theories as taken from original texts and extant discussions on the subject. As such, it is an essential reference for all medieval scholars and musicologists. |
