scholarly journals Italian 17th- and 18th-Century Dramatic Works with Music, Written for the Clothing and Profession Ceremonies, with Special Reference to Compositions Based on the Book of Judith*

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-59
Author(s):  
Anna Ryszka-Komarnicka
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Religious Orders ◽  
Dramatic Works ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Monastic Life ◽  
Strength Of Faith ◽  
Book Of Judith

Abstract Late 16th- and early 17th-century Italian theatrical works (with or without music) based on the Book of Judith are perceived as associated with women, who acted as their performers (in female monasteries), dedicatees, or patrons. This paper considers the reasons for the loosening of such ties in the Baroque genres of dialogue and oratorio, which evolved in the circles of religious and lay congregations, in which women were either marginalised or altogether excluded. The link between women and the oratorio genre was thus maintained only in the case of the so-called palace oratorios. Oratorios did not gain a solid footing in the music life of female religious orders, either. Their presence mainly made itself felt in the space suspended between the monastic and secular worlds, namely, in the context of the ceremonies of clothing and profession, which were celebrated with performances of cantatas, dialogues, or oratorios. A survey of such repertoire from the 17th and 18th centuries has revealed an astonishing wealth of subjects and approaches: allegorical works, saints’ lives, Old Testament stories praising parents who offered their children up to God, happy weddings, or the deeds of extraordinary women. The Book of Judith occupies an important place among the latter subjects, which emphasised the fides and fortitudo of those entering monastic life. Existing works (such as Metastasio's Betulia) were also sometimes used. Some texts were written specially for such occasions, and they demonstrate individual qualities. Metastasio's solemn and exalted model was followed even in such small-scale pieces as the Florentine componimento sacro Giuditta of 1750. The rappresentazione La Giuditte (1621) depicts the strength of faith not only of Judith herself, but also (contrary to the Biblical account) – of the Bethulian society as an allegory of Bologna and its inhabitants. Comic elements were smuggled into the Paduan oratorio Giuditta (1735). To sum up, dramatic works with music based on the Book of Judith, written for the ceremonies of women entering the monastery, which have hitherto remained marginal to academic research, represent a promising field for further studies.

Canons to the Left of Him: Brevard Childs, his Critics, and the Future of Old Testament Theology

1997 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain Provan
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Biblical Theology ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Probable Origin ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church

It is well known that the seeds from which the modern discipline of OT theology grew are already found in 17th and 18th century discussion of the relationship between Bible and Church, which tended to drive a wedge between the two, regarding canon in historical rather than theological terms; stressing the difference between what is transient and particular in the Bible and what is universal and of abiding significance; and placing the task of deciding which is which upon the shoulders of the individual reader rather than upon the church. Free investigation of the Bible, unfettered by church tradition and theology, was to be the way ahead. OT theology finds its roots more particularly in the 18th century discussion of the nature of and the relationship between Biblical Theology and Dogmatic Theology, and in particular in Gabler's classic theoreticalstatementof their nature and relationship. The first book which may strictly be called an OT theology appeared in 1796: an historical discussion of the ideas to be found in the OT, with an emphasis on their probable origin and the stages through which Hebrew religious thought had passed, compared and contrasted with the beliefs of other ancient peoples, and evaluated from the point of view of rationalistic religion. Here we find the unreserved acceptance of Gabler's principle that OT theology must in the first instance be a descriptive and historical discipline, freed from dogmatic constraints and resistant to the premature merging of OT and NT — a principle which in the succeeding century was accepted by writers across the whole theological spectrum, including those of orthodox and conservative inclination.

Examining “Eclektic”, “Kitch” “Neoclasic” and “Orientalist” architectural production methods on university structures

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-130
Author(s):  
Emine Yıldız Kuyrukçu ◽  
Hatice Ülkü Ünal
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Architectural Form ◽  
Architectural Elements ◽  
Consumption Culture ◽  
Educational Structures ◽  
University Buildings ◽  
Architectural Structures ◽  
The 19Th Century

Postmodern architectural products that can be described as kitsch have become rapidly consumed objects because they have appealed to the whole society. As a demand stimulating, easily comprehensible, and rapidly consumable product, kitsch has gained an important place in postmodern culture and architecture. These features of kitsch have easily made it a paradoxical part of consumption culture. After the Neoclassical boom in the 18th century, architectural movements such as Eclecticism, Orientalism, and Historicism became widespread in the 19th century. Towards the end of the 20th century, these tendencies came to the fore again within the Postmodern paradigm, and new kitsch architectural structures have begun to be produced in these undertakings in accordance with the spirit of the period. Eclecticism which has become prominent again in postmodern architecture has been referred to as neo-eclecticism or eclectic populism and has been defined as a style that ‘complexity, uncertainty and contradictions’ are expressed, ‘references from history and symbolic elements are used. Together with various historical forms in the postmodern period, orientalist images have been also used. Images consisting of stylized views of the Western culture on the Orient and that are not based on an authentic eastern depiction have been used in the production of orientalist architectural form. In recent years, eclectic, kitsch, orientalist, neoclassical forms that are independent of context and time have been frequently encountered in architectural applications in also Turkey. On one hand, elements from Turkish culture have been used and on the other hand, architectural elements from foreign cultures have been preferred. It is seen that there have been contradictions between form and meaning in educational structures built in Turkey during the period that the paradigms of the Postmodern era have been dominant. In this study, it is aimed to read and analyze the concepts of kitsch, eclecticism, neoclassicism, orientalism in the postmodern paradigm on recent university buildings and campus portals. In line with this purpose, an extensive literature research was conducted within the scope of the study; in the case study, recent university buildings and portals were analyzed in terms of postmodernism, the historical periods and architectural elements they derived were determined.

scholarly journals Comparative Review of Worship Spaces in Buddhist and Cistercian Monasteries: The Three Temples of Guoqing Si (China) and the Church of the Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet (Spain)

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 972
Author(s):  
Weiqiao Wang
Keyword(s):  
Field Research ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Comparative Review ◽  
Worship Space ◽  
Monastic Life ◽  
Functional Layout ◽  
Institutional Model ◽  
Santa Maria ◽  
The Church

Although the two parallel architectural forms, Han Buddhists and the Cistercian monasteries, seem, on the surface, to be very different—belonging to different religions, different cultural backgrounds, and different ways of construction—they share many similarities in the internal institutional model of monks’ lives and the corresponding architectural core values. The worship space plays the most significant role in both monastic life and layout. In this study, the Three Temples of Guoqing Si and the Church of the Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet are used as examples to elucidate the connotations behind the architectural forms, in order to further explore how worship spaces serve as an intermediary between deities, monks, and pilgrims. Based on field research and experience of monastic life, this comparative study highlights two fundamental similarities between the Three Temples and the Church: First, both worship spaces are derived from imperial prototypes, have a similar priority of construction, occupy the most important place in both sacred venues, and both serve as a reference for the development of monastic layout. Second, both worship spaces are composed of a similar programmed functional layout, including similar space dominators as well as itineraries. Beyond the surface similarities, this article further analyzes the reasons behind the three differences found. Due to their different understanding of deities, both worship spaces show different ways of worship, images of deities, and distances towards them.

scholarly journals The dramatization of the Holy Week in Švėkšna church in the first half of the 19th century

Menotyra ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asta Giniūnienė
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Complicated Structure ◽  
Adam And Eve ◽  
Death Of Jesus ◽  
History Of ◽  
Church Art ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
First Time

The article for the first time analyses the decoration parts of the Christ’s tomb of the second halfof the 18th century found a few years ago in Švėkšna church. The Christ’s tomb from the oldchurch was transferred to the  new church, which was built in 1804 and used until the  4thdecade of the 19th century. On the basis of the sources and remained fragments we can statethat this was a complicated structure of the Paschal decoration designed under the Europeanbaroque scenery principles. It was composed of the paintings on boards and canvas and mis-cellaneous accessories. The  Christ’s tomb paintings are characterised by a  symbolic allegoriccontent and artistry. The prophets of the Old Testament and characters the New Testamentreflecting the Paschal Triduum liturgy were depicted in the decoration. The survived outlinepaintings of Adam and Eve in Paradise, Noah waiting for the Saviour, and Angels Lamentingover the Death of Jesus are the exceptional iconography images in the Lithuanian church art.The decorations of the Christ’s tomb were created by the professional masters who decoratedthe churches in Samogitia in the second part of the 18th century. The images of suffering anddead Jesus used in the figuration of the Paschal Triduum influenced the spread of the Passionscenes. This is supported by an interesting archival fact about the shrine with a group of sculp-tures depicting the tomb of Christ in the Švėkšna churchyard.The fragments of the Paschal decorations in the Švėkšna church are important baroque scen-ery exhibits, which are valuable for the history of the Lithuanian church art and scenography.The investigation of the Holy Week figuration in the Švėkšna church is a valuable illustrationof this multidimensional cultural, religious and artistic phenomenon.

“Cap, my little man, be a woman!”

2017 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 631-655
Author(s):  
Linda Naranjo-Huebl
Keyword(s):  
Gender Roles ◽  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Critical Interpretation ◽  
Book Of Judith

In E.D.E.N. Southworth’s The Hidden Hand, an allusion to the book of Judith points to parallels in its formalist elements—intertextuality, plot features, and genre (comedy)—and in themes—its protagonists’ challenge of gender roles and emphasis on God’s sovereignty. They also share a mixed critical interpretation. The similarities are tempered by Southworth’s rejection of Old Testament-style violence and her New Testament belief in the possibility of redemption for all souls. The resulting tensions manifest in ambiguities that correlate with feminist theologians’ disparate interpretations of Judith, particularly those that note a spiritual progression from Judith to Mary that moves from “righteous” violence to acts of peace.

scholarly journals Emotions and feelings in the Bible: analysis of the Pentateuch's affective lexicon

2007 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 355-376
Author(s):  
Dario Galati ◽  
Renato Miceli ◽  
Marco Tamietto
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Textual Analysis ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Intentional Object ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Italian Version ◽  
The Bible

English This study aims to investigate how affective states are described in the Old Testament. Three psychology researchers were asked to read the first five books of the first Italian version (from the 18th century) of the Old Testament (Pentateuch, or Torah) and to select all the terms that referred to an emotion or a feeling. For each selected term, they also had to pinpoint its position in the text (i.e. book, chapter) and the various characteristics of the affective episode in which it appeared (i.e. experiencing subject, situational antecedent, intentional object, instrumental behaviors). The textual analysis showed that the affective terms most frequently cited referred to four categories: “fear, awe”, “anger, hate”, “affliction, pain, sadness” and “love, joy, happiness”. These categories were significantly associated with specific instrumental behaviors and characters of the narration. Multivariate analysis also indicated that the frequency of citation of the affective categories varied significantly as a function of the book in which they appeared. In the conclusions, the authors discuss the conception of emotions and feelings issuing from the Pentateuch analysis. French L'article se propose d'analyser de quelle manière les expériences affectives sont décrites et évaluées dans la Bible. On a demandé à trois chercheurs psychologues de lire les cinq premiers livres de la première version italienne (du 18ème siècle) de la Bible (le Pentateuque, ou Torah) et d'y sélectionner tous les termes se référant à des expériences affectives (émotions et sentiments). Pour chaque terme sélectionné, ils devaient aussi indiquer sa position dans le texte (livre, chapitre) et les différentes composantes de l'épisode au cours duquel l'émotion ou le sentiment étaient expérimentés (le sujet qui expérimentait l'expérience affective, la situation qui la causait, l'objet intentionnel auquel elle se référait, le comportement réactif du sujet, l'évaluation morale de l'expérience). Les résultats de la sélection ont mis en évidence que les termes affectifs les plus fréquents se réfèrent à quatre catégories d'émotions, à savoir, dans l'ordre, la peur, la colère, la tristesse, la joie. Ces émotions sont expérimentées à des fréquences différentes par les principaux personnages de la narration (Dieu, les hommes, le Peuple d'Israël). L'émotion le plus souvent expérimentée par Dieu est la colère et par les différents personnages humains, la peur. Aucune évaluation morale négative quant aux expériences affectives n'émerge de l'analyse du texte. L'analyse multivariée met en évidence le fait que la fréquence des citations des catégories émotionnelles change sensiblement en fonction des cinq livres du Pentateuque. Dans leurs conclusions, les auteurs examinent la conception implicite des émotions et des sentiments qui semble émerger du Pentateuque.

Financial and economical activity of Orthodox monasteries of Tambov Eparchy in the 18th–19th centuries

2019 ◽  
pp. 121-130
Author(s):  
Maksim Volkov
Keyword(s):  
Land Tenure ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Financial Economic ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Monastic Life ◽  
Gradual Accumulation ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Economical Activity

The relevance of our study is due to the recent trends of comprehensive consideration of issues related to the financial, economic and economic activities of Orthodox monasteries. In the conditions of the revival of monastic life in modern Russia these aspects of monastic work are of particular interest to researchers and allow us to draw some historical parallels, as well as to comprehend many related issues in this direction. The study was tasked with presenting a genera-lized summary analysis of the economic status of Orthodox male monasteries of the eparchy dur-ing the synodal period, as well as reviewing the main articles of income and expenditure of mone-tary amounts. The facts collected and systematized in this study are intended to reveal the specifics and peculiarities of ownership of the male monasteries with their lands. Land tenure and various economic objects were a powerful economic help in the conditions of the established division of monasteries into regular and non-standard types after the 1764 reform. As a result, from the second half of the 18th century, most of the cloisters were forced to seek new non-state sources of income. In the process of the gradual accumulation of the land fund over the next century, the role of economic possessions, which, as a rule, were leased and provided a solid and stable extrabudgetary income, both in regular and non-standard monasteries, increased.

Prayer

2020 ◽  
pp. 315-332
Author(s):  
Rachel Fulton Brown
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Divine Office ◽  
Careful Preparation ◽  
Monastic Life ◽  
The Mind

Prayer lies at the centre of the monastic life, but what is prayer? For medieval monks and nuns, prayer was above all a ‘lifting up of the mind and soul to God’, whether in speech or song, requiring the whole of one’s attention and thus careful preparation and life-long discipline. It was a service offered to God, an exercise of penance, and a battle fought on behalf of one’s neighbours against the powers of darkness and sin. Like modern Christians, medieval monks and nuns worried whether their prayers were offered with appropriate devotion and understanding. Their most important models for and sources of prayer were the psalms of the Old Testament, which they sang daily in the Divine Office.

scholarly journals Building a Distributed Virtual Laboratory Adjacent to Academia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradly Alicea
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crises ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Academic Institution ◽  
Version Control ◽  
Virtual Laboratory ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Research And Education ◽  
Institutional Challenges ◽  
Pure Research

A number of contemporary forces have conspired to drive highly-competent academics away from the academy. The vagaries of departmental hiring, institutional conservatism, and growth in the number of researchers versus available positions have displaced talent and innovation. Enter the alt-academic institution: small-scale institutions engaged in academic research in niche areas that are not viable at conventional institutions. I will introduce the reader to a specialized type of alt-academic institution by discussing their economics, organizational structure, and approach to collaboration/mentorship. Additionally, innovations such as infrastructural innovation, open access pipelines with version control, heterarchical organization, and a flexible contribution philosophy have made such institutions possible. The main subjects for this point of view article will be the OpenWorm Foundation (http://openworm.org/) and the Orthogonal Research and Education Laboratory (https://orthogonal-research.weebly.com/). Readers are also provided with an account of institutional challenges, from article/book access to encouraging collaborative participation. As recent financial crises and pandemics have made clear, we need robust alternative institutions to overcome challenges to the pure research enterprise. Distributed virtual alt-academic institutions can also serve to increase diversity and overall participation in the research enterprise. This has positive consequences for science literacy and discovery more generally.

scholarly journals Musical interpretation of Hezekiah’s illness in Johann Kuhnau’s Biblical sonata

Menotyra ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Pister
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Rhetorical Figures ◽  
Keyboard Music ◽  
Musical Rhetoric ◽  
Compositional Choices ◽  
Musical Interpretation ◽  
Baroque Era ◽  
And Shifts ◽  
Narrative Element

The article discusses Johann Kuhnau’s fourth keyboard sonata, Der todtkranke und wieder gesunde Hiskias (The Mortally Ill and Then Restored Hezekiah), from his last volume of six keyboard sonatas published in Leipzig in 1700, known popularly as “Biblical Sonatas.” Titled as Musicalische Vorstellung einiger biblischer Historien (Musical Representation of Several Biblical Stories), the set presents a remarkably thorough and detailed musical depiction of selected scenes from the Old Testament. This is also a rare collection of keyboard music to provide a detailed narrative commentary, consisting of verbal synopses of selected stories in German, which preface each sonata, and commentaries in Italian written into notation, which underline portrayed situations, events and affections. To examine the plot-based narrative underlying the storyline of this particular sonata, some authentic discourses have been taken into consideration for analytical purposes. These included the composer’s foreword to the collection of his “Biblical Sonatas,” synopsis of the story depicted in the fourth sonata, and a comprehensive theory of musical rhetoric and the doctrine of the affections found in various 17th and 18th century sources. In this article, the author specifies distinct musical-rhetorical figures that resemble (by analogy) or refer to certain extra-musical objects or phenomena and serve as vehicles for creating different moods and establishing the atmosphere. Depending on which narrative element – action or affections – is brought into focus in each of the six sonatas, the author distinguishes between two types of sonatas, namely ‘action sonatas’ and ‘affective sonatas.’ Affections and shifts in mood experienced by Hezekiah make an important narrative element in the storyline of the fourth sonata. Hence this particular sonata falls under the category of ‘affective sonatas.’ The analysis of this sonata revealed that the narrative is constructed therein in several layers. Firstly, there is a verbal layer: to depict the story in detail and with much consistency, the composer thought it necessary to accompany notation with the synopsis of the story and verbal commentaries. Moreover, quotations from the Protestant chorale Ach Herr mich armen Sünder (Ah Lord, poor sinner that I am) imply verbal connotations of their verses. Secondly, it contains a musical-affective layer: musical devices (such as musical-rhetorical figures, key, rhythm, metre, and the like) are employed there to convey the indicated affections, such as wailing (lamento) or, in other words, sorrow, confidence (confidenza) and joy (allegrezza). The author observes that many compositional choices made by Kuhnau adhere to the standard methods of expressing affects as they were defined in the Baroque treatises. Thirdly, there is an associative layer: certain fragments and elements resemble (by analogy) and refer to extra-musical objects and/or phenomena, such as Belshazzar’s face turning pale and his limbs trembling in terror, the sesquialtera ratio (3:2), which symbolizes the numerical proportion of steps on Ahaz’s sundial and the years of Hezekiah’s life. The alternating musical textures, normally associated with sadness (adagio) and merriment (allegro), can be also mentioned as a characteristic narrative feature in this sonata. Although Kuhnau claimed to have depicted Biblical stories according to his own imagination, the analysis revealed that his writing in this sonata does not veer away from the typical musical vocabulary of the Baroque era, which nowadays requires a more sensitive ear and keener insight into compositional conventions of the period.

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