Imaginingfrenchsong

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Imagining French Narrative and Song c.1100–c.1350: Literary, Musicological and Performance Perspectives
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Saturday 14th January, 2023
Conference: St John’s College (Lightfoot Room, Old Divinity School) University of Cambridge

Concert: The Round Church, Bridge St., Cambridge

Keynote Speaker: Sarah Kay, Professor of French Literature, Thought and Culture, New York University

Conference Concert: Ensemble Leones, dir. Marc Lewon Matthieu Romanens (tenor), Marc Lewon (lute, gittern), Baptiste Romain (fiddle, bagpipes)

This event aims to explore the processes of creation, translation, adaptation, and interpretation in Old French narrative and song, including underexplored musical aspects, and other closely related literary, musicological, and performance elements. The conference will be hosted at St John’s College, University of Cambridge on January 14th, 2023, in conjunction with a closing concert in The Round Church (built in the 12th C.) by the renowned medieval music group Ensemble Leones, directed by Marc Lewon (Professor of Medieval Lute, Schola Cantorum in Basel). The organizers are delighted to welcome Professor Sarah Kay (NYU), distinguished scholar and specialist in French, Occitan and Latin medieval literature, as our keynote speaker for the event.

Presentation topics
Proposals are invited on any literary, musicological or performance aspect of Old French narrative and song, c.1100–c.1350, their wider relationship with other traditions, and their contemporary re-imagination. Topics for presentations might include:

''Case studies exploring the extent to which Old French narrative contributed to a pan-European medieval literary/performance culture versus its role in the formation of national literary/performance traditions in other vernaculars

Textual interrelationships between the so-called ‘Matter of Britain’, ‘Matter of France’ and ‘Matter of Rome’ cycles, particularly in relation to information about music-making

Consideration of the role of oral transmission and possible textual hints for this in written prose versions via linguistic and formal analysis

Similarities and differences between narrative and lyric texts, in Old French, Old Occitan, and Middle French

Comparative case studies of narrative translations from Old French into other vernaculars such as Middle High German, Old Castilian, etc.

Ways in which French narrative verse and lyric was (re)imagined across the period c.1100–c.1350, alongside reasons for this and their implications

Our relationship to these works as modern scholars, performers and interpreters.''

Presentation format: Individual papers of 20 min duration (+ 10 min discussion)

Proposal length: Abstract of paper (250 words), short biography (max. 150 words, including contact details)

Conference Organizers: Richard Robinson, Tricia Postle

Chair of the Selection Panel: Professor Sam Barrett