Criers, bells, songs, and voices from beyond the grave. Sounds and powers in the Middle Ages
Type de matériel :
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This article proposes a dive into the infinite world of medieval sounds. Starting from the common designation of sounds in spoken language or literature, it also looks at scholarly reflections. In doing so, it shows the importance of sounds in the public space, whether they express or declaim the social and political order, or whether they challenge it. In this sense, the function of the criers and heralds, in the service of the king, the nobles, and the cities, is essential. Ritual noise as a singular form of social and political order is opposed to the sound announcements of the authorities. The article then examines the analogy between animal and human sounds, before emphasizing man’s ability to make instruments, such as bells, to deploy sound modalities other than those of his own voice. Finally, certain sounds and sonorities refer to the framework of a medieval world thought of as God’s Creation and where all sounds, even unpleasant noises and rackets, are, like voices and language, carriers of meaning.
Réseaux sociaux